Library of Horrors (Top Ten Unreadable/Unfinishable Books)

Member Name: Ophelia

Product:	Top Ten Unreadable/Unfinishable Books
Date:	19/12/01 (204 review reads)
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Horror of horrors, a book so horrendous that you either lose interest half way through (or sometimes a lot earlier than that!) or toss aside in a fit of disgust when upon reaching the conclusion.

I hope what follows will be a warning to fellow bookworms. Avoid these at all costs and if the synopsis of any book is a little scanty, please bear in mind that I have probably spent years doing my best to banish it from my mind! Another brief apology for the fact that there are not quite ten books here but I suppose I have just been quite lucky to avoid the real dross!

TO THE LIGHTHOUSE, Virginia Woolf

Unfortunately I had to read this book for A level and, therefore, not only was I forced to finish it but had to read it several times over. Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf? I am!

This book revolves around a group of people who take a long planned for trip to a visit a lighthouse and…. that’s all folks!

The book was utterly pretentious and at times made no sense. As an example, a fairly typical quote, ‘To eight people she had said relentlessly that (and the bill for the greenhouse would be fifty pounds’.

RHINOCEROS, Eugene Ionesco

About a society in which people keep mutating into rhinoceroses.

This play (not strictly a book but still fairly unfinishable!) obviously had a deeper meaning. It was probably an extremely clever metaphor for behaviour within society but I am afraid WWWWWOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH (sound of the play whizzing over the top of my head).

THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS, Ian McEwan

A couple get drugged by another couple and then are tortured while semi-conscious.

This was one of the more readable of this selection but was just too, too weird and really very disturbing – but that’s McEwan for you!

THE CELLAR, Richard Layman

A strange deformed creature lives in the cellar (you’d never have gue
ssed, would you?) and eats the flesh of living humans.

This was just too ludicrous and without the talented writing style of Stephen King or James Herbert.

THE GREAT PURSUIT, Tom Sharpe

I am actually loathe to put this in my list, as I am actually an enormous fan of Tom Sharpe and have read all his books (with the exception of this one in its entirety).

I can’t put my finger on what it is about this novel but each time I have tried to start reading I just haven’t been able to get into it. It is probably an excellent book but it may be that I was in the wrong frame of mind the first time and have been jinxed by the bad experience.

Can’t tell you what it is about – didn’t get that far! (ps Please don’t be put off reading other Tom Sharpe’s though, as most of his books are extremely amusing).

THE FUNGUS, Harry Adam Knight

This book appears on the list for the same reasons as ‘The Cellar’ above. However, this one is about a horrible fungus, which infects people and eventually turns them into walking, living mushrooms who then try to infect other people.

My goodness, I’ve read some rubbish in my time – there’s no denying it!

LEARNING THE LAW, Glanville Williams

Before I was about to go to university to read law, I was keen and eager as every child of that age is and so in preparation read and re-read and re-read this book. However, if you care for your sanity do not even approach this tome, the theme of which the title speaks for itself.


Here endeth the list. I urge you, I implore you, avoid these books as you would a plague as horrific as that in Mr Knight’s eminent work! I can assure you that reading any of these will not enrich your life and, indeed, may impair mental agility. I think they should come with health warnings. You have been warned!

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