Confession
Yesterday, I mentioned on Twitter that I think most librarians have some really beloved author or illustrator that they just do not care for at all.
I admitted that, for me, that author is Dr. Seuss. I just. . .I just don’t really like his books. I think they are overly long and full of made-up words and just so weird. Pretty much the only things of his like are How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Mr. Brown Can Moo.
You cannot imagine my relief when multiple people responded saying THEY didn’t care for Dr. Seuss either.
And when others replied with the authors they felt either dislike or just complete neutrality toward, it was so fun to see what literary greats had at least a few critics from the Twitter gallery.
I think any reader can relate to this – the baby shower books you roll your eyes at a little, the books that are always on display at the library as classics that you just can’t bring yourself to like, the booklists that tout books that you hate.
Any books or authors you want to confess to disliking? I promise not to judge, even if it’s my favorite book of all time.
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For kids books, I HATE Pinkilicious (and, of course, someone bought it for my 3yo and she loves it).
For YA, I don't like Lauren Oliver. I barely slogged through Delirium…wondering what was wrong with me the whole time, because I know most people loved it.
Thanks for giving me a place to vent this!
The Junie B. Jones books drive me crazy (because personally I think she's a brat). And…. I may get shot for this but all the Little House books bored me except Farmer Boy (which I've read countless times).
Anne of Green Gables- Anne being the most annoying person ON EARTH. The Cather in the Rye-so so boring.
Oh man, I love Anne of Green Gables.
Although I do admit to giving up on the series when the stork delivered her first baby. I was all "what? Did I just read that?" Yep, I had.
A STORK!
I'm all for rated G books. But that was a bit much.
Before I even read that you disliked Dr. Seuss, his name came immediately to my mind. I am also not a fan…and am always curious as to why our first grade teachers choose his books to teach kids reading. When I was getting my reading endorsement the professors I had were clearly of the belief that although Dr. Seuss did have books that rhymed, his words were often nonsense words and not books that would help students learn to read.
I think that Love You Forever book is super creepy. I know many that love it, but I can't get over a mother sneaking into her adult son's house to rock him at night while he sleeps. Not normal. At all.
AH hahaha! I thought I was the only one who thought this!
It was always my understanding that the mother was not aqctually rocking a grown man, but instead referred to the man having memories or dreams of his mother doing it when he was small. Otherwise, I like that book.
I liked the first Pinkalicious book, but she gets more and more bratty with each new book.
I just wrote a post about classics and books I hated on my blog, and also talked about why people feel it neccesary to call "50 Shades" literature.
And this isn't a book, but I have always hated the Peanuts. They are boring and Lucy is nasty and Charlie Brown is a stuffed shirt. My husband thinks it's un-American.
I liked this book as a child, but as an adult it seems a little creepy. I haven't seen it in awhile, but I remember pictures of the mom driving across town with a ladder and rocking her adult son. Strange. I also don't really like Dr. Seuss.
so creepy!!!
LOL at Kristi's comment above me… my girls know every word of Love You Forever, but every time we read it I have those same thoughts. I think the mother has some serious issues in that book.
Dr. Seuss drives me up the wall too. My mom hated reading those to me, and I knew it. Now that I have my own kids to read aloud to, I totally get it. Each one takes half an hour to read!
I LOVE Dr. Seuss! Especially the one about the sneeches with the stars on their bellies. Great messages I think.
The book that I don't like is Goodnight Moon. I heard about it so many times and then when I finally picked it up to see what all the hullabaloo was about, I thought "What? THIS is the famous Goodnight Moon book that everyone loves?" I don't get it…
I despise anything by Hemingway. And the Twilight series.
amen!
I've never cared for Goodnight Moon. As such, we've never even checked it out at the library..
I totally agree about Dr. Seuss. The one exception for me is Green Eggs and Ham. I also never cared for the illustrations in those books.
I will second the emotion about Goodnight Moon.
For me it's Patricia Polacco. Just seeing her artwork on a book drives me up the wall! (Funny story: as I was writing this, one of my co-workers held up a Patricia Polacco book to ask me about how to label it.)
Also, any of James Patterson's books. But I think that might be a universal librarian thing? 😀
Ayn Rand. My boyfriend is a huge fan, and particularly loves Atlas Shrugged, so I've been trying to work my way through it (having previously read Anthem for school). But I just can't get into the story or characters and just plain don't like it.
I'm indifferent to Dr. Seuss.
I hate the "Guess How Much I Love You" books. Urgh – they're just not fun to read! Also, while I love Eric Carle's illustrations, most of his books he wrote (except for "Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "Very Busy Spider") I think are not well written at all!
Curious George. Those books are so insanely long that they can't be used for storytime & most kids won't sit through them and I don't actually know of any kids who like them. Except I do like the covers. I am shallow in that way.
Both mine love Curious George but *I* am sick of him. My oldest reads them to his sister now, but when they were younger and my H did the reading, I'd be yelling from the other room, "This is George. The man in the yellow hat kidnapped him from his native habitat and illegally imported him into the country, ducking customs and possibly exposing America to Ebola. Then he sold him to a zoo for an insane amount of money, where George was kept in an innapropriate cage and fed inappropriate food and picketed by PETA. The man in the yellow hat is also very stupid for constantly leaving George alone when he knows that he gets into trouble Every Single Time."
I dislike Steinbeck, Dickins, and Twain. And The Good Earth. I HATE that book!
I might have agreed with you at one time about Dr. Seuss, but really, the more I read him, the more I love him. I think his books are super fun to read out loud…the rhymes just slip off my tongue.
BUT, there is a classic author I do not like, and I'm pretty sure I'm completely alone in this: Maurice Sendak. Now everyone can gasp in horror, but it's true. Where the Wild Things Are is fine, but In the Night Kitchen? Creepy and weird.
I too dislike Maurice Sendak. Don't like the stories, don't like the illustrations.
I hate Where The Wild Things Are. So does my hubby.
Also dislike Dr. Seuss. Not everything, just most.
Don't get me started on The Poky Little Puppy. What the…?!
Hmmm, the only two Dr. Seuss books I really dislike (and I mean REALLY) are Cat in the Hat and Cat in the Hat Came Back. After reading them a thousand or so times to my younger siblings and cousins, I refused to read them to my children and grandchildren.
Came=Comes
Janssen didn't say I wouldn't judge you, Sheyenne, Kim, and Elaine. Goodnight Moon is such a great mix of random, soothing, and memorable.
Big fan of Goodnight Moon simply because the kids LOVE it.
Yes, I too love Goodnight Moon SO MUCH.
Neil Gaiman! I know some librarians worship this man. I was shocked that The Graveyard Book won a Newbery. There is an eeriness thing going on for me. I could not bring myself to see Coraline either. I have nothing against him personally (like I even know him personally, he's probably one awesome guy) but I just don't care for him as a writer. Now remember, no judging. 🙂
OMH, I HATED The Graveyard Book and for the life of me could not figure out what the big deal was about that book. Seriously, what about that book made it so amazing to everyone (else)?
Also, it starts with a guy murdering an entire family. How is that a good book for kids?
absolutely feel the same about Love You Forever. I tossed the book — I can't read it – I find it totally creepy and I love my boys to the moom and back.
I remember reading A Wrinkle in Time in 5th grade and HATING it with a passion! Now, I don't remember why, or what it was even about, but then, oh th hatred! Maybe I should give it another try?
I hated The Cat in the Hat growing up, but it's crazy how much Raymond loves it. It's growing on me. I get sick of books I have to read too much. Raymond goes through phases of wanting to read certain books over and over and over… until I want to never see them again. Curious George is one of those (we literally checked out at least one a week for 9 months straight… my kids–even Ginny–can recite long passages of most of the books… and there are approximately a billion of them).
I've found that there are a lot of authors who have one or two great books… but the others are weird. This week the discovery was of the author (can't think of his name right now, Ezra something something) who did The Snowy Day. That one is good. And Whistle for Willy is good. The rest are weird. I agree with the Eric Carlyle comment. A lot of them are just weird or poorly written.
Oh and I can't stand Madeline books. Terrible rhyming.
I'm laughing about Love You Forever because every time I read it I think . . . there's no way this mother is THAT old when her son is only, what? In his twenties? How does she age so quickly?
Goodnight Moon. Never liked it.
Great Expectations by Dickens = The worst book EVER.
I'm with Bart. Goodnight Moon is fabulous. My tiny babies love it (as young as 4 months), and watching my 3-year-old recite it is super cute. I like Dr. Seuss too, especially Green Eggs and Ham, but I really do not like The Little Engine that Could. The repetition is just too much for me.
Emders Game by Orson Scott Card. I barley got through it. Something about 6 year olds killing people with their bare hands, naked boys running around, and too many insults that involve farting killed it for me. People are going to judge me for that, but good luck living without a soul to those of you who hate Goodnight Moon and Charles Dickens 😉
I tried twice to read Ender's Game….I finally gave up. Just did not make sense to me!
I also think Love You Forever is creepy.
I recently read The Giver for the second time since I hated it so much in elementary school the first time around… yep, still can't stand the book.
I never loved Seuss either. And… Winnie the Pooh. I think I disliked the show more than the books, but I can't get Pooh's nasal, whiny voice out of my head when I look at the books. And Eyore! Cheer up, dude! You're a DONKEY! The whole Poohverse always just made me feel melancholy and sad. When I was, like, five.
Um, this is going to sound totally weird, and normally I would try and email you this ridiculously gushy comment, but my computer does something weird when i click your email link, so i will now write in a comment: I feel like I have found a kindred spirit in you!!! You're just awesome! Im so excited I found you (searching Pinterest for a mission impossible "refreshment" for a VT conference I have to do). I have a daughter born just 6 days before yours so I of course started reading all about you and her- FUN stuff! She's darling. Anyway, I'll be your newest biggest fan! Happy day!
chanelkathleen@gmail.com
No authors come to mind but sometimes I have a hard time when a series comes out and everyone starts GUSHING and saying things like it's the best book ever and if you don't read it you're stupid and whatever other silly things they say. WIth how pushy they get, it immediately makes me not want to read it. I will never read the 50 Shades books…never, ever…although that is also because of the material and I didn't start Harry Potter until the third one was out. And I hadn't even heard of Hunger Games but came upon it on my own.
I feel the same about Dr. Seuss – I only like a few of his books, and the made up words drive me nuts!
I guess I'm kind of a lone in saying I liked Dr. Suess. 🙁 They were some of the first books I learned to read. My daughter finds the made up words kind o funny. I figure if she is enjoying reading with me, we'll pick what she likes. 🙂
I like Dr. Suess, but I can't stand Goodnight Moon (I don't get it). I get sick of any book my kids make me read over and over–even if I liked it before. Luckily, my older kids can now read to themselves and the younger ones are old enough to like some variety. Very interesting topic, Janssen!
I hate Nicholas Sparks, but I imagine that's pretty universal with your blog readers. I read "Dear John" (someone gave it to me and I felt obligated to read it) and was ashamed of Americans the entire time. Why do they love this guy? And who is the idiot that read this book and thought "this is going to make a GREAT movie?!" (To be fair, I never saw the movie. Maybe it's great. I don't know.)
I don't like Steinbeck. (But I think that has something to do with being forced to read him in high school. I don't like being told I HAVE to read something I hate.)
I'll happily admit to also HATING "The Hunger Games" with a passion. It's like everyone missed the main plot of the book. IT'S ABOUT CHILDREN KILLING OTHER CHILDREN IN VIOLENT WAYS. What about that is appealing to people? (We, as a society, need to look in a mirror and ask ourselves why we like cheese Nicholas Sparks books and books about murderous kids.)
/rant