’s A Pisgah Site — Writing from Israel about Israel, Judaism, and Antisemitism, and drawing closer to the Creator. And coming to terms with unrealized dreams.
Now onto this week’s discussion question, which was prompted by the wonderful
I was sixteen when I read Atlas and was taken by it as a sixteen year old might be. It took me about ten years to be embarrassed that I had liked it. And I continue to be amazed/confused that mature adults claim it as a formative book they re-read often.
I knew nothing about it but was intrigued by the title (gotta hand it to em, it’s a good title)
Safe to say I was not prepared for the thinly veiled philosophy shouting.
I’m going to finish it because sometimes reading things that you disagree with helps you learn. About yourself, what you believe, and why you believe it.
American Psycho. I'm sure it's a brilliant book, and it's definitely beloved by a lot of literary critics. But I had really horrible nightmares for weeks after reading it. Wish I'd never injected it into my neurons.
I didn't bother reading that book for exactly this reason, it is a sad book about a shameful subject. I do not mean to be detrimental to the author however: 'Less Than Zero' is superlative and there is nothing that should be off-limits for writers and authors.
I don't recall any book I wish I had not read. There were many books I didn't enjoy, especially some prize winners that were really hyped and didn't make the grade in my opinion. But I feel that each book has offered me something, even if that is helping me to understand what I do and don't like to read. Another thing I have noticed is that some books I read in high school or early 20's that I just didn't get, reading them again later in life turned on the light bulb.
Intermediate Accounting. I know this is off-track but I hated that book and burned it in my dorm at the end of the semester ... set off the alarms, filled the dorm with smoke, and would have gotten kicked out but the semester was over.
Bad professor mainly. I went on to work in accounting for way too many years. I think that course and that book were trying to warn me away from accounting in general. Took me a long time to pull myself away from the money. ;-)
Lolita. I only read the first half because it was simply too much. I recently traveled with my fifteen-year-old daughter to San Antonio; every time we stayed the night at a hotel I thought, "is the desk clerk thinking . . . ?" and I wouldn't have thought that if I hadn't read Lolita.
I sincerely do not understand the love for this book. I got through 50 pages before I was like NO THANKS. I did not want to be in the head of this horrible man!
It is about the genocide of the native Americans, amirite? Some stuff is upsetting - recently I was gifted a book about grief and I only managed half of that.
It’s strange, but I don’t recall ever regretting reading a book. Sure, there were bad (poorly written etc.) books, but I don’t know if I’ve ever actively wished that I’d never read them.
Have you ever wanted to ditch a book half-way through but just couldn't give yourself permission and then you finally finish and you're mad at yourself that you made yourself stick it out all the way through, regardless, for absolutely no benefit except to scratch that itch where you still think you are a direct descendant of Horton from "Horton Hears a Who" and "Horton Hatches the Egg" ("I meant what I said and I said what I meant/An elephant faithful one hundred percent cent!")??
My book like that is "A Little Life". I lost count over how many times she wrote the phrase "I'm sorry" in that, but it was at least in the triple digits - and I bet she was sorry - what a horrible horrible book...
I share this same sentiment. I've certainly read some poor quality works, but my take is that there is always something valuable to gain in nearly every book. As a personal challenge, I almost always commit to finishing a book too just so I can find that nugget of new information or perspective.
Oh that's an easy one for me: Desires In Conflict by Joe Dallas. It's an ex-gay story from Exodus International, a now-defunct conversion therapy organization. Really fucked me up as a teenager.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara - I loved it and was hooked all the way through reading it...then I got to the end, put it down, and suddenly it hit me: I HATED it.
Orwell’s 1984. I read it over night, years ago. It haunts me since then. I just can NOT shake it off. And how tf he predicted everything that’s happening now, everywhere?
Don’t get me wrong. The book is fantastic. But I really do wish to shake off its effect on me.
PS: it’s the same with the film The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. Damn. Even typing the name makes me shiver from horror effect THAT ending had on me 😬
The Chicken Soup for the Soul people approached me to write for them but I am not very good at 'twee' even though I have quite a fancy for it. So I did not reply.
That's a pretty long list! LOL. I guess I don't regret Atlas Shrugged exactly, since it's had such a impact on a lot of people. But I regret liking it while I read it and for about fifteen minutes afterward until I realized Ayn Rand was kind of a monster.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Spoiler alert..... dog dies unnecessarily and heartbreakingly at the end and eff that book. I also wish I never saw Disneys Old Yeller as a child, at least I’m consistent.
American Psycho and Moby Dick are the two that come to mind. American Psycho because it's worse than the film version (a rarity) and the descent into insanity isn't much more than annoying to read.
Moby Dick because I expected to be blown away, and aside from the Town Ho's Story found the whole thing underwhelming, overly verbose and boring. I'd seen it compared to Shakespeare which gave a false sense - the bard had to keep his audience engaged and move things along.
The bard was a master of pop culture whereas Melville I think was pretentious not that I have even read 'Moby Dick'. I think it was fashionable for a while to be seen with a copy.
I think people forget that, Shakespeare put bums on seats from the highest to the lowest tiers of England. A mix of classical education and references with crude toilet humour!
Too many to mention as an unwelcome puritanical streak compels me to almost always finish what I start. I can’t quite believe I’m saying this but I recently finished Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the high castle and found it unbelievably disappointing, especially in comparison with the excellent TV adaptation (I know, I know!)
I recall in the last year or so two books that I remember being so pissed when I was finished, and during reading them actually. Mad at myself for continuing to read them when they were clearly such a waste of time. I think I though perhaps if I kept reading they would somehow get better or they would get to the point. Then at the end, no point. I was so mad. What a waste of time and money. Don't remember the names of them because they were not worth remembering.
Hey, thanks for the shout-out, man! That means a lot to me, mucho appreciation. I don't know that I can name a book I wish I hadn't read but I can name one I wished, at the time, that I wasn't reading - Atonement, by Ian McEwan. I have no doubt it's a great book - not my genre. Not my vibe. It was the key assigned work for a university literature course. Made me feel bad because part of me thought, as a writer and a Man of Culture, I should recognise and enjoy any Good Book, right? If it's won literary awards, if it's High Brow, but it bores me, what does that say about me? Is this a litmus test for the type of person I am?
Ulysses soundly beats out Catcher in the Rye, Confederates of Dunces, The Ginger Man and Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me among the others that came immediately to mind. Plus every book I’ve ever bought at an airport.
There genuinely isn't a single book I wish I'd never read. Even the badly written ones, or outright evil ones. They've all contributed to my formation by showing me what I hate and dislike.
I can’t even remember the name of it but the plot was a man trying to teach his dog to talk so he could find out if his wife’s death was accidental, suicide or murder. It involved weird science on dog’s vocal cords. Creepy, badly written and ultimately just awful. Read it for a book group so felt compelled to finish it and sorry I did.
Recently finished ‘A Fans Notes’ by Exley. Not that I really regret reading it but I didn’t think it was that good. He felt pedantic and only used the word ‘azure’ for blue, he did it like six times in the book and it really annoyed me.
There are quite a few books I wish I hadn't wasted my time on (and almost all were book club choices) but only because they were incredibly poorly written. Naming names feels counterproductive because some people may love them and thats great.
I do wish I had never listened to many episodes of the podcast Sword and Scale though, particularly the one about the torture of a young Japanese girl. I will never ever ever get that out of my head.
So I can't remember the book's name...if I do, I'll come back here. Basically it was this YA fiction book about these friends who survive a plane crash (?) in the Australian Outback and meet an aboriginal boy. They're nice to him, but talk down to him. It was straight up racist, but a few of the teachers at the school where I was the new HOD had been teaching it for years and did not want to give it up. So I had to read it first...it actually became a great lesson with Year 8 kids who saw just how racist ("outdated"?) the text was (implicitly). Still, I couldn't finish it nor did I have the kids do so. We switched to Rabbit Proof Fence and had some great lessons.
Also, the book was just boring :) I got it off everyone's syllabus for the next year.
"The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown is the one purchase I regret, having compelled myself to read it despite its poor writing. It feels more like a screenplay sketch than a novel. Interestingly, I enjoyed the film adaptation it inspired. Nevertheless, I still hold a grudge for the expenditure, and I keep it as a reminder not to trust advertisements.
"Pimp" by Iceberg Slim. I don't know who told that guy he was capable of writing a book, because he wasn't. He wrote without filter or possibly even an editor about how he wasn't at fault for the things he did because of his bad upbringing, but he clearly was.
“Good Morning Monster,” while the stories had lessons in them, I feel (and realize others do too now) that the author went a little to far sharing some of the traumatic details. I’m still haunted by some of them and I don’t think they were needed for the stories.
I recently read “The Friend” by Sigrid Nunez. The dog didn’t even figure prominently! I got caught up in the hype & wasted my time. It was one of those books that made me angry when I finished it.
Jojo Moyes 'Someone Else's Shoes' just because I love Jojo Moyes and was dissapointed to read a 'book by recipe' It felt like she sat down with a list of trendy things and added all to the book. On the other hand it is uplifting because it shows even good writers can write bad books, so it gives courage to novices to plough ahead. The short story the book is based on is much better! Great to find out Elizabeth Gilbert is on Substack, I like her. ☺️
Atlas Shrugged....
I was sixteen when I read Atlas and was taken by it as a sixteen year old might be. It took me about ten years to be embarrassed that I had liked it. And I continue to be amazed/confused that mature adults claim it as a formative book they re-read often.
Ahhhh I appreciate that feeling! Living and learning.
I am reading this book at the moment!
I knew nothing about it but was intrigued by the title (gotta hand it to em, it’s a good title)
Safe to say I was not prepared for the thinly veiled philosophy shouting.
I’m going to finish it because sometimes reading things that you disagree with helps you learn. About yourself, what you believe, and why you believe it.
Oh yeah, finish it! And I agree, it’s an incredible title.
Well, update. I finished it!
And I have thoughts haha. I wonder if you felt the same way, or completely different!
https://jaredlangford.substack.com/p/who-is-atlas-shrugged-for
I endorse this, 💯
I don't think I got very far with it either!!!
Ahahaha amazing!
American Psycho. I'm sure it's a brilliant book, and it's definitely beloved by a lot of literary critics. But I had really horrible nightmares for weeks after reading it. Wish I'd never injected it into my neurons.
Yes, American Psycho. That's exactly what I was going to say. There are some things that you don't want to have embedded in your subconscious.
I didn't bother reading that book for exactly this reason, it is a sad book about a shameful subject. I do not mean to be detrimental to the author however: 'Less Than Zero' is superlative and there is nothing that should be off-limits for writers and authors.
I don't recall any book I wish I had not read. There were many books I didn't enjoy, especially some prize winners that were really hyped and didn't make the grade in my opinion. But I feel that each book has offered me something, even if that is helping me to understand what I do and don't like to read. Another thing I have noticed is that some books I read in high school or early 20's that I just didn't get, reading them again later in life turned on the light bulb.
The DaVinci Code is the worst book I ever finished. I read it to understand the hype around it, and I learned that was a dumb reason to read a book.
He's really not up my street either!
Intermediate Accounting. I know this is off-track but I hated that book and burned it in my dorm at the end of the semester ... set off the alarms, filled the dorm with smoke, and would have gotten kicked out but the semester was over.
Is that because intermediate was too easy and you wanted to try “Accounting for Pros”?
Bad professor mainly. I went on to work in accounting for way too many years. I think that course and that book were trying to warn me away from accounting in general. Took me a long time to pull myself away from the money. ;-)
Lolita. I only read the first half because it was simply too much. I recently traveled with my fifteen-year-old daughter to San Antonio; every time we stayed the night at a hotel I thought, "is the desk clerk thinking . . . ?" and I wouldn't have thought that if I hadn't read Lolita.
I sincerely do not understand the love for this book. I got through 50 pages before I was like NO THANKS. I did not want to be in the head of this horrible man!
Exactly!
Great question. Does half a book count? Some years ago I tried to read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I found it too upsetting to finish.
I've tried and failed to finish it 3 times now. ☹️
Oh. I'm glad in a way -- I thought I was being a wimp. Plus I always think one SHOULD read such books. But in practice it is so difficult, isn't it
It is about the genocide of the native Americans, amirite? Some stuff is upsetting - recently I was gifted a book about grief and I only managed half of that.
Yes, it's pretty awful
It’s strange, but I don’t recall ever regretting reading a book. Sure, there were bad (poorly written etc.) books, but I don’t know if I’ve ever actively wished that I’d never read them.
Have you ever wanted to ditch a book half-way through but just couldn't give yourself permission and then you finally finish and you're mad at yourself that you made yourself stick it out all the way through, regardless, for absolutely no benefit except to scratch that itch where you still think you are a direct descendant of Horton from "Horton Hears a Who" and "Horton Hatches the Egg" ("I meant what I said and I said what I meant/An elephant faithful one hundred percent cent!")??
My book like that is "A Little Life". I lost count over how many times she wrote the phrase "I'm sorry" in that, but it was at least in the triple digits - and I bet she was sorry - what a horrible horrible book...
I share this same sentiment. I've certainly read some poor quality works, but my take is that there is always something valuable to gain in nearly every book. As a personal challenge, I almost always commit to finishing a book too just so I can find that nugget of new information or perspective.
Oh that's an easy one for me: Desires In Conflict by Joe Dallas. It's an ex-gay story from Exodus International, a now-defunct conversion therapy organization. Really fucked me up as a teenager.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara - I loved it and was hooked all the way through reading it...then I got to the end, put it down, and suddenly it hit me: I HATED it.
Orwell’s 1984. I read it over night, years ago. It haunts me since then. I just can NOT shake it off. And how tf he predicted everything that’s happening now, everywhere?
Don’t get me wrong. The book is fantastic. But I really do wish to shake off its effect on me.
PS: it’s the same with the film The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. Damn. Even typing the name makes me shiver from horror effect THAT ending had on me 😬
I can honestly say that I have never recovered from reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas! I have read loads of WWII books and that one got to me.
I can totally understand that. I’m not even approaching the book as the film had such a devastating effect on me.
1984 is pretty grim - not much is made of that now - it is treated by the English as a silly party piece.
This is going to upset a few people but - Eat, Pray, Love. Just awful.
The original Amityville Horror scared the bejesus out of me and I couldn't be alone in the house for weeks.
😂😂😂 haha you know the Eat, Pray, Love author is on Substack. You could get more on a weekly basis! 😂
God, I know! I remembered that after I'd written it down!
The Chicken Soup for the Soul people approached me to write for them but I am not very good at 'twee' even though I have quite a fancy for it. So I did not reply.
That's a pretty long list! LOL. I guess I don't regret Atlas Shrugged exactly, since it's had such a impact on a lot of people. But I regret liking it while I read it and for about fifteen minutes afterward until I realized Ayn Rand was kind of a monster.
“Kind of”?? 😬
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Spoiler alert..... dog dies unnecessarily and heartbreakingly at the end and eff that book. I also wish I never saw Disneys Old Yeller as a child, at least I’m consistent.
Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin ❌ 🛑 🚫. I wanted to boot it into the sun. I'm still mad thinking about it lol
That’s funny. We were super into this book in grad school. I don’t even remember why.
I think it's a book that gets strong reactions one way or another
The Topeka School by Ben Lerner. It strung me along with just enough to like about it only for me to unequivocally dislike it upon finishing.
American Psycho and Moby Dick are the two that come to mind. American Psycho because it's worse than the film version (a rarity) and the descent into insanity isn't much more than annoying to read.
Moby Dick because I expected to be blown away, and aside from the Town Ho's Story found the whole thing underwhelming, overly verbose and boring. I'd seen it compared to Shakespeare which gave a false sense - the bard had to keep his audience engaged and move things along.
The bard was a master of pop culture whereas Melville I think was pretentious not that I have even read 'Moby Dick'. I think it was fashionable for a while to be seen with a copy.
I think people forget that, Shakespeare put bums on seats from the highest to the lowest tiers of England. A mix of classical education and references with crude toilet humour!
Brothers Karamazov for the second time.
It was long ago, but not as incredibly revelatory as first time at 18
My favourite book! 😭
Too many to mention as an unwelcome puritanical streak compels me to almost always finish what I start. I can’t quite believe I’m saying this but I recently finished Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the high castle and found it unbelievably disappointing, especially in comparison with the excellent TV adaptation (I know, I know!)
Perfume: the Story of a Murderer by Patrik Süskind. I had to read it in Highschool and my sensitive spirit was deeply disturbed by this story.
That's one of my favourite books! It takes all sorts!!
Of Mice & Men... 👎🏻😬
Many many teenagers in England are agreeing with you every year as it is a 'set text'.
I recall in the last year or so two books that I remember being so pissed when I was finished, and during reading them actually. Mad at myself for continuing to read them when they were clearly such a waste of time. I think I though perhaps if I kept reading they would somehow get better or they would get to the point. Then at the end, no point. I was so mad. What a waste of time and money. Don't remember the names of them because they were not worth remembering.
Hey, thanks for the shout-out, man! That means a lot to me, mucho appreciation. I don't know that I can name a book I wish I hadn't read but I can name one I wished, at the time, that I wasn't reading - Atonement, by Ian McEwan. I have no doubt it's a great book - not my genre. Not my vibe. It was the key assigned work for a university literature course. Made me feel bad because part of me thought, as a writer and a Man of Culture, I should recognise and enjoy any Good Book, right? If it's won literary awards, if it's High Brow, but it bores me, what does that say about me? Is this a litmus test for the type of person I am?
Very welcome!
I think poor Ian McEwan has to carry a lot - in the literary community.
Ulysses soundly beats out Catcher in the Rye, Confederates of Dunces, The Ginger Man and Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me among the others that came immediately to mind. Plus every book I’ve ever bought at an airport.
There genuinely isn't a single book I wish I'd never read. Even the badly written ones, or outright evil ones. They've all contributed to my formation by showing me what I hate and dislike.
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
Gratuitous. Repetitive.
And here I loved that book!
Ain’t that just the way haha
I’m sure we could find a book I loved that you hated!
Oh, 100%. That's part of what makes reading fun. But you ARE completely wrong about Pillars. LOL LOL LOL.
The Duke and I - Julia Quinn.
I can't think of any book I have read that I wish I didn't!
Carrie. This is how I discovered I just cannot stomach horror. It haunts me still. Just the idea of The Exorcist freaks me out.
Hopscotch. If you know, you know.
I can’t even remember the name of it but the plot was a man trying to teach his dog to talk so he could find out if his wife’s death was accidental, suicide or murder. It involved weird science on dog’s vocal cords. Creepy, badly written and ultimately just awful. Read it for a book group so felt compelled to finish it and sorry I did.
I'm sorry!
It is a magnificent novel, but second time was not the same incredible experience as on the Cretan beech as a teenager, when I first read it.
I should try a third time.
Everything and anything by Immanuel Kant
Hahaha not disagreeing with you there. A giant, but not a particularly readable one
Strobel's "Case for Christ". Really showcases the economist's concept of "optimal stopping time".
Recently finished ‘A Fans Notes’ by Exley. Not that I really regret reading it but I didn’t think it was that good. He felt pedantic and only used the word ‘azure’ for blue, he did it like six times in the book and it really annoyed me.
Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow depressed me no end. Slothrop’s journey in the dark heart of crumbling Nazi Germany...oof.
There are quite a few books I wish I hadn't wasted my time on (and almost all were book club choices) but only because they were incredibly poorly written. Naming names feels counterproductive because some people may love them and thats great.
I do wish I had never listened to many episodes of the podcast Sword and Scale though, particularly the one about the torture of a young Japanese girl. I will never ever ever get that out of my head.
There are a few, but top of the list is A Time for Everything by Karl Ove Knausgård.
So I can't remember the book's name...if I do, I'll come back here. Basically it was this YA fiction book about these friends who survive a plane crash (?) in the Australian Outback and meet an aboriginal boy. They're nice to him, but talk down to him. It was straight up racist, but a few of the teachers at the school where I was the new HOD had been teaching it for years and did not want to give it up. So I had to read it first...it actually became a great lesson with Year 8 kids who saw just how racist ("outdated"?) the text was (implicitly). Still, I couldn't finish it nor did I have the kids do so. We switched to Rabbit Proof Fence and had some great lessons.
Also, the book was just boring :) I got it off everyone's syllabus for the next year.
"The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown is the one purchase I regret, having compelled myself to read it despite its poor writing. It feels more like a screenplay sketch than a novel. Interestingly, I enjoyed the film adaptation it inspired. Nevertheless, I still hold a grudge for the expenditure, and I keep it as a reminder not to trust advertisements.
"Pimp" by Iceberg Slim. I don't know who told that guy he was capable of writing a book, because he wasn't. He wrote without filter or possibly even an editor about how he wasn't at fault for the things he did because of his bad upbringing, but he clearly was.
“Good Morning Monster,” while the stories had lessons in them, I feel (and realize others do too now) that the author went a little to far sharing some of the traumatic details. I’m still haunted by some of them and I don’t think they were needed for the stories.
The Alchemist. I fail to see how this is recommended so often as an amazing book about following your dreams. I was bored. I thought it was awful.
I recently read “The Friend” by Sigrid Nunez. The dog didn’t even figure prominently! I got caught up in the hype & wasted my time. It was one of those books that made me angry when I finished it.
Jojo Moyes 'Someone Else's Shoes' just because I love Jojo Moyes and was dissapointed to read a 'book by recipe' It felt like she sat down with a list of trendy things and added all to the book. On the other hand it is uplifting because it shows even good writers can write bad books, so it gives courage to novices to plough ahead. The short story the book is based on is much better! Great to find out Elizabeth Gilbert is on Substack, I like her. ☺️
Apparently the main character of her newest is called Atlas and I'm devastated
Yup. I'm with you on this! The Alchemist. What was that about?
Yes, I found a copy in similar circumstances and was deeply irritated by endless gratuitious wisdom.