FabSwingers.com forum: What’s the worst book you read in school

By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

and tell me could you write better?

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By *ex HolesMan
over a year ago

Up North

My end of year report

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By *avie65Man
over a year ago

In the west.

I don't remember reading any books at school as I don't really like it. But I read all the time now.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Growing up in Samoa.

It bored me rigid.

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By *ornucopiaMan
over a year ago

Bexley

"Growing up in Samoa.

It bored me rigid."

Sure it wasn't New Guinea?

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By *rwhowhatwherewhyMan
over a year ago

Aylesbury

Buddy

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By *orny-chubbyMan
over a year ago

East London

The Travelling Cat Chronicles

I am a cat lover so my friend decided to buy me this book But I couldn’t finish, it luckily I sold it on Vinted , this book bored the hell out of me

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By *reamblueMan
over a year ago

London

Anything by Shakespeare. Why does the literary world suck his ass? It's soooooo boring. Even the dummies versions

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By *rwhowhatwherewhyMan
over a year ago

Aylesbury

"Anything by Shakespeare. Why does the literary world suck his ass? It's soooooo boring. Even the dummies versions"

Macbeth was alright

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By *pursChick aka ShortieWoman
over a year ago

On a mooch

Didn’t have to, we chose what we read.

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By *aul DeUther-OneMan
over a year ago

Sussex

1984 was a class read for English Lit.

Typical George Orwell, - depressing as anything

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

Some of history text books were deadly boring. There are so many, much more interestingly presented history books now.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Wuthering Heights.

Read for my Higher English...didn't finish it but still got an "A".

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

What spoiled a lot of books for me was the lengthy disection and critical appreciation. Fine if you can do it over the course of a week but half a term a few chapters at a time was tedious

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By *inky_couple2020Couple
over a year ago

North West

"What spoiled a lot of books for me was the lengthy disection and critical appreciation. Fine if you can do it over the course of a week but half a term a few chapters at a time was tedious"

^^^This! Absolutely hated "To Kill A Mockingbird" for this reason and also the reason I don't particularly care for poetry.

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

"What spoiled a lot of books for me was the lengthy disection and critical appreciation. Fine if you can do it over the course of a week but half a term a few chapters at a time was tedious

^^^This! Absolutely hated "To Kill A Mockingbird" for this reason and also the reason I don't particularly care for poetry."

I've still got my Tennyson from school, with notes in the margins. It's interesting to look back on but my god couldn't we have done it in a tenth of the time?

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By *iaisonseekerMan
over a year ago

Liverpool

Middlemarch was utterly turgid

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By *iaisonseekerMan
over a year ago

Liverpool

"Middlemarch was utterly turgid"

If I ever finish my novel, I'll let posterity decide if it is better.

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By *ensualbicockMan
over a year ago

liverpool wavertree picton clock

Kes

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By *orny PTMan
over a year ago

Peterborough

"Kes"

The Film is called Kes, the Book is called Kestrel for a knave.

We did it at my first high school, whenI was 13.

The film was bloody good and set me up for other Brit flicks and kitchen dramas.

As for the worst book, it had to be the bible. There! I said it!

Dickens along with Billy the Brummie bard/soap opera writer is far too overated.

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By *oeBeansMan
over a year ago

Derby

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Such unnecessary and complicated sentence structures that I just found it tough to grasp the full story and subtext in any a lot of the writing. Probably says more about my intelligence and ability but it was hard to read nevertheless

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By *oom Bang a BangMan
over a year ago

Watford

"Middlemarch was utterly turgid

If I ever finish my novel, I'll let posterity decide if it is better."

Middlemarch is a fantastic book.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"1984 was a class read for English Lit.

Typical George Orwell, - depressing as anything "

Gosh even after school, I found the Animal Farm hard to follow

maybe i just can't read

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By *ornucopiaMan
over a year ago

Bexley

^^^This! Absolutely hated "To Kill A Mockingbird" for this reason and also the reason I don't particularly care for poetry."

I've always been slightly amused by the number of young people who, when asked what is their favourite book reply "To Kill A Mockingbird".

If the truth be known, it is probably the only book they know, because it was the GCSE set book. What else would the be likely to have read?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Pussy cat: any of the Peter and Jane books. After reading them my reading skills improved and I now feel that I could have written better.

Owl: not a curriculum book, The lord of the rings and I could have written it shorter which would have been better though I haven't the patience to an original idea. As with pussy cat my reading skills improved.

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By *inky_couple2020Couple
over a year ago

North West

^^^This! Absolutely hated "To Kill A Mockingbird" for this reason and also the reason I don't particularly care for poetry.

I've always been slightly amused by the number of young people who, when asked what is their favourite book reply "To Kill A Mockingbird".

If the truth be known, it is probably the only book they know, because it was the GCSE set book. What else would the be likely to have read?"

What tosh. Children read plenty of books (then and now). It just so happens TKAMB has been on the GCSE curriculum for decades and so it can either be a source of great wonder (for some), or deep dislike (in my case).

We studied The Merchant of Venice too, but I don't mind that. The poetry anthology did scupper what bit of interest I had in poetry though. I've always been scientifically minded anyway.

I was the child who ran out of school reading books and had books specially brought in for me by teachers. I was the child who read under the covers with a little torch purchased from the Ellesmere Port Boat Museum and can probably tell you the total cover to cover content of anything written by Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton and various other.

Our house is so full of books that we have nowhere to put them, so not sure what you are trying to imply, in all honesty.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Such unnecessary and complicated sentence structures that I just found it tough to grasp the full story and subtext in any a lot of the writing. Probably says more about my intelligence and ability but it was hard to read nevertheless

I HATED that book and won't ever read it again. Urgh.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Be right back I have to tend the rabbits

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By *RANDMRSJAECouple
over a year ago

chester

A book called Fahrenheit 451

Absolute trash & really sinister (futuristic setting where firemen burned books, paper burns at 451°)

I just wish schools could move on, the poor kids are still reading the same literature.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

We did Hamlet for what seemed like a year. I do still have a soft spot for it. And My Brother Jack by an Aussie author George Johnstone. (I grew up in Australia). Fuck it was soooooo boring.

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By *anny77Man
over a year ago

glasgow

[Removed by poster at 22/04/22 21:46:02]

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By *anny77Man
over a year ago

glasgow

Charles Dickens was paid by the instalment so it was like writing for a soap. That was pretty much why his writing seemed long and convoluted he had to write as many parts as possible with a certain word count… the joke that he was “paid by the word” isn’t strictly true but far from false too.

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By *ang bang bangity bangCouple
over a year ago

Sunderland

Emma.

It was mandatory. One of the few books I've struggled to finish.

Mrs Bang loves it though

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By *ornucopiaMan
over a year ago

Bexley

...

We studied The Merchant of Venice too, but I don't mind that. The poetry anthology did scupper what bit of interest I had in poetry though. I've always been scientifically minded anyway.

Our house is so full of books that we have nowhere to put them, so not sure what you are trying to imply, in all honesty. "

I was TIC to an extent. Like you I was an avid reader in a book laden environment. The point I was making is that that environment is becoming a thing of the past and that compulsory reading could comprise the lion's share.

As an aside, there was probably very little Shakespeare which didn't come my way, including productions over 30 or so years. So much so that an ex girl friend once said to me "Just because you've read all Shakespeare's books...". To which I replied "He only wrote one and it is in my bookcase over there. The Complete Works".

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By *inky-MinxWoman
over a year ago

Grantham

Anything by Shakespeare

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

the only books i read 'in school' ie for school exams were To Kill A mockingbird and 1984 both of which were excellent books and I sure as hell could not have said it better. I read other books outside of school and all better than I could write.

But, OP, if you think you could write better than those you wrote, tell us about your successes

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By *ou only live onceMan
over a year ago

London

"A book called Fahrenheit 451

Absolute trash & really sinister (futuristic setting where firemen burned books, paper burns at 451°)

I just wish schools could move on, the poor kids are still reading the same literature."

'The temperature at which paper burns!' - that's always stuck with me!

I'm with you; I hated this in school, but I hate sci-fi so maybe that's why. But considering it was written in the 1950s (I think!) it is quite amazing how close to the mark some of the stuff about just wanting a massive TV has proved!

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By *ou only live onceMan
over a year ago

London

"A book called Fahrenheit 451

Absolute trash & really sinister (futuristic setting where firemen burned books, paper burns at 451°)

I just wish schools could move on, the poor kids are still reading the same literature.

'The temperature at which paper burns!' - that's always stuck with me!

And I'm sure there was more to it than the massive TVs, but that's also pretty much all that stuck!

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By *inkylipsWoman
over a year ago

Debauchery

Anything by Shakespeare, I mean I can’t be the only one that thinks it’s absolute tosh?

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By *ty31Man
over a year ago

NW London

"1984 was a class read for English Lit.

Typical George Orwell, - depressing as anything "

Think that was the point of the novel!

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By *RANDMRSJAECouple
over a year ago

chester

"A book called Fahrenheit 451

Absolute trash & really sinister (futuristic setting where firemen burned books, paper burns at 451°)

I just wish schools could move on, the poor kids are still reading the same literature.

'The temperature at which paper burns!' - that's always stuck with me!

You are the only other living human who remembers this

we had to watch the film too!!

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By *ou only live onceMan
over a year ago

London

"A book called Fahrenheit 451

Absolute trash & really sinister (futuristic setting where firemen burned books, paper burns at 451°)

I just wish schools could move on, the poor kids are still reading the same literature.

'The temperature at which paper burns!' - that's always stuck with me!

You are the only other living human who remembers this

we had to watch the film too!! "

Oh god, I'm sure we did too! And that felt weird as the film itself was about 30 years old by the time we watched it! How they thought it was the right stuff to engage teenagers I don't know!

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By *indergirlWoman
over a year ago

somewhere, someplace

Richard iii, I don't mind the other Shakespeare I had to read but this was

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Best: Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson.

Excellent story and characters.

Worst: Stupid White Men and Other Sorry Excuses For The State Of The Nation.

Race baiting Liberal apologetics.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Jane frigging eyre

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By *ou only live onceMan
over a year ago

London

"Best: Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson.

Excellent story and characters.

Worst: Stupid White Men and Other Sorry Excuses For The State Of The Nation.

Race baiting Liberal apologetics."

You read SWM at school??

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Best: Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson.

Excellent story and characters.

Worst: Stupid White Men and Other Sorry Excuses For The State Of The Nation.

Race baiting Liberal apologetics.

You read SWM at school?? "

Ahh at school. Missed that part, haha. No didn't read that at school. Wasn't that long after though.

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By *orny PTMan
over a year ago

Peterborough

"A book called Fahrenheit 451

Absolute trash & really sinister (futuristic setting where firemen burned books, paper burns at 451°)

I just wish schools could move on, the poor kids are still reading the same literature.

'The temperature at which paper burns!' - that's always stuck with me!

You are the only other living human who remembers this

we had to watch the film too!! "

I remember it, it's from the same generation that brought us A clockwork orannge and the like.

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By *orny PTMan
over a year ago

Peterborough

"A book called Fahrenheit 451

Absolute trash & really sinister (futuristic setting where firemen burned books, paper burns at 451°)

I just wish schools could move on, the poor kids are still reading the same literature."

I wish schools would move on and ban books that promote hatred, sexism, child gentialia mutiliation, war and sexual guilt. quick fetch me the Qoran, the torah and the bible, to name a few, then some petrol and a box of swan vestas

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By *ornucopiaMan
over a year ago

Bexley

"A book called Fahrenheit 451

Absolute trash & really sinister (futuristic setting where firemen burned books, paper burns at 451°)

Fahrenheit 451 was my first venture into Ray Bradbury. It was by no means his best. The various short story compilations were far better. I think I read all his stuff as a teenager. From the school library of course. Head of English was also the librarian and steered me on a literature based career course.

However, like kinky Couple2020, I was really a scientist at heart and when I was at college, right in the middle of studying 'Middlemarch' (which did absolutely nothing for me), I changed from being a student of English literature to doing development work at the college in the pioneering ETV faculty. Never looked back. New technology came to schools and I was in the vanguard of it and retired aged 52 just as PC grade and then Windows computers got established. Arts by education, scientist by inclination and with a good grounding in many subjects.

For the last 25 years I have lazed in the sun and have not read a single novel. I just read the reviewers' résumés. Much less time consuming!

All my accrued works of literature and poetry are boxed up and all visible and reachable books in my house are reference works of one sort or another, mainly technical.

I never read 'To Kill a Mocking Bird'. It wasn't a set book in my day but I do remember Having to Read Le Père Goriot (in French) for French A level. Any kids having to do that now?

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By *aunchy RaccoonsCouple
over a year ago

Exeter

"Anything by Shakespeare. Why does the literary world suck his ass? It's soooooo boring. Even the dummies versions"

Couldn't agree more!

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By *ersiantugMan
over a year ago

Cardiff

"Anything by Shakespeare. Why does the literary world suck his ass? It's soooooo boring. Even the dummies versions

Macbeth was alright"

Machiavellian critique

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By *ersiantugMan
over a year ago

Cardiff

RE all the love for Shakespeare lol, it's the difficulty that bores some people. Boredom is simply a reaction some people have to difficulty. I used to be bored to absolute tears in maths classes as I was just so bad at it. But as an adult I improved to the point where I buy the odd book on physics today. I hated school and decided back then I'll educate myself later on when I found the time!

Shakespeare's plays in and of themselves aren't actually boring at all (not even remotely), but they were written around 1600 in Early Modern English, which sadly in some of his plays it feels a lot closer to 'Middle English' - which is to say it feels like a different language and they needs a fair amount of translation.

I've always found that people who were given Julius Caesar in school tend to think a better of Shakespeare than those who had Midsummer Nights Dream (which bored me a little back then too) - simply because Caesar is closer to the Modern English we speak today, while Midsummer is closer to Middle English. Caesar's probably a simpler story too.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Of mice and men for English Lit... Steinbeck shouldn't be inflicted on those who enjoy reading. Talk about dry reading. Even the Film was better.

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By *he_TicklersCouple
over a year ago

Havant & Aberdare

"Of mice and men for English Lit... Steinbeck shouldn't be inflicted on those who enjoy reading. Talk about dry reading. Even the Film was better."

I was just about to type, of mice and men

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

In primary school we read The secret garden and goodnight mr Tom. Either of those is my worst. Loved all the stuff we did in secondary. Particularly Shakespeare.

Actually as I’m typing I realise that although not a book, I hated A Miller’s Tale by Chaucer and actually wasn’t a huge fan of Regeneration by Pat Barker.

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By *ilbearniMan
over a year ago

peninsula

Peig

Irish folk will know

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By *naswingdressWoman
over a year ago

Manchester (she/her)

I don't remember the book or the details of why I didn't like it. But I was asked to write a book review in primary school. Apparently I was the only student to take the assignment seriously who had disliked the book, in all the years the teacher had assigned it, and for perfectly valid reasons

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By *uicy 2020Woman
over a year ago

London

"In primary school we read The secret garden and goodnight mr Tom. Either of those is my worst. Loved all the stuff we did in secondary. Particularly Shakespeare.

Actually as I’m typing I realise that although not a book, I hated A Miller’s Tale by Chaucer and actually wasn’t a huge fan of Regeneration by Pat Barker. "

Ooh, i loved the secret garden. Didnt dislike any of the books i read in school. Have struggled with some that ive read since, anna karenina and crime and punishment come to mind, but i do preservere and always finish a book i start. Many older books are very hard to get into and not easy to read, but they do generally have a good story amd i have found it worth my while. X

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By *irtydevil666Man
over a year ago

bristol

The dictionary.....

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

"In primary school we read The secret garden and goodnight mr Tom. Either of those is my worst. Loved all the stuff we did in secondary. Particularly Shakespeare.

Actually as I’m typing I realise that although not a book, I hated A Miller’s Tale by Chaucer and actually wasn’t a huge fan of Regeneration by Pat Barker.

AK I’ve heard is tough.

I think the secret garden was also to do with the teacher we had and his attitudes surrounding teaching it. Maybe I should reread

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By *atnip make me purrWoman
over a year ago

Reading

Plays often don't work as class readings. I did jumpers for A level and that just didn't work.

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

"Plays often don't work as class readings. I did jumpers for A level and that just didn't work."

True I agree but I think Shakespeare does.

We also did street car named desire and that worked at A level but we had a small class to be fair

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By *anny77Man
over a year ago

glasgow

Remember Shakespeare isn’t supposed to be read it’s supposed to be watched

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By *oubleswing2019Man
over a year ago

Colchester

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.

Bored me rigid and I really did not appreciate his literary style, nor the concept at all.

Enjoyed all the others we studied however.

1984, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 454, The Go-Between, Cider With Rosie, the Hobbit, Shane, plus all the Shakespeare we did as well.

But Catch-22...no thank you.

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By *RANDMRSJAECouple
over a year ago

chester

Just remembered reading Gregory’s Girl in year 8 (or 2nd year as it was known then) the teacher making us read it out loud, taking it in turns. How to humiliate kids!

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By *orny PTMan
over a year ago

Peterborough

I do remember another book called The Guardians, I can't remember anything about it, but I knew it was a waste of time.

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By *orny PTMan
over a year ago

Peterborough

"Just remembered reading Gregory’s Girl in year 8 (or 2nd year as it was known then) the teacher making us read it out loud, taking it in turns. How to humiliate kids! "

Not alf, Imagine if the teacher spotted who had a crush on a fewllow class member and got them to read aloud. That would be excruciatingly painful.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

At primary school, Heidi.

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By *anny77Man
over a year ago

glasgow

"Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.

Bored me rigid and I really did not appreciate his literary style, nor the concept at all.

Enjoyed all the others we studied however.

1984, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 454, The Go-Between, Cider With Rosie, the Hobbit, Shane, plus all the Shakespeare we did as well.

But Catch-22...no thank you.

Catch-22 is my favourite book. I feel personally attacked

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By *uicy 2020Woman
over a year ago

London

"Catch-22 is my favourite book. I feel personally attacked

I really liked it too, didnt do it at school though, we did lord of the flies, loved that one too. X

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By *ornucopiaMan
over a year ago

Bexley

The lucky aspect, for school kids, is that all this detested compulsory reading is usually available in film format, thus those disinclined to read can grasp enough of the plot and characterisation in order to pass the easier exams.

However such luck doesn't usually extend to poetry. Not aware of a film of Wordsworth's "The Prelude" which might have precluded hours of boredom for me while I was also trying to read all the technical books in the library.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"In primary school we read The secret garden and goodnight mr Tom. Either of those is my worst. Loved all the stuff we did in secondary. Particularly Shakespeare.

Actually as I’m typing I realise that although not a book, I hated A Miller’s Tale by Chaucer and actually wasn’t a huge fan of Regeneration by Pat Barker.

AK I’ve heard is tough.

I think the secret garden was also to do with the teacher we had and his attitudes surrounding teaching it. Maybe I should reread "

I feel

that I haven't read the secret garden. I was just being daft with my location!

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By *ornucopiaMan
over a year ago

Bexley

" The dictionary....

"Catch-22 by Joseph Heller."

Catch-22 is my favourite book. I feel personally attacked

I feel the same about the Dictionary!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"and tell me could you write better?"

The best book I read in school was Schoolgirl frolics. Of course it wasn't on the curriculum and we only had one copy between 30 of us but it did the rounds!

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By *rAitchMan
over a year ago

Diagonally Parked in a Parallel Universe

I can't remember what books I read at school, but non of the previously mentioned ring any bells with me.

The only book I do remember reading I still have in my bookcase, as I "forgot" to return it when I left school. It is a technical book - The Fundamentals of Motor Vehicle Technology.

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By *ornucopiaMan
over a year ago

Bexley

"I can't remember what books I read at school, but non of the previously mentioned ring any bells with me.

The only book I do remember reading I still have in my bookcase, as I "forgot" to return it when I left school. It is a technical book - The Fundamentals of Motor Vehicle Technology. "

The librarian probably ordered several spare copies of that!

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By *ersiantugMan
over a year ago

Cardiff

"Plays often don't work as class readings. I did jumpers for A level and that just didn't work."

No love for jumpers?

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By *ornucopiaMan
over a year ago

Bexley

"Plays often don't work as class readings...."

Why not?

If there are enough in the cast and roles can be rotated from time to time it keeps the little blighters awake so they don't miss a cue.

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By *uietly_KinkyMan
over a year ago

High Wycombe

Far From The Madding Crowd. A turgid block of tedium and moral rectitude.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"and tell me could you write better?"

I had the displeasure of reading "the consumer" by M Gira

I used to think I have a dark mind, jut this book blows my imagination out of the water

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By *oubleswing2019Man
over a year ago

Colchester

"Far From The Madding Crowd. A turgid block of tedium and moral rectitude."

Oh my word...I had mind-bleached that one, but we did a whole term on it.

Another poster earlier mentioned "Lord of the Flies". That was another favourite which I found superb and essential reading.

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By *oeBeansMan
over a year ago

Derby

"Of mice and men for English Lit... Steinbeck shouldn't be inflicted on those who enjoy reading. Talk about dry reading. Even the Film was better.

I was just about to type, of mice and men "

I lived Of Mice and Men, that whole era of history really interested me as well as the different themes the book presented

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

The Merchant of Venice sticks out

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By *annaBeStrongMan
over a year ago

wokingham

"Of mice and men for English Lit... Steinbeck shouldn't be inflicted on those who enjoy reading. Talk about dry reading. Even the Film was better.

I was just about to type, of mice and men

I lived Of Mice and Men, that whole era of history really interested me as well as the different themes the book presented

To this day I’ll make references to keeping my hand in a glove of Vaseline. Along with my curly hair I thought people might get the reference. None yet

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By *uenevereWoman
over a year ago

Scunthorpe

We had to read A Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich for English lit.

It was a whole book about one day, and until 50 Shades, the worst book I had ever read.

I could have improved it by reducing it to one chapter... at least the boredom would have been short lived.

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By *rMs.NeekCouple
over a year ago

Worcestershire

A Passage To India, and Howard's End by E M Forster

Utter shite, especially the latter one, which bored the arse off me

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Of mice and men for English Lit... Steinbeck shouldn't be inflicted on those who enjoy reading. Talk about dry reading. Even the Film was better.

I was just about to type, of mice and men

I lived Of Mice and Men, that whole era of history really interested me as well as the different themes the book presented

Memories were admitted forced because we were forced to do 2 years of English Lit in less than 8 months. I just could never get into it, if I had an excuse to avoid it...

The history behind the era is/was interesting just the book wasn't.

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By *uckOfTheBayMan
over a year ago

Mold

Lark Rise to Candleford

Dreary as dish water.

I would have preferred Cider With Rosie.....

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By *uriousscouserWoman
over a year ago

Wirral

Spring and Port Wine.

We started the year reading the Crucible (was there ever a more appropriate play for a full class of 15 year old girls to read?) but two of the girls complained it was too difficult

Instead we got the unrelenting dull bleakness of Spring and Port Wine. Who cares whether Hilda eats the fish? Just put it in the bin, go and get yourself a bag of chips and the whole problem is solved.

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By *yron69Man
over a year ago

Fareham

Shakespeare I just didn’t get at 14. Plus Thomas Hardy. Far from the Madding Crowd.

But the sexy Miss Dalton teacher took us to see the film with Julie Christie which I loved.

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By *ean counterMan
over a year ago

Market Harborough / Kettering

It was a glossy magazine called Fiesta with pictures of readers wives

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By *cotty1376Man
over a year ago

PRESTON

the secret seven do the seven dwarfs , it was horrific

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By *a LunaWoman
over a year ago

South Wales

Kes.

Not a book to read if you’re feeling a bit down in the mouth.

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By *oubleswing2019Man
over a year ago

Colchester

I forgot another one...The Jewel In The Crown by Paul Scott. I think I was 14 at the time.

All I remember was dreary page after page of dusty roads, filth and absolute squalor and it put me off ever going to India for the rest of my life. It also opened my eyes to how oppressive the British regime was in their treatment of the natives, as well as how awful their own caste system was to one another too.

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By *ersiantugMan
over a year ago

Cardiff

"Kes.

Not a book to read if you’re feeling a bit down in the mouth."

-At least you could watch the film though. Brian Glover on the football pitch was always funny to watch.

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By *isfits behaving badlyCouple
over a year ago

Coventry

"My end of year report

You must have been a bad boy if it came in pages binded together. I'm hoping it was just the one volume.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

The “self help guide to dyslexia”. It was all over the place!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

^^^This! Absolutely hated "To Kill A Mockingbird" for this reason and also the reason I don't particularly care for poetry.

I've always been slightly amused by the number of young people who, when asked what is their favourite book reply "To Kill A Mockingbird".

If the truth be known, it is probably the only book they know, because it was the GCSE set book. What else would the be likely to have read?"

For my sins it is about one of only a small handful of literature books I’ve ever read. I’m probably a philistine, but have alwas preferred factual books that convey knowledge or something hateful (skill that can be an earner) than something fictional - however enjoyable - serves little practical purpose. For the entertainment value would rather the TLDR medium of film. For the thought provocation would rather debate or something in more primary (philosophy textbook).

English Lit was one of the most pointless GCSEs. Why it was mandatory J have no idea. Time would be better spent teaching another language or actually teaching the English language rules properly! Maths far easier and useful

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By *atfuckerbristolMan
over a year ago

Wells

The Canterbury Tales - some cracking, funny and sometimes rather saucy stories, but our teacher insisted we chant it in a ridiculous approximation of Middle English that made us sound like the policeman from Allo Allo.

I think old Geoff Chaucer must be laughing his ass off beyond the grave every time he sees a new group of teenagers forced to read this aloud.

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By *ornucopiaMan
over a year ago

Bexley

...

Not come across TLDR before but good to make its acquaintance. It was standard practice in the school where I worked to obtain the film for every set book, so many didn't need to trudge through the text if they weren't of the reading persuasion (to name another non favourite).

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

All the Janet and John books. I'm pretty sure I could write a lot better.

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

"The Canterbury Tales - some cracking, funny and sometimes rather saucy stories, but our teacher insisted we chant it in a ridiculous approximation of Middle English that made us sound like the policeman from Allo Allo.

I think old Geoff Chaucer must be laughing his ass off beyond the grave every time he sees a new group of teenagers forced to read this aloud. "

God Chaucer was ruined for me when I studied it at A level

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By *ersiantugMan
over a year ago

Cardiff

Interesting comments on To Kill a Mockingbird. I was never taught it or ever read it (as an adult I tend to read non-fiction like the poster above) but I always thought this book was written more for the young reader and was an easy read? It only has a middling regard from literary critics, who tend to see its educational and cultural value as slightly higher than its 'literary' one (it was written by a women, is about race relations and certain institutes have in the past attempted to ban it). It's been an evergreen seller since it was written though, not just to schools.

Regarding English Literature lessons (as first integrated with and then removed from Language ones), obviously reading and studying novels is partly how we are taught to read compose and spell (parrot fashion being shown to simply not work for many kids) - and also to discuss, criticise and consider because philosophy simply proves too complex for younger people. Philosophy (inluding the study of reason) is self-referential, and thus comes next.

Poetry I would agree is on the other hand is another level again - but they do it to stretch us, to see if it takes.

So much in life is cynical and rote, a lot of people (myself included) are terrified that increasingly right-wing societies will eventually take 'difficult literature' (or boring literature in terms of complaints) off the syllabus entirely, and state education will regress back into the factory-like training of human machines.

These books can seem to take ages to teach, but so does everything in schools (apart from the incidental things we suddenly become interested in, which seem to whizz by!). They have us for at least 10 years and quite a lot of it is essentially taught by repetition until things stick or not (esp maths, the repetition of which which is torture for a lot of kids). At least with Literature it's actually *about* going into some depth for a period, and not just waiting over years to see if something eventually lands home. --

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

A book of John Donne poems. Including, the epic 27 pages of Ode to a Paperclip. Put me off 'literary' reading forever.

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By *ufia SnowbunnyTV/TS
over a year ago

Hastings

Buddy and Of Mice and Men

Both absolutely awful

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By *ocothumpaMan
over a year ago

quite close to you

Ring of Bright water

Tarka the otter

Treasure island

The whole Narnia bullshittery

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

of mice and men..load of old shite

catcher and the rye...terrible book ,no idea what so "contiversial" about it ..its a couple of hundred of pages of a guy moaning about how peolpe dont live up to his standards..

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Another vote for Far from the Madding Crowd. Plus The Glass Menagerie. My teenage brain wasn't built for them nor Shakespeare.

Later I found a BBC tv version of Macbeth set in a sinkhole estate outside Glasgow. It was exciting, violent and modern tho the script was the same 16th century language. Suddenly I got it. I went on to read Othello and went back to Romeo and Juliet and loved them.

I just needed to be shown the relevance. Then I could understand the beauty of it. The vulgarity of some Shakespeare is hilarious, why did nobody translate it into something we could understand as kids?

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

Canterbury Tales was quite difficult and often boring. Our English teacher read some of it to us in the accent of the era which made it slightly more interesting. It was only when I read a version translated into modern day English that I appreciated it

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By *ersiantugMan
over a year ago

Cardiff

"Another vote for Far from the Madding Crowd. Plus The Glass Menagerie. My teenage brain wasn't built for them nor Shakespeare.

--His plays have actually always have been translated in various ways, often cut for the times and more-recently modernised for the times. Currently we still teach the real thing though (thank god imo). I am happy with modern settings though, which I'm sure worked especially well with Macbeth. I fancy checking that out..

Those three plays (Mac, Oth and R&J) along with Julius Caesar may be his 3 easiest-to-follow plays imo, maybe I'd add As You Like It too. They are all absolute masterpieces. It's adding Midsummer Night's Dream to curriculums that I don't understand - it's definitely too hard for kids as it's just too complex and almost pure high poetry at times. It put me and Shakespeare back a few years I think. I'm sure they feel that the 'fantasy' theme will more likely work than not, but kids just aren't that fickle imo.---

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By *ersiantugMan
over a year ago

Cardiff

...

Persuasion isn't long you big wus lol

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By *ornucopiaMan
over a year ago

Bexley

"Canterbury Tales was quite difficult and often boring. Our English teacher read some of it to us in the accent of the era which made it slightly more interesting. It was only when I read a version translated into modern day English that I appreciated it"

I wonder if the accent of the era was passed down the generations by English Literature teachers?

Chaucer's time was long before the advent even of wax cylinder recordings being made for posterity!

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

I wonder if the accent of the era was passed down the generations by English Literature teachers?

Chaucer's time was long before the advent even of wax cylinder recordings being made for posterity!"

Ok the presumed accent of the era.

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By *uffsandCropsCouple
over a year ago

Shrewsbury

"Of mice and men for English Lit... Steinbeck shouldn't be inflicted on those who enjoy reading. Talk about dry reading. Even the Film was better."

Me too. Disturbing and dull at the same time.

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