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Nearly anything thrown at me in school. If I hadn’t loved books already, I would have given up on reading after the shit they forced on us.
This is probably divisive here, but I just…do not care for Brandon Sanderson. As someone who has read a lot of fantasy before getting into him, he’s always praised for having a coherent magic system, but that isn’t really enough to make it an enjoyable fantasy story. There’s just a lack of… something in his writing (and I’ve tried to read Mistborn and his shorts) that I have a hard time quantifying to others.
Also I was really surprised that I found his writing weirdly bland in the same way I found Stephanie Meyer’s writing bland, considering that they write completely different genres. Then I found out they were both had Mormon upbringings, and I can kind of see why I found the blandness similar.
I’m going to say “The prince” by Machiavelli. The modern title would be “How to play power games and hold onto power” or something. The content is nice and solid but it’s clear he should have hired an editor. His sentences are longer than most paragraphs.
I had an English teacher that had us read The Prince along with the Life of Castruccio as a parody of the Medici/Italian ruling class, and how it made Italy worse as a kingdom. Much more enjoyable that way tbh. Fantastic teacher, I hope she’s living the life in retirement.
Chicken soup for the teenage soul.
Because apparently reading about other people’s problems while grounded was somehow supposed to automagically fix my behavior.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad. The author is over a billion in debt. Just constantly leveraging assets in a never-ending chain of debt.
The advice in the book is outdated to be fair. He essentially says “use money to make money instead of your time” and recommends getting on the housing ladder and using the fact that upgrading houses doesn’t cost capital gains.
Starship Troopers. Military wankfest
Anything and everything written by Ayn Rand.
i feel like i’m the only person in this thread who never knew anyone dumb enough to read that crap, let alone enjoy it or think it’s great.
I read Atlas Shrugged because the designer of Bioshock said it was the main inspiration for the game.
I didn’t realize they were making fun of it until after I read it. I don’t remember why I read The Fountainhead, but after that one I realized she just fucking sucks.
Anything that glorifies “isms”.
The Art of the Deal, by some Putz. I don’t know whatever happened to him.
lol your yiddish tho
Every book used in education book studies
I worked at a book store back a while now so people would ask and recommend books
The Secret was big at the time The Secret sucks ass I disliked any customer that recommended it to me after that I wouldn’t say that though, I’d thank them politely.
I usually recommended Neuromancer, but it depended on topic.
Never read it, but what I’ve heard it’s wishful thinking combined with a self-fulfilling prophecy. Like “I manifested getting a healthy body so I started eating healthy and going to the gym so the Secret works”. The manifest part in completely optional but I can see it helping some people.
I remember it being a documentary instead of a book, but regardless, I’m embarrassed to admit that my family actually believed in it for awhile, as if a pile of money will just fall in your lap if you simply believe that it will. What a load of first world, white privilege, copium bullshit.
That accurately describes the people recommending the book all the time, yes.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Unrelenting mawkish sentimental slop with a big old dollop of new-age spirituality. Repulsive.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand hands down. it’s like normal economics except they stripped away the mask that makes it look human.
The main point of the book could have been summarised up in an email. I listened to it as an audio book just to know what it’s about and it’s just “communism bad” mixed with everything Margaret Thatcher could masturbate to.
But isn’t it better writing to summarize it in the climax radio speech that takes six hours to read aloud? (That figure is not a joke.)
Good book to take with you to jury duty if you want to avoid being picked for jury duty. 😉
The Bible. Never read it.
Used to be a Catholic, have to say this one as well. Used to get in trouble for asking too many questions.
The Case for Christ.
