Which best-seller is not on your favorites list?
For Christmas, the women in my workout class put together a CD for our instructor. (Between you and me, we were a little tired of his music.) Everyone got to put a song on the list. Since I was in charge of burning the CD, I put my foot down on a Jonas Brothers song (for which the instructor thanked me) but I also took a small, creative liberty by adding the Glee cast version of “Rehab.” [Listen to it here: watch?v=vjX7mYTdpEA]
I love the song. Yes, it’s cheesy. But it’s also fun and bouncy. It brightens my mood when I hear it and, let’s be honest, whose mood couldn’t stand some brightening in the middle of a hundred crunches?
Unfortunately, not everyone in my class agrees. Okay. Okay. I admit it. NO ONE else in class likes it. When it comes on, they openly mock me despite the fact I’m the reigning queen of workout class tug-a-war.
But guess what. This doesn’t bother me. I know what I like and cheesy or not, I like the show Glee and have about a dozen of the show’s cover songs on my iPod. When I’m in the car, I blast them and sing along frequently. (Which, of course, embarrasses the heck out of my teenagers. It’s a win-win! But I digress.)
Books are like this, too. Some of the best selling children’s lit out there or the best reviewed books are ones I just don’t like. Some of the book aren’t my taste. Or genre. Or I find that the writing, in my opinion, is lacking sparkle or proper editing.
I can’t be the only one out there, right? So let’s play a game. Are they any books that are supposedly terrific that you just don’t like?
I’ll go first. I’m not a fan of “Twilight.” There. I said it. I read the first book and liked the fast pace and unusual subject matter (at least it was unusual at the time) but, frankly, I wanted to smack Bella by the end of the book. I found her to be a pretty shallow and weak heroine. Not only does she spend a crazy amount of time fawning over how beautiful Edward is but she knowingly walks into a trap at the end. She wasn’t a girl I related to.
How about you? What’s your “I can’t believe everyone else thinks this book rocks” pick? (Come on. Be brave!)
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
OK, I’ll be brave. I recently read I CAPTURE THE CASTLE and I was so unimpressed. I heard people rave about that novel for years so it was quite a let down. I was actually a little annoyed with myself for finishing it, but I kept thinking something awesome must happen for everyone to like it so much.
I hate The Great Gatsby. I just don’t get it at all! Maybe I need to try something else by F. Scott Fitzgerald but I do have a haunting suspicion that his books are not my cup of tea!
The Catcher in the Rye. I just couldn’t get past the first couple chapters. Though it’s been years now, and I keep thinking I should try again.
Jacob I Have Loved. This one I did finish, but only because I think I kept hoping that the tables would finally turn against the twin who got everything. And it never did. What a dreary, depressing book! I couldn’t believe this was written for kids.
Someone recently gave me a copy of the Book Thief, saying it was a must read. Even though I was warned that it took some work to get into, I have tried three times now to get “into” it but the perspective is so vague and disjointed…
And while I am a fan of Twilight, I do agree with you on the things you mentioned… I never could reconcile how Bella could be so crazy in love with Edward and yet basically throw her life away by walking wide-eyed and helpless into a trap.