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Dislike of popular books thread!
I have a...
I have a couple of friends who agree with me on this, so I don't feel as weird saying this as I would otherwise: I really don't like Harry Potter. I'm sorry, all you Harry Potter lovers (Potterheads?), but this has to be said: honestly, the books are 2 dimensional. They basically have the same plot, that's basically "Oh my god, Voldemort's alive again and gonna kill us all! Oh, wait, he won't, because Harry will save us!" Seven times. Seven times. The first few times it was ok, but then it just got super repetitive.
and I also don't like Divergent. I mean, the plot and world building is great, but I don't really like Veronica Roth's writing that much.
so what about you guys? Any popular books that you don't like? Or will you please explain to me why everyone likes these books so much?
submitted by the doctor, age 14, the tardis
(November 27, 2013 - 10:17 am)
(November 27, 2013 - 10:17 am)
@ Elizabeth: I know! SO many girls my age wear really skimpy clothes, and TONS of makeup because it's "the thing to do" or because they want to look older or prettier (all for the wrong reasons). I NEVER wear makeup. And girls really do need more inspiring messages. This is what results in things like depression and self harm. At first reading, that sounds drastic, BUT IT'S TRUE! You see it all the time! Girls need to know they're special the way they are, the God created them. You know, I find I admire the girls who DON'T dressy scantily or wear a lot of makeup. And I find others do too. Girls need encouraging messages that tells them be strong, you're beautiful. Girls everywhere are in my prayers.
@ the doctor: Yeah, that kind of tanning is all right because it's completely natural. You weren't trying to tan, and it came about over a long period of time. Many girls try to tan in like, one summer in ALL the wrong ways. It's HIGHLY detrimental to their health. But in many cases, there are people who are a healthy tan. Usually because they did it over a slow period of time, allowing their skin to adjust, and their skin is naturally accepting to it. I've also seen girls who want to tan, but their skin doesn't have the same acceptance level as other people. It's really sad.
So that was really long, but this kind of stuff just makes me miserable. It's so sad, and I really pray for girls everywhere.
(December 14, 2013 - 7:49 pm)
@ Elizabeth
Ender's Game is most definitely worth reading. I read it twice and probably will read it again once I finish Ender's Shadow.
I can't read romance at all. Esspeically those darker ones that I simply won't mention and pretend I never read. Well, I suppose that's not true. If the characters are good and the whole lead-up is good and it's more than just bad feelings.... I mean, I liked OF SOUND MIND, but I wouldn't call it a romance.
Off subject, but there seems to be a lack of female antagonists who are not mildly stupid or conflicted with little things that no real antagonist would be bothered with in popiular books nowdays. Of course, maybe I haven't been reading the right popular books. I have been reading a lot of comics, and I could tell you some good female villans from there. But just think of the villains or antagonists in popular books.
I might be totally wrong right there, and secretly every book has a clever female antagonist, but after saying that, I feel like I must write one into my own stories.
(December 14, 2013 - 8:02 pm)
@ Theo: I've kind of felt the same way about popular female antagonists. In all honesty, I haven't read that many books with female antagonists, but what I have, they plain and simply annoy me. They play the self absorbed narcissistic twits that drive me insane. And often cause the protaganist to do stupid things. Now like you, Theo, I'm sure there are good female antagonists, so if someone could recommend a book with one, I'd be interested.
(December 16, 2013 - 11:35 am)
I was a junior Potterhead for a while, and admittedly still have a soft spot for the books and movie, but I totally agree.
I read Divergent, and it was a pretty interesting idea, but it turned out kind of bland and unmemorable.
I still love the Hunger Games, I'm really into dark, dystopian stuff like that. It was a little untraditional as well (Yes, I know about Battle Royale) which made it more interesting.
Twilight -- ugh. I haven't read the books, but I read the prologue in each book, and they all started exactly the same. I couldn't bring myself to go any further. I have no interest in that, and it weirded me out that Edward was 100+ years old and Bella was still in high school . . . ew.
I enjoy a lot of popular books, but I don't limit myself. I agree with you here. *thumbs up*
(January 2, 2014 - 8:48 pm)
I strongly dislike Twilight. It has terrible writing, and the plot isn't the greatest. Plus, Bella (or whatever her name is) has no personality.
(January 5, 2014 - 6:28 pm)
Hold on. There is no plot in Twilight except for:
My name is Bella Swan. I like that dude. Oh, wait. He's a hundred year old vampire. Whatever. Totes not creepy. Let's have a vampire family.
(January 6, 2014 - 2:32 am)
Am I the only one who dislikes Percy Jackson but loves Heroes of Olympus? Percy Jackson seemed to me like just another story about quirky all-white middle-schoolers running around, killing monsters, and spouting funny one-liners: enjoyable but not memorable.
HoO, on huge other hand, is fantastic. Complexity? Check. Diversity (racial and otherwise)? Check. Gods outside the twelve Olympians? Check. Showing how smart Annabeth is outside of having her read books and know stuff about mythology? Check. LEO FREAKIN' VALDEZ? Check check!
I realize that this isn't a particularly informative review and that some of the reasons I listed (cough couch House of Hades Nico cough cough) is part of the reason others don't like the book. (Sorry, I get shouty about Nico.)
As for popular books I dislike... Well, Twilight obviously. I liked THG and Harry Potter, as well as TFioS and John Green's other books. Divergent was awful for the reasons Ruby listed, and even though I haven't read Cassandra Clare's City of X or Clockwork X series, I don't plan to in the near future.
As for unpopular books that I love (I try to focus on the positive), three words: LEVIATHAN. BEHEMOTH. GOLIATH. (I'm using unpopular in the sense that posts about them on Tumblr rarely get over a hundred notes and the average person you'd meet has never heard of them). It's a steampunk/bio punk series by Scorf Westerfeld, and it is one of the BEST books I've read in 2013. It's set in an alternate version of WW1 in which Darwinists (Britain, Russia, France) genetically engineer animals like flechette bats and actual living airships (most of the action takes place on an airship that's actually a giant genetically-engineered whale) to counter the Clankers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire) and their steampunky war machines. It switches between the POVs of Alek, the son of the archduke whose death started World War I and Deryn, a girl disguised as a boy to serve in the royal air navy. Oh, it's written by Scott Westerfeld.
(January 6, 2014 - 12:35 pm)
I LOVE THOSE BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
(January 7, 2014 - 5:10 pm)
Whoa there. I love those books too, and as similar as we may be (doctor who. 'Nuff said) it coud get kinda confusing with two of us posting here, the only difference being the capitalization it our name and location.
This may sound rude, but you may need another name, because it'll probably get confusing for everyone else. Unless it won't. Whatever. Keep your name, change it. I don't really care now. Sorry.
(January 7, 2014 - 10:53 pm)
Oh crap. I just realized how rude that sounded. I am so sorry. I had been woken up by my brother and couldn't go back to sleep so I was really cranky. I'm sorry!
(January 8, 2014 - 10:24 am)
Sir Doctor of TARDIS?
Or maybe John Smith.
(January 8, 2014 - 5:12 pm)
Sure, man. Whichever you like. I was just getting confused by the capital D in your name.
The admins will probably change John Smith to John S., since there's a rule against no full names, so I would recommend going with Sir Doctor of TARDIS.
(January 9, 2014 - 12:11 am)
OK!! :)
The example under 'name' is John S. :)
I tried Jack Harkness in another posty thing... it came out as Jack H.
Do you like Krillitane chips?
(January 9, 2014 - 4:34 pm)
Sure, man. Whichever you like. I was just getting confused by the capital D in your name.
The admins will probably change John Smith to John S., since there's a rule against no full names, so I would recommend going with Sir Doctor of TARDIS.
(January 9, 2014 - 12:11 am)
In re HoO: YES DIVERSITY YES NICO YES YES YES. Also Leo is hilarious.
(January 11, 2014 - 10:17 am)