Fri 16 Feb 2007
I just added this post to the Saturday Review of Books over at Semicolon, hop over there if you are looking for something to read. I am thinking of reading Framley Parsonage.
The Chesterton Society is reading through The Man Who Was Thursday
That made me think of other books I read and wondered: HUH?
How about A Basket of Flowers
Did you like that book? I promise I won’t make fun of you; I will even write it out in ketchup. Some people have called that book life-changing. I just don’t get it. As a matter of fact after reading that book I vowed never to allow a certain catalog into my house again. I won’t name the catalog since that might cause people not to buy the book which could then be construed as slander or maybe libel. I never can keep them straight.
Did you read The Name of the Rose
Hey, it was an enjoyable read but how did it get to the top of so many lists? I know I am missing something here. I am just not smart enough to know what. I mean, I can read hard books and enjoy them. I have read several Russian novels. I actually like Russian novels. But The Name of the Rose just seemed like a good read, not a thumping good read.
Oops, I have to amend the post. I forgot The Water-Babies. The burning question is: Is The Water-Babies worse than A Basket of Flowers? No, because I liked Mother Carey’s Chickens which frequently references The Water-Babies. Did I mention Kate Douglas Wiggin in the read-aloud post? We collect her books. But back to The Water-Babies….I like weird books; I liked At The Back of the North Wind for goodness sake, but I do not have a clue what was going on in The Water-Babies. Perhaps Kingsley was hanging out with Coleridge too much.
So for the weekend…
What books have you hated that everyone else liked? This one should separate the men from the boys. You even have permission to hurt my feelings if you hated something I recommended. It’s happened before. I have altogether quit recommending movies.
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I didn’t even get through The Name of the Rose. I read Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair, and I know he’s supposed to be this great Christian modern author. However, my reaction was: Huh?
The most recent instance of my not getting it was when I read the children’s/ya novel The Book Thief. All my internet buddies have been and continue to rave about this book, but I was not impressed.
Comment by Sherry (February 16, 2007 @ 4:49 pm )
Okay, but you really, REALLY have to promise not to strike me from your list of civilized people…
I can’t understand why everyone except me loved Peace Like a River and Gilead. I read both thinking they would rock my world - and at the end of each I shrugged and thought, “Well, that was hours of my life I’ll never get back…” As far as I know, I’m the only person on the planet that doesn’t like those books.
I concur with your feelings on A Basket of Flowers. Add my name in ketchup to the list.
Tried several times to read The Name of the Rose and couldn’t get past the first chapter or two. I recently read Eco’s book, The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana - what a bust.
(I *did* like The Water-Babies, but I was 12 when I read it - I imagine that I might not like it were I to re-read it now. My oldest two children liked it too, but they also were 12 when they read it.)
Comment by Laura D. (February 16, 2007 @ 5:19 pm )
Because I didn’t think Gilead was all that great I have never read Housekeeping. But I have to say I really did like Peace Like a River.
I think the cover of The Book Thief makes it intriguing although I have not read it.
Reminds me of those Librarian movies. My kids hated the first one and will not watch the second one.
Comment by Cindy (February 16, 2007 @ 5:23 pm )
Cindy,
I made a snarky remark about Christian fiction on my sideblog, and so someone recommended the Mitford series.
It’s trite, predictable, and boring–just like all other Christian fiction.
There is a little possibility, though, from Charles Martin (another reader recommendation). If he had a good editor, he’d be awesome. (The God parts are addendums and too flakey.) He’s a good writer; he just needs better plots and less trite moments. It’s almost as if everything is going along great, and then WHAM!, a little Sunday School jargon—hey, maybe, it’s the editor that’s putting it in there. It’s almost like it doesn’t fit. Anyway, the guy has promise.
I hope we can still be friends, as I know you enjoy Mitford.
Comment by Amy's Humble Musings starts with "A" and lives where it is in the 70's today. (February 16, 2007 @ 5:32 pm )
I did enjoy Mitford, especially the early books. The later books are like spending time with old friends or watching old Andy Griffith episodes.
Can you tell someone is bringing supper tonight so I am on the computer at a weird time?
By the way, if you don’t like Mitford you should not read A Basket of Flowers.
Comment by Cindy (February 16, 2007 @ 5:46 pm )
I’m really embarrassed to admit this, because I have never heard a single negative thing about this book, but….
I could NOT get into “Stepping Heavenward.”
Is something wrong with me?
I plowed on until she married the doctor and was grumbling about having to ready the house for her fil to come live with them but that’s as far as I got.
I can’t say why I didn’t like it exactly…
I don’t enjoy reading diaries or journals-maybe it was the format?
It was just…so predictable. I thought the writing was poorly done. It just didn’t grab a hold of me.
Am I still welcome to visit here?
Comment by Joanna (February 16, 2007 @ 5:57 pm )
Well, Joanna, now you’ve done it !!!
I am sure you can’t be the only one who didn’t like Stepping although I must admit I really do relate so much to that book. What I really thought was neat is that the writer did sound childish in beginning and mature as she aged.
Comment by Cindy (February 16, 2007 @ 6:55 pm )
Well…I didn’t get much out of the Kristen Lavransdatter books ;). I mean, they were okay, but that’s about it. I do love Peace Like a River, and I really liked Gilead, though it’s not the type of book I would normally like. I can’t quite place my finger on why I liked it!
I haven’t yet read The Name of the Rose and now I’m wondering if I should just skip that one. Like you, I liked The Man Who Was Thursday, but I wasn’t positively wild about it like some are (of course, I didn’t go wild about Orthodoxy, either, but that’s not fiction).
I’m sorry, but just the name Basket of Flowers sounds like it would be a sappy kind of story.
Comment by Kathleen (February 16, 2007 @ 7:31 pm )
I haven’t read Basket of Flowers but my two oldest daughters have and they both hated it - can I be in your club too, for raising such girls?
I’ve tried Dickens on several occasions, and I don’t like him - I’ve spent hours and hours trying to follow David Copperfield but honestly, I don’t like the kid, so why should I care what happens to him? I made myself read A Tale of Two Cities for about a week and decided I’m really not into torture. I almost don’t like Elizabeth Gaskill because she’s so Victorian. But now I love Anthonly Trollope, which really surprised me.
Oh wait, this is supposed to be books I hate. Problem is, I erase all those things from my memory, along with all my Most Embarrassing Moments, so that I never have embarrassing stories to tell.
If I think of one, I’ll post later.
Comment by Kelly (February 16, 2007 @ 8:17 pm )
I admit I haven’t finished Basket of Flowers, but you already know what I think of “that catalog” from the other venue we share.I also have the same reaction to Mitford as Amy. And Water Babies! I thought it was terrible and wondered why it was considered it to be a classic.
I know it sounds like I’m just a “yes man,” but honestly I held these opinions before I read this.
Comment by Patti (February 16, 2007 @ 8:20 pm )
“Basket of Flowers” was kind of in the same category as “Elsie Dinsmore”.
Sorry, but my girls and I just could NOT get into either. It actually took my oldest daughter’s comments about Elsie Dinsmore (at about age 12) to wake me out of my stupor. I guess when we hear that we are “supposed” to like a book, some of us just decide it’s better to go with the flow.
I also have met one (count ‘em ~ one!) gal who did not like Stepping Heavenward. She said it was because she simply could not relate to the main character’s temperament. Unfortunately, I can.
I love that book. And I love Mitford. I do not read other Christian fiction (well, except Stepping Heavenward…oh, and Elsie Dinsmore, and um…), so I haven’t much else to compare it with regarding triteness and predictability, but I know what I like. Mitford is a warm place with characters that are somehow real to me. If I’m having a particularly bad day (week, month, year?), I find myself searching for Mitford.
Comment by Linda (February 16, 2007 @ 9:45 pm )
A couple of years ago I finally read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. I didn’t care for it much, and haven’t read the sequels.
Let me be quick to point out that this is more a comment on me than on the Narnia books. Everyone else can’t be wrong, and so I confidently assume that whatever state of mind is needed to appreciate those books is something I could cultivate but haven’t.
When I first heard bluegrass music, it sounded trite and corny and harsh to my ears—but I knew the problem was in my ears, not in the music, and I worked to train them otherwise. So far, though, I don’t see much benefit in developing whatever it takes to appreciate the Narnia books.
Comment by Rick Saenz (February 16, 2007 @ 10:30 pm )
I’ve never read A Basket of Flowers. Here’s a few “super classics best books ever written” that I totally hated as a kid though:
Anything by A.A. Milne. I still bear a grudge against Winnie the Pooh and never used him to decorate a nursery.
Island of the Blue Dolphins.
A Separate Peace.
Mark Twain novels (although I find his essays hilarious and still timely! I just really, really hated Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. Really hated it. Did I mention how much I hated them>)
and, I found Catcher in the Rye to be one big disappointment, given the hype and controversy surrounding it!
Then again, I recently read Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle for the first time and I LOVED it! So I guess I’m just a weirdo.
Mama Says
Comment by Milehimama (February 16, 2007 @ 10:54 pm )
I never read A Basket of Flowers because I could just tell I would despise it. I loathe Elsie Dinsmore as do all my girls and we think somebody needs to shake a backbone into that chit of a girl. I was also once on an email list where I (merely in a sense of good fun and true confessions) said that we all thought Elsie was a sop and a milquetoast, and I was roundly and soundly rebuked for my uncharitable namecalling- so unchristian of me.
You can see I feel really chastened about calling fictional characters names like milquetoast.
I don’t really enjoy Mitford. Bland, bland, bland.
Water Babies I could not get. I thought it the weirdest, most pointless book I ever read. And I could not shake the grudging suspicion that this was because I just wasn’t too bright, that something was going on behind my back. Pipsqueak loved it, and read it in a single day when she was seven. This only convinced me that somebody was putting something over on me. But I read Grace Livingston Hill for those moments when I really need to escape without thinking, so what do I know?
And I am just not intellectual enough to get anything but an abiding and dark sense of horror from reading Flannery O’Conner.
Comment by DeputyHeadmistress (February 16, 2007 @ 11:53 pm )
Ditto, the O’Connor. I get a perverse pleasure in assigning A Good Man is Hard to Find and then asking the reader what they thought. So far they have all thought I was bonkers for the assignment. Dwedful.
Kelly, my boys hate Dickens. We were getting ready to watch Bleak House tonight when they all ganged up on me to describe what they hated about Dickens. I assign quite a few Dicken’s novels.
I still like Dickens and Twain!
Rick, I admire your bravery (TLWW?) and I agree about bluegrass. It is easy to make fun of but it does grow on you and become beautiful.
Comment by Cindy (February 17, 2007 @ 12:09 am )
I have never read most of teh Christian fiction mentioned in previous posts, however, I did read Basket of Flowers and did like it, same for Mitford though they really aren’t the type book I usually read. Tried Waterbabies as a read-aloud, the chicks and I hated every word, same for Peter Pan. But the number one book that I just hated yet almost completed…I’ll be ducking rotten tomatoes now–Les Miserables. There I’ve said it…I just hated every word. I read it for a seminar on Thomas Jefferson Education I attended that included a discussion of the book…when I mentioned I hated it I was rather rudley told to leave the group and not waste their time with my opinion–So, I just sat and listened to other woman wax poetic about Jean Val Jean and atonement and forgivness and blah, blah, blah.
Comment by Motherhen (February 17, 2007 @ 12:46 am )
Cindy, You are a brave woman.
I recently finished reading Water Babies to my 9yo, and I will never open it again. My current 2yo will either read it to yourself, or it will languish into dust on the shelf. I do not care. I did sort of “get” the story, but I didn’t enjoy it.
The one that makes me stand out with a big “philistine!” blazoned on my forehead is Tale of Two Cities. I have read loads of Dickens and nearly always enjoy him, but I never could like a single character in this book, and I found the ending…predictable. It all felt too contrived. But everyone else seems to love it, and so the problem must be with me.
I never heard of a Basket of Flowers, but comparing it to Elsie is enough to make my lip curl in distaste. I will try to remember to forget to read that one. If it’s Christian fiction, that’s enough to make me suspect it already.
I’m glad though, that there are books out there to suit every taste. I think if we all read and liked the same things, the world would be very dull, as if we all wore the same clothes and ate the same meals week in and week out.
Comment by Karen Gass (February 17, 2007 @ 1:27 am )
Well Ive never read Basket of Flowers either. Ive also never read Water Babies even though I own the book.
I hate the Mitford books, or at least I think I do. I really never got past the first bit of the first book. I have a Type A personality and it grated on my nerves to read how the man came home and wiped his feet and creaked open the door that swung to the left on its three hinges and slowly hung his coat on the fourth peg on the brown wall. Okay so thats not exactly how it went but it was just too much slow detail for me.
And here are three biggies that I have to confess to hating; anything to do with Greek mythology, anything by Dickens and anything be Shakespeare. This is the first time I have openly admitted this. Now I feel like I need to seek some professional help after this candid confession.
I loved Elsie Dinsmore as a child but didnt like it so well when I reread it as an adult.
Comment by mrs darling (February 17, 2007 @ 1:58 am )
Ditto for the Water Babies. Even as a book hungry child, with nothing else to read, I couldn’t pick it up Something very off putting about that book. I have a sizable collection of ‘Sunday School prize giving type books but even I would baulk at Elsie Dinsmore, if the descriptions I’ve read are accurate.
The Mitford books are okay – quite pleasant in fact but I’ve only read the first 4. Generally Christian fiction leaves me cold but I have recently developed a Grace Livingston Hill addiction (thanks to Pleasant View Schoolhouse), so I’m not consistant.
A few years ago everybody here was raving about Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Read it and then scratched my head. It just didn’t click with me nor I with it.
I do prefer my authors to be dead but all the same can’t abide Dickens. Force fed him at school and haven’t grown to love hi. He really needed a good editor.
As for children’s books the one that springs most readily to mind is Goodnight Moon. I know it is supposed to be a classic and on a well-respected reading list for preschoolers but I just really do not like it. The illustrations make me feel queasy.
If this hasn’t offended enough people can I whisper, very quietly, that I really don’t like reading Elizabeth Elliot either. I am now creeping away to hide in a corner somewhere….
Comment by Baleboosteh (February 17, 2007 @ 5:03 am )
Of course, someone who can’t spell or punctuate properly is in no position to criticise Dickens so flippantly. Hangs head in shame.
Comment by Baleboosteh (February 17, 2007 @ 5:07 am )
When my older girls read Elsie Dinsmore and hated it, I felt like I had done something wrong in raising them. I was so embarrassed that my girls hated this fine Christian story. And then I read it…. I am SO happy to know we are not the only family out there.
I’ll probably embarass myself on this one, but I had never read Francis Schaeffer’s How Should We Then Live (or anything else by him) and since I heard his name so much decided to read it. I can’t say I hated it, but I really thought is was poorly written and I had a hard time getting through it. Maybe since I have learned most of what he wrote from other sources, it just didn’t seem so earth shattering to me.
Also hated Les Miserables and The House of the Seven Gables (Hawthorne) -did not even finish it.
My oldest son hates The Last of the Mohicans which so many others seem to enjoy.
Comment by Kim (February 17, 2007 @ 8:48 am )
At this point of the comments, I feel like I need to confess what I *do* like: Flannery O’Connor and Dickens. Love both of them. But I don’t require anyone else to. I also liked Gilead well enough, but I just give my opinion when asked. I don’t proselytize for it. I was trying to read some contemporary fiction, because I don’t usually.
Rick, somehow I can see how you wouldn’t like Narnia. From reading your blog, I see you as a person who likes the nuts and bolts details of reality. Though I love Narnia, I can see why you wouldn’t and won’t think any worse of you if you don’t. (I’m just offering a representative opinion as a Narnia fan.)
Now, to what I don’t like: I never read Mitford, because a relative bought Jan Karon’s *Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny* for my daughter when she was six and read it aloud to her in my hearing. I overheard, and was as nauseated as any adult is by store-bought birthday cake with white icing. I still feel a visceral aversion when I see it on the shelf. Sometimes I feel guilty about this, because I honestly can’t remember the story except that it seemed like Paddington without any of the funny parts. I knew I was in trouble when I saw that Karon started with her characterization in the title.
Also, I don’t know if I wrote this in a past comment on your blog or only thought about it, but I so disliked *The Water Babies* that I stopped reading from the Ambleside Online list for several years because I felt misled by the recommendation. (Well, I also had plenty of other books to read.) And I was all primed to like it from those Arthur Rackham illustrations!
And, as a lifetime C.S. Lewis fan, I have to admit that I didn’t like his science fiction triology nearly as well as the rest of his work. It had its moments, but I thought it was weak by comparison to Narnia or his apologetics.
Comment by Laura A (February 17, 2007 @ 9:02 am )
Oh, Kim, I knew there was another one. I do not like anything I’ve read by Fenimore Cooper. I think he’s a horrible writer, his characters are wooden, and there are themes running through them all that are, IMO, inherently bigoted.
Mark Twain wrote a scathingly hilarious review of his books, and if you son had the good taste not to like Last of the Mohicans, he’ll love Twain’s take on them. It’s online somewhere.
Comment by DeputyHeadmistress (February 17, 2007 @ 9:05 am )
Your comments have awakened in me the fact that I despise The Giving Tree, nor would I let the author of that book grace my shelves in any way.
I once hurt someone’s feelings by saying that.
I knew I wouldn’t like Elsie before I had a daughter. We were taking our 12 yo babysitter home and she was telling us how Elsie wouldn’t obey her father and break the Sabbath and I thought, “What an insufferable little girl,” and checked her off my list.
Comment by Cindy (February 17, 2007 @ 9:55 am )
I thought of a classic children’s book that I hate that I think most people like….running and ducking.
“Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel”
Don’t like the illustrations and didn’t like the ending.
I also despise “The Giving Tree”
Comment by Janet (February 17, 2007 @ 10:14 am )
Hi everyone!
Mitford series, I read about three, found them pleasant but predictable, stopped reading them. I considered them a safe read as they didn’t depress me when compared to books like the Oprah book club picks.
I have not yet read any Christian fiction for women so I have no opinion on that.
When my cousin was about 20 she gave “The Giving Tree” to my grandmother saying my grandmother was just like the giving tree. So I read it for the first time and I nearly barfed. I can’t stand that book and find it very sad and pathetic and also that it is NOT what represents my grandmother. UGH. I cringe when people say they love that book. When I visit my grandmother I do re-read it to try to see what others love about the story but I just can’t stand it.
I have not yet read “The Water Babies” but it on our shelf. Perhaps I’ll start reading it to myself before I read it aloud to my children to save me the torture.
A novel that I didn’t like (non-Christian) but is a big ‘book club’ book and so many say it is their favorite is “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd. I thought it was a sad and weird story and just don’t see what so many women see about the book that they love.
I could not get into “Angela’s Ashes” as I found it very depressing, yet so many say it is spectactular. When that happens I start to wonder “what is wrong with me that I don’t like this book”.
I am dying to know what catalog you are referring to. I have a suspicion and will go check that catalog to see if they sell that book.
Comment by ChristineMM (February 17, 2007 @ 10:46 am )
Yes! Finally! Someone else who could not get into “Water Babies!!” We could not take it–nor “Basket of Flowers” and others of that type.
Our Elsie Dinsmore collection was happily sold on Ebay to some unsuspecting person (hey, buyer beware, ya know?)
Didn’t like Lewis’ “Great Divorce”. “Fairyland of Science” made me nuts.
My children do not like Mark Twain–I do, so this is hard for me. We all like Dickens.
Thanks for the chance to let this out.
Comment by Patricia (February 17, 2007 @ 10:49 am )
I despise the book Plainsong. It was on the shortlist for the National Book Award. Hated it. No punctuation, run-on sentences, and not representative of the people in the area where it was set. I grew up in northeastern Colorado, and I was appalled by it.
Comment by 3M (February 17, 2007 @ 11:08 am )
I thoroughly enjoyed reading through your post and everyone’s comments. (Followed the link through Semicolon.)
I hated the following books with a fiery passion:
1. Housekeeping. !? Did NOT get it.
2. Elsie Dinsmore. . . !
3. Little Women
And I really dislike Dickens. I have yet to get through any of his books. I’ve tried and tried but haven’t made it yet!
Comment by Carrie (February 17, 2007 @ 11:22 am )
I can’t abide Christian fiction. Same thing for almost all new Christian nonfiction.
I really liked Gilead– the pace, the contemplative nature of it, the quiet insight in it. I started Housekeeping, but it felt too depressing at the time, so I stopped reading.
Kristin Lavransdatter is near the top of my list of favorites. The book impacted me greatly. All three of my girls feel the same way.
I like Dickens. How can anyone at least not love the beginning of Hard Times (the part in the classroom with Mr. Gradgrind)?
I’ve never gotten into Mitford, though I’ve tried several times, including recently (I get a little further each time). I’m finally writing them off.
The Elsie books were despised in our house except by one daughter who sort of liked them.
My son makes fun of Fenimore Cooper.
My son also cannot grasp the big deal about Father Brown, although he liked these stories when he was a lot younger.
At least three of my kids hated The Scarlet Letter. My son, though, has really come to like Hawthorne’s short stories and wonders if he’d like The Scarlet Letter better now.
Haven’t read Water Babies. I only had to flip through it to be put off by it, but I might like it if I actually read it.
I remember when Cold Mountain was *the* book to read. It came highly recommended by several friends. I did not like it. At all. My daughter is an English major and a literature professor at her state university calls this book a modern classic. My daughter expected to like it based on her professor’s review, but ended up as puzzled as me as to why this is considered so worthwhile.
Oh, I know there are many books I haven’t liked that others have, but for some reason, they just aren’t coming to mind. I think my family is quite opinionated about books!
Susan L
Comment by Susan L (February 17, 2007 @ 11:30 am )
Wheeeooo, Cindy, did you open a can of worms or what? I think this discussion is a good illustration of how easily persuaded and subject to peer pressure many of us are. Way back when, if Mary Pride recommended it, I assumed it HAD to be the best.
Your post reminds me of the old Latin proverb, There is no accounting for taste.
That being said, if you do read Framley Parsonage, I do hope that you enjoy it as much as I did!
Comment by Carol in Oregon (February 17, 2007 @ 11:51 am )
Speaking of Ambleside books, one that most of my children could not abide was “Westward Ho”. They begged to be let off the hook from reading that one. I personally never read it.
Baleboosteh, Elisabeth Elliot? You should be ashamed of yourself!
As far as the Schaeffer’s, I love reading Edith, but Francis is a tough sell. I did, however, like “How Should We Then Live”, but I couldn’t read the rest of his works. Kept falling asleep.
As for lighthearted fiction, has anyone read the Miss Read books? I thoroughly enjoyed them.
Comment by Linda (February 17, 2007 @ 11:54 am )
I’ve never even heard of a Basket of Flowers, so I don’t know if that makes me better off or worse off than you.
Comment by Jennifer, Snapshot (February 17, 2007 @ 11:55 am )
This bashing is wonderful
Now I dont fear of getting kicked out of the club, if I say something negative about a classic author/book.
Of course, if y’all knew that I dont stay home all day, I’d probably get kicked out anyway.
Giggle.
Thanks for a fun start to my Saturday, Cindy.
Hope you’re feeling better.
Dana in GA
Comment by Dana (February 17, 2007 @ 11:57 am )
Someone spoke of Franks McCourts book, Angelas Ashes! Oh my word! That book is my all time favorite! I love that book!!!!!
Someone also recommended Cold Mountain to me saying it was his all time favorite. I read it and really didnt care for it so when the movie came out I thought Id better see it for fear I missed something in the book. Nope, I had the story right the first time and the movie only served to prove that to me. I dont like how the author of that book tells so many stories within the story. I hate it when authors do that!
Comment by mrs darling (February 17, 2007 @ 12:08 pm )
Goodness, reading more comments made me remember that I read half of Les Miserables and then set it down in disgust. I hated it. And I remembered last night after I went to bed (and the computer was off) that I did not like Angela’s Ashes, even though I did finish the whole thing. I hated it, as a matter of fact. I do like Flannery O’Connor and Dickens, though!
Comment by Kathleen (February 17, 2007 @ 12:09 pm )
I hated A Basket of Flowers too! I’m happy to find others who didn’t like it either. Quite a few years ago I kept seeing A Prayer for Owen Meany on everyone’s “LOVE that book” list. I definitely thought “huh?” to that one. I tried Mitford once and couldn’t get into it, plan to try again some day though. I also tried to read Jane Eyre (gasp!) twice and couldn’t get into that one either although I am going to read it some time this year.
Comment by Eileen (February 17, 2007 @ 12:25 pm )
I admit it I have gotten halfway through Les Mis twice, both times after enjoying a movie of it.
About Angela’s Ashes. I listened to it on audio read by Frank McCourt. I loved his voice. Also the cussing was considerably nicer on the ears when it is in incomprehensible Irish. Some of the later themes in the book were trashy imo. I definitely think Angela’s Ashes is a book improved on audio.
About CS Lewis. I didn’t “like” the space trilogy nor The Problem of Pain but I enjoyed reading them just because I love “listening” to Lewis ramble.
Comment by Cindy (February 17, 2007 @ 12:30 pm )
I have had it happen many times before but I can’t bring any titles back to my thinking right now. Probably because I need another cup of coffee (it is COLD and SNOWY and my brain has frozen).
However, my son had to read Frankenstein for a worldview class we did last year (Cornerstone Curriculum’s Starting Points) and he despised it. He kept telling me it was the worst book he’d ever read.
Comment by Brenda N (February 17, 2007 @ 12:38 pm )
I forgot to add, I LOVE the Mitford books. I’ve reread most of them. However, my married daughter and my husband hated the first one so much they didn’t bother to finish it.
Regarding the Miss Read books, I enjoyed a lot of them but a few also put me to sleep. Perhaps one has to be in the right mood?
Great post!
Comment by Brenda N (February 17, 2007 @ 12:44 pm )
I believe Miss Read books are escapist literature for the mom of many. Just imagine sitting at home every night with a cup of tea, reading. Such a quiet simple life. I love my life as a mom of many and Stepping Heavenward hits me where I need it but the Miss Read books take me away.
Comment by Cindy (February 17, 2007 @ 12:49 pm )
And that is why there are so many different and varied books and authors out there!! We all have our own tastes, likes, etc. Same with music. Same with homeschooling curriculum (curriculi??).
I agree with the commenter who said this whole book issue can be a form of peer pressure. One of my dearest freinds loves the Mitford books, but I couldn’t finish the first one. I wanted to love them because she does. I’ve never been one to enjoy Dickens or Shakespeare, but I’ve raised a daughter who loves both. Muddling your way through a book you don’t like is miserable. Fortunately, there are enough books out there to satisfy every bibliomaniac’s tastes.
Comment by Copper's Wife (February 17, 2007 @ 12:51 pm )
One more. The only “classic” I’ve read that I really did NOT like was The Red Badge of Courage. Blech.
Comment by 3M (February 17, 2007 @ 1:24 pm )
Cindi I can agree that the latter part of Angelas Ashes goes against my standard of living. However that didnt keep me from loving it and actually studying in depth how the author wove his words. Did you notice too that the book doesnt have any quotations around spoken words? Not one. So although I love the book and consider it my favorite I do not have it on my shelves because of its less than desirable parts. When ever I want to reread it I check it from the library.
I have only read one Miss Read book and I thought it was okay but not memorable.
Comment by mrs darling (February 17, 2007 @ 1:26 pm )
I loved Peace Like a River and have re-read the Mitford books several times, but I HATED Gilead.
I like Dickens and love Little Women.
The one book that I keep scratching my head over as I see it appear on so many “favorites” lists is The Poisonwood Bible. HATED it.
Comment by Carrie K. (February 17, 2007 @ 1:53 pm )
I really liked Angela’s Ashes. I grew up Catholic and it cracked me up!
The sequal, ‘Tis, was disappointing though.
Karen, I can’t believe you didn’t like A Tale of Two Cities! Just because everything worked out at the last second because Lucy’s true love looked EXACTLY like the one who would do anything for her, you think it’s contrived? *evil grin*
LOL
Mama Says
Comment by Milehimama (February 17, 2007 @ 2:16 pm )
One book that I have heard many positive things about is A Severe Mercy. I read it and disliked it immensely. I do not understand why people like it so much.
I don’t like Francine Rivers either. Too glandular.
I have very vivid images of Water Babies in my head. We started it as a read aloud and never finished it. I often wonder why it is that the books I really dislike are the ones that I can picture in such detail in my minds eye. I am sure it says something unflattering about my character.
Comment by Leslie (February 17, 2007 @ 2:21 pm )
I want to clarify that I thought Angela’s Ashes was hauntingly beautiful and I especially loved that Irish voice. I completely understand why it was praised and loved. It was a vivid cultural picture and well-worth reading with the cautions about the themes towards the end and language. I do think it would offend some people, not without reason.
Comment by Cindy (February 17, 2007 @ 2:30 pm )
I don’t have the nerve to reveal my likes and dislikes, but since someone brought up taste, I would like to ask a question. (Cindy, you may have to move me from the “Older Women” list over there on the sidebar to a category of my own, “Silly, Middle Aged Twits”) The question is this: How do books get labeled “great literature” or “classics” or conversely, “twaddle”? If there is no accounting for taste, I mean, how do the same books get on lists of classics (or twaddle), yet obviously there are people who certain books don’t deserve that ranking.
Comment by Myfriendconnie (February 17, 2007 @ 2:38 pm )
Ooops! I meant there are people who THINK certain books don’t deserve that ranking.
Comment by Myfriendconnie (February 17, 2007 @ 2:41 pm )
I think Connie’s comments deserve a whole new post topic, Cindy.
However, although taste matters, it does not determine intrinsic worth. Someone may adore TV dinners, but that does not make TV dinners (do they even call them that anymore?) fine cuisine, on par with Ainsley Herriot’s best.
Consider clothing, too. There may be a dress in the shop that is a masterpiece of design, executed with exquisite materials and stunning workmanship. But, if you tried that dress on, you might hate the way it looks on you–wrong color, not cut for your figure, or whatever. The dress is still a lovely dress–or at least, an excellent example of craftsmanship and design.
Excellent, well-written books may simply not fit our sensibilities or hang nicely on our established worldview or preferences. That’s less a reflection on the quality of the book than it is a case of mismatch between the book and the reader. Some things have to be sort of appreciated at a distance–”That looks good on you, but I can’t wear beige without looking like a corpse.” “I’m glad you enjoyed that book, but it didn’t strike a chord with me.”
And some things are twaddle. Why pretend otherwise? Everyone likes a little twaddle now and then–the mental equivalent of a candy bar or ice cream cone.
Comment by Karen Gass (February 17, 2007 @ 2:53 pm )
I was wondering why Connie didn’t ask if beauty was subjective or objective. We have been talking about that around here lately.
Karen, what a thoughtful answer. It is true that much of what we do enjoy is actually twaddle and that is ok in moderation.
I think that is why so many of us revolt against the idea of Christian fiction that is sugary sweet but then struggle with a book like Angela’s Ashes because it is not a pretty picture. It is an ugly picture told a pretty way.
The Bible talks about not talking about the things “they” do in secret. For me that means that I like a book with true themes but I do not like that to become gratuitous. Modern fiction seems to be either too sweet or gratuitous. This is another reason why Anna Karenina strikes a chord. It is a story that must be told and it must be told in a certain way. Tolstoy found that way. Few do.
Comment by Cindy (February 17, 2007 @ 3:29 pm )
I am quite late in this post’s comment game, I know, but I had to put in my two cents. I have not read Elsie Dinsmore yet and do not plan to. I do not appreciate simplistic Christian figures who are always good and do not deal with life struggles in any depth, and my understanding of these books is exactly that. However, I DO love Brock and Bodie Thoene’s books. I appreciate the depth of research they seem to do into the historical background of their stories. Does anyone else like them? I rarely see them mentinoed in Christian fiction discussions and often wonder why.
Comment by Heather (February 17, 2007 @ 4:00 pm )
When I was a kid, there were on our bookshelves, mainly because my parents can hardly bear to throw printed material away, Victorian Sunday school stories about incredibly brave and spiritual children which were incredibly hard to believe, but I read them anyway. At any rate, it cured me of even wanting to look into any other Victorian children’s fiction, no matter who was selling them as an adult.
I tried reading Charlotte Mason’s books when my children were younger, but the stuff on nature study so frustrated me. I lived out of town in Texas,and when I read about taking the children out and laying the baby on a blanket….Why,the fire ants would have eaten any baby alive that I put down on a blanket. Unfortunately, I probably missed the chance to learn a lot of good stuff too.
Comment by Eva in AZ (February 17, 2007 @ 4:13 pm )
Eva, Are you saying you don’t like Charlotte Mason?
I may have to close down this blog just to protect y’all.
I knew we would separate the men from the boys. Frankly I am astonished at the depths of admissions I have wretched out of people
Comment by Cindy (February 17, 2007 @ 4:16 pm )
Wow! You really got people going. I really don’t like The Wind in the Willows and my son didn’t like it either. We couldn’t even finish it. I also read Wild Animals I Have Known as a read aloud and got rid of that one. Never again. The other book that I thought was well written, but I really didn’t like was Wuthering Heights. I remember asking DHM why that one was considered a “classic”. On the other hand, I liked James Fenimore Coopers books and DHM thinks that is really strange.
Tootles
Comment by Tootlepip (February 17, 2007 @ 5:06 pm )
Um, dare I say it? I was thoroughly disappointed in a large percentage of the books CM called living books. Can I just say that i hated Island Story. My daughter must have too because when I quit it midstream she never asked me where it went.
Comment by mrs darling (February 17, 2007 @ 5:22 pm )
I think if I went back and read Charlotte Mason now, I would get more out of it. At the time, with 4 small children, I just found it frustrating.
Comment by Eva in AZ (February 17, 2007 @ 6:16 pm )
I am so relieved! We read A Basket of Flowers aloud, and we all pretty much ho-hummed. I just didn’t see the thrill, and I know exactly which catalog you mean. Their blurb was why I bought it! It makes me feel much better that there are others who found it quite put-downable! And Elsie Dinsmore makes me barf, but I never read them as a child–maybe that makes a difference. My daughter loves them and has them all.
Comment by homefire (February 17, 2007 @ 6:30 pm )
I might be tarred and feathered for this, but I absolutely could not stand “Wind in the Willows”. I don’t know if I can bear to read it to my younger children. It may just be skipped. My youngest son loved “The Runaway Bunny” when he was younger. When I read this I can only see what a smart mouth that little bunny has and it just makes me cringe.
Comment by Beth (February 17, 2007 @ 7:04 pm )
Yeah, I hate the Runaway Bunny too. I always wait for the Momma to take her son in hand, tie some heart strings, and then tell him that if he talks about running away again she will duct tape him to the fridge. Because, that’s something I might do if my little one insisted on running away in 100 different ways!
I like “I Love You the Purplest” a lot better. Same message without the defiance and rudeness.
Mama Says
Comment by Milehimama (February 18, 2007 @ 10:02 pm )
Tolkein’s The Hobbit and all of the George MacDonald books that I tried.
I have to admit that it’s probably been about ten years since I’ve tried to read any of those, so maybe I should try again . . . . I really hoped to like George MacDonald, since I read that Grace Livingstone Hill enjoyed his books. I just never got on the right wavelength, I guess. And Tolkein was given to me by a relative who annually gave me “classic” children’s books, like Little House on the Prairie and Robinson Crusue. As far as I remember, I liked all of the gifts except The Hobbit. (I never watched any of the Lord of the Ring movies, either, except clips seen more or less accidentally.)
The Bourne book that I tried was TOO bloody (I think it was the Bourne Identity), even though I did see both movies.
When a big Christian organization was promoting the Robin Jones Gunn books for teens, I tried a bunch of them. I never was really excited about them. Was it because I was a homeschooler into
“I Kissed Dating Goodbye” — and thus all the school romantic high-jinks were foreign to me?
When I read some of Michael Phillips’ books, I skipped most of the deep theological discussions and read most of the action and romantic scenes.
Our local libraries get a fair amount of Christian fiction and have for years, and I have read more than my fair share (watching for tomatoes coming my way). However, there are a couple of authors who do what I would call Christian “chick-lit” books that I have tried to like, and I just can’t get into them.
I also dislike most of the Christian road-trip and female bonding vacation stories. (I can think of a couple of exceptions.)
I liked about the first ten Gilbert Morris books in the House of Winslow series, then lost interest.
You should do a post about classic or popular movies that people do not like. (Personally, I’ve never gotten the big hoopla over Casablanca, although my mother loves it. I heartily dislike Love Actually — I kept watching, expecting it to get better and it never did! Ever so often I see it on the best romantic movies list and a relative has talked about wanting to see it, but I heartily hope never to again!)
Comment by Sarah (February 18, 2007 @ 11:34 pm )
Gosh! I’ve got to dig up “Basket of Flowers” and see what the discussion is all about! “Water Babies” is untouched on the shelf at home. If I say its horrible, maybe my son will actually READ it!! All those adults not liking it must mean they don’t “get it”–right??
Elsie makes me hurl…but I did like Mitford–probably because I read them after moving from my “hometown” of 20 years and missed my friends!
Comment by Lisa (February 19, 2007 @ 8:33 am )
Well, if we’re going hard-core and even trashing Charolotte Mason! I hate, loathe, despise the Hobbit and LOTR!!! Also hating the Ambleside Science selections Madam How…Fairyland–ick!! I let my son quit that one! I also truly HATE [capitals!!!] Hemmingway–all of his stuff!
Thanks for breaking us out of the winter blahs!!!!!
Oh yes–what is that mysterious “catalog”????
Comment by Lisa (February 19, 2007 @ 10:09 am )
Personally, I stay away from any catalog that carries obscure victorian moralistic fiction.
Comment by Cindy (February 19, 2007 @ 10:39 am )
I like Waterbabies. I loved Stepping Heavenward. And I thought Elsie Dinsmore was okay, but not exactly great literature.
I wasn’t impressed with the Mitford series and I don’t like Goodnight Moon. I don’t usually have much patience for Christian self-help books, especially ones written specifically for women.
Comment by Leslie (Tim's Mom) (February 19, 2007 @ 12:46 pm )
I love this thread, Cindy! I read one Elsie Dinsmore book (for me since I only have boys). I had to quit halfway through since her “goodness” made me feel ill. I’ll *never* be that good and could not relate at all. My boys have little patience with any book that is sentimental so most of the selections from that nameless catalog have not been big hits around here.
Classics: I cannot stand “Wuthering Heights.” I’ve tried and tried but, alas, I can never get more than halfway through it. But I like Jane Eyre and anything by Jane Austen. Dickens is a treat and I like Twain’s essays better than his novels. My oldest son, on the other hand, has devoured almost every piece of fiction he can find in the library by Twain.
Mitford was okay, but I kind of gave up after the third one. I don’t tend to care for most “Christian” fiction. When I want easy reading, I’d rather read a good murder mystery (I’m working through a series set in medieval France right now) or comfort books by Elswyth Thane, D.E. Stevenson, or Miss Read.
Joy (VA), who does like Charlotte Mason but struggles to put her suggestions into practice on a daily basis
Comment by Joy in VA (February 19, 2007 @ 3:38 pm )
I only got to page 100 with the first Mitford book and quit. I was bored and thought that if I wasn’t “into it” by page 100, I was done.
I didn’t get into Stepping Heavenward either. I quit that early on too.
No to Wind in the Willows.
Not fond of G.A. Henty’s books. We read aloud Cat of Bubastes, but it seemed all Henty wanted to do was to drill facts into us.
There, my 2 cents.
Jody
Comment by Jody (February 19, 2007 @ 11:06 pm )
Fun post!
I tried reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe aloud to my DS. Neither of us enjoyed it very much and we didn’t finish the book. So I don’t get the love for all things Narnia.
Comment by Christina (February 20, 2007 @ 12:41 am )
I leave for a long weekend and look what happens. I wish I had time to go through all these comments more thoroughly, but need to catch up on email and sleep.
Basket of Flowers: so-so
Stepping Heavenward: superb, gets to the heart of the matter so well, that we need to focus on God and not on self
Mitford: fun characters, okay writing, trite plots
Peace Like a River: I loved it, but especially because of my own prodigal son story…the writing is wonderful, especially appreciated since it’s a modern author
Books I didn’t like that everyone raves about: The Thirteenth Tale…dark, depressing, pointless, no redeeming themes to rescue it.
Randy Alcorn’s books: he tries to be like Lewis, but his writing is not in the same league, and the emotional manipulation is too pronounced.
Just thought I’d help you with digging deeper into the can of worms, Cindy, though I don’t think you need any help with it!
Comment by Carmon (February 20, 2007 @ 11:59 pm )
Great thread!
I absolutely cannot stand Grace Livingston Hill. I only had to read one and each one after was pretty much the same. A couple rotating waste of my time themes.
AHH that felt good. Although I will say that our church library had some very old copies with beautiful book jackets. It made me wish I didn’t hate her books so much. I would have taken them home to read just to enjoy the covers.
I tried Dr Zhivago–weird! the story line doesn’t make sense and I quit.
I don’t read Dickens often even though he’s on my shelf.
I hate almost every last Oprah book they depress me. I have only read a couple when I decided I guess I don’t have to read it because she suggests it.
Beloved ?! WHAT IN THE WORLD was that book!? Weird.
I haven’t read quite a few that I probably should have according to the “well read” lists but oh well.
Comment by Malissa (February 21, 2007 @ 12:50 am )
Thanks, Carmon, I was hoping to reach 70 comments without manipulation on my part
Glad you are back.
Comment by Cindy (February 21, 2007 @ 10:14 am )
I forgot to say that I loved The Man Who Was Thursday, though I’m certain much of the allegory was lost on me. I need to re-read it. Did you know that there is an annotated version? Someday we should get that and read it simultaneously, having an online discussion about it.
Comment by Carmon (February 21, 2007 @ 11:41 am )
Speaking of Oprah, I did not like 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, in spite of the fact that people I admire did like it and it is called whimsical. I did not finish it either.
Comment by Cindy (February 21, 2007 @ 1:35 pm )
I do like Grace Livingston Hill but I also believe they are terrible twaddle. They are all the same. That’s what I like about them. They are like a drug I take when I don’t feel good.
I don’t like Oprah books, either, but 100 Years in the Time of Solitude was different. I can’t say I _liked_ it, and I would not call it whimsical. It made me think, and I do think I agreed with his over-all point about love and relationships and being involved. But I wouldn’t read it for fun.
I would love to do a group read of The Man Who Was Thursday.
Comment by DeputyHeadmistress (February 21, 2007 @ 2:01 pm )
DHM, I didn’t get far enough (in 100 years) to get to the point about love
About GLH. I did read many of her books when I used to visit my grandmother as a teen. I don’t really remember anything about them but I just assumed they were twaddly since I also read Harlequin Romances during that period of time. I am absolutely positive it is better to read GLH than Harlequin !!
So how do we do a group read?
Comment by Cindy (February 21, 2007 @ 2:14 pm )
It is better to read GLH than Harlequin. As my husband points out, it’s also better to smoke tobacco than snort cocaine.
I don’t blame you for not getting that far in 100 years. It was disturbing. I kept reading because I generally can’t stop once I start and I was trying to figure out what magical realism is. I also kept asking myself, “Why aren’t these people more likable? They ought to be more likable. They should feel more sympathetic than they do I don’t feel sorry for them. I feel repulsed. Is this my fault, or GGM’s?” And when I finished I decided that GGM was doing it on purpose. It’s really a little bit like The Children of Men in theme, though the approach is different.
GGM tricks his readers into thinking the main characters are heroes, but they really aren’t. They are failures. The family dies out because their love is selfish, inbred, sterile- they have great potential but they never go anywhere outside themselves. They have no nope and no future, and this is represented (as in Children of Men) by their family dying out and the lack of children. They seem to be very loving- but they really aren’t. They love themselves.
They seem to be going somewhere, but they don’t. *there is just this inward spiral that was fraying around the edges, and I didn’t understand that was what Marquez was writing about. I thought he was trying to make them completely sympathetic, and they were almost sympathetic, but there was also something just short of success, just short of engaging, and I thought either the author or I were really failing at this ‘conversation,’ and I was inclined to think it was the author for a bit. And then I realized that no, he’d actually succeeded completely and what I was getting was pretty much what he meant for me to get- that I was supposed to get that sense of frustrated promise, that irritation I always feel with people who ought to be doing something well but blow it through some personal flaw (myself most of all)- I’m sure there was much more that did go over my head, but that ‘aha’ moment was quite satisfactory.
I didn’t mean to be so longwinded, though, especially about a book I still cannot say I liked. and, again, I don’t think I would recommend this book to everybody, or even anybody. There’s not enough time to read everything.
But I see why it’s on so many lists. It’s compelling and disturbing enough I couldn’t stop thinking about it for a while, and the things he said about self centered love, wasted promise, fruitless lives…. I think that might the mark of a well written book, but that’s not necessarily the same thing as a worthy book.
A group read? You and Carmon read a book and post about it chapter by chapter, and then I’ll know what to think.
Comment by DeputyHeadmistress (February 21, 2007 @ 2:46 pm )
An online book discussion can be done different ways. I could make a separate page on my site, then we could discuss things in the comments. I did an online discussion with a group of kids through IM, meeting at a certain time and having a real-time discussion, of Les Miserables (I really liked that book, too, probably because having to read it deeply to lead a discussion made me think so hard about it). I posted the discussion on my book reviews page, though I doubt anyone will want to read through the whole thing. We did the book in sections. It would be fun to do TMWWTh by chapters.
The King’s Meadow newsletter has a review of that book.
Comment by Carmon (February 21, 2007 @ 8:47 pm )
Late to the game…
I can’t stand the fantasy genre. Chronicles of Narnia holds no interest for me and it would be absolute torture for me to have to read The Lord of the Rings.
I haven’t read the Elsie books myself but my oldest daughter has and she truly enjoyed them. I offer no apologies. : P
Comment by Ruthanne (February 22, 2007 @ 12:19 am )
Ruthanne,
I think it is a matter of hitting a girl at the exact right age with Elsie, although I do still have issues with Elsie’s attitude towards her father.
We had that with the Sugar Creek Gang. My oldest devoured them at an early age because he was a very good reader, very young. The other boys liked them but never really read all of them because they got to them much later in the game.
Comment by Cindy (February 22, 2007 @ 8:58 am )
Carmon,
Go ahead and set it up. The only thing I could think of was a Yahoo Group. I have the printed Kingsmeadow Newsletter by my bed waiting for a minute to read it
Comment by Cindy (February 22, 2007 @ 9:00 am )
Great post Cindy. I must admit I enjoyed Basket of Flowers though. (Do you need some ketchup?)
My daughter (18) liked it too! (Should I FedEx a Sam’s size bottle?)
As far as books that I didn’t like that everyone else did. I blogged about a VERY popular one with homeschoolers last year that I caught A LOT of heat for. And still continue to get emails about.
The Elsie Dinsmore books were only mildly enjoyable to us. The first one being only mildly the most intereting. And Henty was not a big hit around here either. It was much touted for boys. My boys are avid readers and they were not excited about these. The Cat of Bubastes was our most favorite.
And one last author worth a mention, John Eldridge. I found his books trivial and a little self-abosrbed. Others raved about them, so I read two. That was two too many for me.
Comment by Spunky (February 23, 2007 @ 9:44 am )
I totally agree about Eldridge. I found his books appalling. When he used a somewhat adulterous situation to describe the excitement we should feel for God I threw the book in the garbage.
We did like Henty…in moderation. They are very formulaic.
Would you believe the kids have been complaining for 2 weeks because we are out of ketchup! I am waiting to go to Sam’s. What is weird is we usually have 5 opened bottles at a time. I will use strawberry jam to not that you liked A Basket of Flowers sometimes called The Basket of Flowers.
Comment by Cindy (February 23, 2007 @ 11:24 am )
Hi,
I disliked Gilead a great deal–I couldn’t even get past the first 50 pages because it was SO boring! I can’t stand anything by JRR Tolkein, didn’t like Jane Eyre, and I refuse to read anything by Jodi Piccoult. I realize that she is a little “fluffier” than the others mentioned, but I found it impossible to locate a bad review on any of her books when I read one for reading group–believe me I tried!!! Everyone else in the group LOVED her writing style and pronounced her a favorite. Geez…
Comment by Randi (February 24, 2007 @ 10:32 am )