The book I enjoyed least this month was Astonishing Splashes of Colour (Clare Morrall), and although it wasn't totally dire I feel it qualifies for Stinker because of its Eastenders-Christmas-Episode plot (ie sudden revelations about relationships between family members not being what they seem, characters coming back from the dead, others meeting rather melodramatic ends...)

 I've got a couple of stinkers I could add for this month, one of them being Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, but what I'm wondering is this - is it ok to write a review here if you really, really hate a book? Because I have found a STINKER!   All (or most) of the reviews I've read seem to only be of good reviews,  is a bad review not the 'done thing'?

silver_thistle:

 I've got a couple of stinkers I could add for this month, one of them being Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, but what I'm wondering is this - is it ok to write a review here if you really, really hate a book? Because I have found a STINKER!   All (or most) of the reviews I've read seem to only be of good reviews,  is a bad review not the 'done thing'?

It's absolutely fine to write a bad review.  If you didn't enjoy a book then I'm sure we'd all love to hear why.  I don't know why we don't write more very critical reviews between us - perhaps we're just being too British and just feel it's not the done thing to run things down.  But there's no reason at all why you can't write one - and I for one will be very interested to read it!

Wormwood by GP Taylor - the idea of the book appealled, as did Shadowmancer, but I didn't realise that GPT is an ex-vicar (not parrot), and as such, there are religious undertones that crop up in the book, which don't sit comfortably with me.  Add to that a very convoluted plot which I got lost in.  On my swaps list it shall go!

 Thank you :)

I'm in the process of putting my final thoughts down....I don't know why, but it just seems a bit 'wrong' to try and persuade others not to waste time/money/effort on a dire book.  However, I'd like to save countless others the vexation I suffered, hahahah.

 I & Claudius, Travels with My Cat by Clare De Vries

Another random charity shop book, published 1999 by Bloomsbury, always an encouraging sign. After the first few pages I knew it was not for me. The style of writing was intensely irritating which will put me off however interesting the subject. I can read about any subject under the sun as long as it's well written. Here's a taster from the first paragraph and it may have improved throughout the book but I'll never know:

'Lying in bed ermintruminating over my life. Something's got to give. For too long now, I've been wasting my life in a numbingly dull job. I'm fed up of pouncing from my bed, my hair loobrushingly angry, having snored and snorted my way through a night-mare ridden doze, to struggle to work, there to do battle with attitudes and personalities that would not be out of place in Papa Doc's regime.'

And so on and on and on..... I think after recognising the desperation to be 'different' and 'witty' in those first few sentences my brain shut down. This one is waiting to be passed over,  sorry Freudian slip, on to someone who can overlook the writing style for a cat themed story.

 My stinker has to be I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk. It was so bad that I gave up on page 100 (and I only read that far as I didn't have anything else to read on my way home from work).

It was so unrealistic and far fetched. Yes sure, you go to New York and your hotel concierge just starts giving you free food, makeover etc. I don't think so.

 My stinker this month was Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Spark.

Just how much sadness can you load onto one book !!

 Two for me as they are part of a trilogy.  The pig did it and The pig came to dinner by Joseph Caldwell.

The second one was my book group read so I had to read the first as well to help understand it.  His writing style was ok but it was supposed to be set in rural Ireland with people with Irish accents in it but I just didn't hear the accents in my head from his writing when I was reading it.  If a book is written well I always hear the accents in my head and this just didn't work for me.  Most of the americans in my book group loved these books but I just would not recommend them.  Some funny moments but a lot of pointless moments as well.  It took me ages to finish 2 short books as I could not motivate myself to keep reading.  Xx

 Candy Kisses by Freda Lightfoot for me. 05/10 for this one. Only picked it up for A-Z Challenge and because out of all my L books I've this one longest and it was just so wishy-washy....The characters just seem really dumb and naive and the whole story felt quickly put together - not really thought of. I have another one of her books which I will read as don't like to get rid of books without reading them, but I won't be looking out for more.

silver_thistle:

 Thank you :)

I'm in the process of putting my final thoughts down....I don't know why, but it just seems a bit 'wrong' to try and persuade others not to waste time/money/effort on a dire book.  However, I'd like to save countless others the vexation I suffered, hahahah.

There is a review thread for Wolf Hall already started for you to add your thoughts to:

http://forums.readitswapit.co.uk/forums/p/58234/561386.aspx#561386

petrag:

 My stinker has to be I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk. It was so bad that I gave up on page 100 (and I only read that far as I didn't have anything else to read on my way home from work).

It was so unrealistic and far fetched. Yes sure, you go to New York and your hotel concierge just starts giving you free food, makeover etc. I don't think so.

Quite agree Petra - it was awful!

annecater:

silver_thistle:

 Thank you :)

I'm in the process of putting my final thoughts down....I don't know why, but it just seems a bit 'wrong' to try and persuade others not to waste time/money/effort on a dire book.  However, I'd like to save countless others the vexation I suffered, hahahah.

There is a review thread for Wolf Hall already started for you to add your thoughts to:

http://forums.readitswapit.co.uk/forums/p/58234/561386.aspx#561386

THanks for the link Anne, I already added my Wolf Hall thoughts to that thread this morning.  When I made the above post about the dire book, it wasn't wolf hall I was finishing a review for, it was Rose Labyrinth.  Thanks for trying to keep me right though

My stinker has to be Waiting For Columbus by Thomas Trofinuk.   The blurb compares it to The Gargoyle and The Time Travellers Wife.  I loved The Gargoyle and hated TTW so was interested to see what I would make of this.  Oh my goodness!  What a muddle it is - time travelling, mental health, madness!    I thought it was awful, but suspect it may become a 'Marmite' book.

 The Cats of Roxville Station – Jean Craighead George  Oh dear oh dear.... this children's book looked so good!  Full of information about feral cats, but told in story form to appeal to it's audience.  Badly written - and I'll say no more.