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Most Disappointing Books of 2018
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2024
- I read a lot of fascinating books in 2018, but then I also read some books that disappointed me...
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Finally someone who didn’t like Tin Man!! That was one of my worst books of 2017, just really really really disappointing.
I've found that most of the hyped up bestsellers tend to be big disappointments for me. I think it's because I read mainly literary fiction and classics and the books aimed for the mass market tend to be a bit too shallow for my tastes. I agree with you on The Paying Guests, sadly. Waters is one of my favorite authors and this was such a missed opportunity. I really hope she goes back to Victorian gothic in her next books, as that's where her talents genuinely shine.
None of this modern swill for us, we only read *literature* 😉🍷
@@MyDeadAlbatross reading my comment back, I realized it sounds a bit pretentious and I definitely didn't mean it to be so 😬 What I mean is that with the literary fictions the author tends to delve so deeply into historical details and the characters' personalities and thoughts and include loads of descriptive details whereas the vast majority of mass market and YA that I've read tend to just skim the surface. Which is fine when one is in the mood for a quick, fast paced story but not so much when you want a book that delves deep. It's a bit like McDonald's vs a chef cooked meal lol....fine for quick and yummy but not so much what you want to base your diet around haha!
I DNFed Crazy Rich Asians too. I found it kind of ridiculous.
Hey, I just wanted to say I've been a huge fan of your channel over the years, you're my favorite booktuber ever and you're the one who got me into watching booktube channels. I consider you the gold standard of booktube and CZcams in general, the way you articulate your thoughts, if I've read a book I love to hear your thoughts on it and they're different from mine you always get me to look at it from another perspective, if I haven't read a book I'm always eager to read it to mentally compare notes so to speak. Watching your videos is like sitting down with a friend. Every Sunday I make it a ritual of mine to watch at least one video of yours, whether it be an old video or a new one, and when you don't post new ones I have old ones to look through. I also love how after watching the first time if I haven't read the book, if I watch again after I read it it's like watching a whole new video. I love that about the way you talk about books.
This is kinda random but I really really love your hair, it's such a beautiful hairstyle and I'm so thankful you've kept your hair like that over the years, I especially love how it shows off and frames your face, perfectly putting on display how pretty your face is. You have the prettiest face ever, seriously. Like you'd be the most amazing model. Thank you so, so, so, so much for keeping your hair in that style over the years and I hope you keep it that way forever because it's so perfect for you. Plus your outfits are the best. You're a fashion genius along with being such a knowledgeable literary person.
I wish we had more CZcamsrs like you who contributed so much awesomeness to the site just by being you. I know I don't comment much so you may not recognize my name, but I'm a viewer and a sharer, not really a commenter, this is maybe the third or fourth time I've ever commented, but that's okay, because I know how important it is for me to watch your videos and I'm glad to know I help you out by adding views and watch time every Sunday, since that means the money you get can help you buy more books and enjoy life. Once again, thank you for being so so amazing.
I have only read three of these books, but my thoughts on those three is exactly, exactly like yours ! Tin Man, All the Pretty Horses and Lethal White. May be it's the Danish taste that breaks through.
This was hilarious!😂 So good. Do more of these, please:)
Thank you for voicing your honest opinion on so many "popular" books! At least someone who is honest and it is a joy to watch your videos because most book tubers out there sound like advertising campaigns out there to please the publishers who sent them books.
Hi Helene. I just discovered your channel. I think I discovered your channel from April from Getting Hygge With It. I've really enjoyed your videos. I love your beautiful book editions on your shelf above your Jojo Moyes books. Can you tell me about those books? I didn't see them in your 2017 book tour. Thanks!
That's the Vintage Russian Classics books which I have a video about somewhere - try searching for my channel name and vintage russian classics. They are stunning :)
I hate Children of Blood and Bone too!!! The characters are annoying, the plot is just the same as many YA fantasies before, and I felt so bored that I had to skip many pages to reach the ending. I won’t continue this series.
Feel better soon! And I hate to admit it but I haven't read many of those books but ironically I now want to check them out for curiosity's sake
I feel similar about Children of Blood and Bone and Poppy War, don't think will be continuing the series
I’m with you on Tin Man, everyone raves about it but I just I found it ok. I kept waiting to be blown away and it didn’t happen! Very interesting hearing your thoughts :)
great video Helene interesting views
I have just finished Crazy Rich Asians and I didn't like it at all, so having seen that you added it to this list feels kinda satisfying haha! Cheers from Spain 😊♥️
I only have 2 disappointed books for 2018, first one as I already said in your last video is "the diary of a bookseller" and the second one is "1Q84 book 3" I think book1&2 were a masterpiece but book3 omg no, Murakami was just repeating the same things and I think he didn't know how to end the story, the ending was just what I was hoping for but in my opinion he could have integrated the last closing chapters in book 2 instead of extend the story for no reason
I was extremely disappointed with Circe by Madeline Miller. Beautiful writing, no plot. Just a bored goddess who has a lot of sex and picks herbs. lol I also read The Picture of Dorian Gray and was underwhelmed. On the other hand, I read East of Eden and completely fell in love! Also My Cousin Rachel and Rebecca. Loved!!! :)
Haha I get what you mean about "Circe" :D I loved the book to begin with, but something didn't quite jive with me after all - something I couldn't put my finger on. You just did that ;)
This is why I don't read a lot of new releases; too many hype jobs!
I was also disappointed with Turtles all the Way Down it was not for me either
They are other books that you can read pages & co Tilly & the book wanders And the clock makers Daughter
I agree with you about Tin Man. It was good, but not great. I think maybe all the hype had my expectations too high. I'm going to read Call Me By Your Name soon and hopefully that will be the read I was looking for. Sad to hear about the Sarah Waters book. I bought The Paying Guests the other day and was looking forward to reading it. I will still give it a whirl and hopefully I find more satisfaction in it. I've never read Sarah Waters, but so many people talk about her that I thought I would buy one of her books. It seems as though I should have bought Fingersmith as so many people rave about that one.
Turtles All the Way Down was okay for me, but it'd definitely be in kind of the middle if I were to rank everything I read in 2018 from best to worst
I actually went into reading Tin Man one night thinking I might be disappointed by it (because of all the hype) and put it down, but several hours later I was crying like a baby in my bed. I definitely see the flaws in it, which is why it was a 4 star and not a 5 for me. It's very rare for me to feel for a fictional character. So when a book makes me cry it eventually ends up on my "best of" list purely for that reason 🤷♀️
I loved Crazy Rich Asians, but I did think that there were too many POV characters (I think it works better as a movie).
I've had a few books this year that didn't work out for me: the short-story collection "Good-Bye to Wisconsin by Glenway Westcott (1928), a distinguished but now little-known American writer. The book was remarkably well-written, what might be called lyrical or poetic, but so dreary and depressing and with almost no dialog. "The Legend of Hell House" by Richard Matheson, even for a ghost story, was so over-the-top, so sexual and so full of negativity that I gave up on it. "The Little Library" about a man who starts a Little Free Library in front of his house had characters and dialog that were unreal to me; an example of a writer of one sex trying to write about members of the opposite sex and not succeeding. These books didn't work for me but the first two have been around for years so there's something to them. The third book has been well-received by others but just wasn't the book for me.
Great video that will save me some time.
I would recommend trying Cormac Mccarthy again. Perhaps Blood Meridian and Suttree. If you don't find those likable then he definitely isn't for you.
Yikes! A lot on your list are ones I'm looking forward to reading. Hopefully, my experience will be different.
Cormac McCarthy I’ve read and his other books are very different than All The Pretty Horses. I didn’t care for that movie either. His other books though are pretty brutal, you might not like them, they’re very rough. I don’t like John Greens writing at all, he writes for teens, but they’re all the same to me. Not a popular opinion, but I’m not a teenager so I don’t relate. I don’t read YA either, doesn’t appeal to me.
I also didn't like The Paying Guests when I read it. It was way too long and disappointing!
haven't read any of those! sorry they disappointed you though x
I was also very disappointed with lethal white which I had been looking forward to the book was way too long for a crime novel and as you mentioned the characters kept on making really stupid decisions
Every book won't necessarily be someone's favorite. I'm not a fan of most classics, because they seem pretentious and I can't relate to the characters. This is something that I personally need to work on. I enjoy books that represent diverse characters because I can relate to them and I realize that jokes and topics used in these works are often reflective of the culture. West African mythology includes trickster characters that are silly in nature, so it's not too far off base for the Children of Blood and Bone to use humor to overshadow the horrors of the characters' tragic realities. It's funny that I own Crazy Rich Asians and Turtles All the Way Down for the better part of the year, and I have not stopped to pick them up yet. I will eventually.
Crazy Rich Asians is a fun read, but that's just it: A Fun read and a book or trilogy that may or may not end up in the donation box. I preferred the changes the director made for the film :)
Why do Helene's videos always get 2-3 thumbs down? It's weird. Old spurned boyfriends, jealous booktubers with less subscribers, apartment neighbors who don't like cats...it's hard to figure.
I think some people are obsessed with intonations... She tends toooo, make some wooooords, drag on. I am used to it and i see it one of her charms though.
It could always be someone with a differing opinion too, so someone who loved a book she dislikes?
@@krematoryum5533 I agree. I get annoyed very easily by the intonation of certain people, but I like the way Helene speaks.
I speak that way because I speak as I'm thinking of what to say next, haha :D
We all have our own speech patterns (thank goodness) otherwise we’d be robots wouldn’t we? I find Helene charming, precise, and easy to listen to. You can’t please everyone so why try.
At 3:14 "The message of this book was just plain . . . stupid." Ouch. Savage. Loved the shade.
I was disappointed by Crazy Rich Asians as well - there was something about a good portion of the characters that I found irritating? I saw the movie and liked it A LOT more than the book.
I wish you would go into details about why you didn’t like some books, I was left wanting more x) like instead of saying a book it’s stupid, vague or not worth reading or finish, tell us why, go a little bit into the reasons etc, just a tip :)
Let me know which books you want to know more about, and I'll give you details... I don't like doing that in my videos because people complain of spoilers :)
This is a list of my 2 star or less reviews for 2018: City of Bones (just silly and offensive), Grapes of Wrath (boring, didn't like ending), The Handmaid's Tale (boring and didn't like ending), Alias Grace (boring), A Wrinkle in Time (too much fantasy for me), The Age of Innocence (boring), My Year of Rest and Relaxation (boring, silly), Northanger Abby (don't remember why) and The Alchemist (sorta/kinda liked this one, maybe not so bad?). Hope I don't offend anyone. I read many good books in 2018 so I'm not really disappointed that I didn't care for these. Oops, almost forgot a DNF - Killing Commendatore!
Why was city of bones offensive? 😂 I mean I don’t like it either but...
I found myself very disappointed with Crazy Rich Asians too! It was really difficult to get through, but I went to see the movie anyway. I really enjoyed the movie! Like you said it plays out better in movie form.
I'm saving the movie for when I'm at home with my cat on New Year's Eve ;)
This year the books the disappointed me were Public Library by Ali Smith (I don't think I'll pick up a book by her again), Fiesta by Hemingway (so boring and insufferable characters) and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (which is a shame because I love Gone Girl)
I was really disappointed by Public Library but I loved loved loved Autumn and Winter - totally different, the style the story, the wit, the humor .. so if you ever change your mind, go for these ones !
@@FlyingElectra Thank you for your input! I might try them out!
@@maryap8821 You're welcome ! I've read other books from her and I hardly recognized her with Public Library - her other work is so much better. I have read Sharp Objects years ago and don't remember much of it. Happy holidays !
@@FlyingElectra I guess I chose the wrong book by Smith to start with! Thank you, happy holidays to you too!!
I gave up on the Dud Avocado too. I just didn't like it and it annoyed me.
Ange, it's good to hear from you :D I was wondering if you've read "Forever Amber" yet and if you liked it? :)
@@helenejeppesen2133 I didn't manage to get to it, unfortunately. But I will definitely be reading it in January, I have a schedule planned out for it and I'm excited to get to it.
I lost interest in The Paying Guests half way through & DNF'd it... after the 2 main female characters had the same conversation for I don't know how many times, I realized that I didn't care what happened.
The movie was silly, had no interest to read the book. CRA I would recommend The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
I agree with you about Turtles All the Way Down, I would have preferred it to be just about the characters dealing with her OCD and anxiety without the mystery, that part seemed contrived. Also I'm having the hardest time getting through Lethal White, I keep putting it down because it feels like it should be half it's size.
Ha i read most of them and agree with u they are shite 👎 * blows raspberyy* dont read john green so cant pass comment and havent read the poppy wars. Happy new year if u dont post before hand & thank for all ur 2018 vids 👏
No shade, but I can't get over her intonation! Good luck of course :)
I dnfed Crazy Rich Asians, not funny.