Our Least Favorite Books of 2018

At this time of the year it seems like everyone is making lists of the best books of the year, but we thought it would be interesting to talk a little about books that were our least favorite. Most readers end up with a few books each year that they really didn't like. Sometimes it's because they thought, based on description of the book, it was a different kind of book. Other times, the book just did not stand up to expectations. Here are our favorite least favorites of the year.

Cary - 12 Rules for Life: an Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson

I listened to this audiobook because Jordan Peterson, a Canadian psychologist and lecturer, was recommended to me by a friend who has strong Libertarian ideals and I wanted to understand why. Peterson has a very large following on social media and in other circles due to his criticism of the current climate of political correctness, among other things. This book is a “bible” for those who agree with this ideology. Actually, I did not disagree with some of what he believes, and his “12 Rules” are fairly straightforward and easy to swallow in some form. But, listening to him narrate his own words (ah, I couldn’t help let this influence me!) I came away from the book unimpressed. I could not see what all the fuss was about. I got the impression of a slightly whiny, insecure middle-aged man trying to gain some sort of worth by stating some fairly obvious facts to a younger generation, and throwing in some controversial comments to ensure his popularity and sales. I may be a cynic, but at my age (very near the author’s own), I could see though some of the chinks in his self-important armor. Possibly, had I read this book in print form and not read other quotes by the author in other contexts, I may have had a more favorable reaction. I chose this book because of the hype. I believe there are many other sources for “life rules” that can serve us better.

Tirzah - The Button War by Avi

I usually enjoy reading books by Avi; however, I think The Button War may be too dark for the targeted middle school and Young Adult readers. It is set in World War I, so I was expecting tragedy and violence but not to this degree or form. I was hoping for more historical fiction. Instead, the story concentrated more on the deteriorating friendship among the characters. Fans of Avi should give it a try as they may enjoy it.

Jake - Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I know this book is a classic and I can certainly see why. But I simply could not get through it. It was not a case of poor writing or anything like that. It was simply that there didn't seem to be any real story. It was more like reading a journal saying "First this happened. Then this happened. Then than happened", rather than having any real plot or sense of flow. I will probably try tackling it again at a future date but I have no current plans to do so.

Dawn - White Houses by Amy Bloom

This is written in a series of letters and I have a hard time getting into a book with that writing style. I did not finish this, so saying it's my least favorite may not be accurate. It just wasn't for me.

Amanda - Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis 

There wasn’t anything offensive or awful in this book. It just didn’t live up to the hype, for me. I didn’t make it all the way through the audiobook, my sarcastic and jaded heart couldn’t handle the upbeat positivity. I need someone to be cursing at me occasionally or calling me a lump of something to actually motivate me. This definitely says more about me than about Ms. Hollis’ abilities as a motivator.

Devin - Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

While I can see why others love it, it was not my cup of tea. Something about the structure of this book didn’t mesh well with me and it was a struggle to immerse myself in it. This may have been a case of wrong book, wrong time so I may try to pick this one up again in the future.

Mary - Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann 

I don’t want to say that I totally disliked this book as I thought the content was very interesting. However, there were so many characters in the book that I felt that I had to keep a list of names just to keep everyone straight. OK, I’m lazy!!

Katherine - Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

I'm clearly in the minority, but this book didn't work for me. I guessed the major plot points at the beginning of the book, winced during large portions of the dialogue, and just felt like I'd read this book before. Granted, there is definitely creativity in how magic and the Gods are portrayed, but I had to plow my way through the last third of the book to finish it.

Jason - The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi

When it comes to The Quantum Thief, I actually think it is a good book, but not a book for me. I would classify it as hard science fiction, but not in the same sense that books like The Martian, or Leviathan Wakes are hard science fiction. The notions presented in this book are really interesting, but hard to conceptualize. So many of the ideas are mind-boggling, and Rajaniemi does very little by way of exposition, which slows the whole thing down as you reread passages just to make sure you understand what has been presented. Again, not a bad book, but one that did not work for me.

Lisa - Into the Water by Paula Hawkins 

Perhaps I compared it too closely to the author’s previous novel, The Girl on the Train. While I really enjoyed the suspense and the way The Girl on the Train unfolded, I found Into the Water, with several more plot lines and unreliable narrators, harder to follow.

Sally - The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney 

I can’t actually call it my least favorite because I read only about a fourth of the book. The book caught my eye as I checked it in one afternoon at the circulation desk. On the cover was a brief review by Amy Poehler. It read, “Intoxicating...I couldn’t stop reading or caring about the juicy and dysfunctional Plumb family.” I figured—if Amy liked it then surely I will. It may be a fine book, but a quarter into the book I didn’t care about the characters enough to keep reading about another dysfunctional family. I may try it again sometime. I just can’t believe Amy would steer me wrong.

Kaylee - Torn by K. A. Robinson

I've been looking for more "New Adult" books to read with characters closer to their 20's and 30's and this one seemed promising, if a little cliché. Unfortunately, I couldn't even finish reading it. There was an overabundance of contemporary romance tropes that wouldn't have bothered me if they hadn't felt so forced, a love triangle that made me feel unsettled, and a self description of the main character within the first 20 pages that so heavily and unnecessarily sexualized her that I had to double check that the author was a woman. Maybe it's because I've already read so many books containing these tropes, but I just didn't enjoy this book.