What book have you read that wasn’t subjectively “bad” but you regrets reading all the same?

For me, Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter. The book was engaging and it kept me on my toes, but I just with I hadn’t “poisoned my head” with all the graphic gore that was in there. I years later i still think about this and how I really wish I had never read it.

Question inspired by a comment /u/PrincessOfWales made in another thread :)

  • caseyjosephine@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    American Psycho was excellent! My kind of unhinged humor, although I admit I prefer the movie to the book.

    There must be something wrong with me, because I found Pretty Girls to be fairly tame. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it, but everyone said it was deeply disturbing.

    • UncommercializedMail@alien.topB
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      10 months ago

      I agree to preferring the movie over the book! I feel that it does a better job of making you question if Bateman is actually committing brutal murders or if it’s all in his head. I do love the line in the book, “well it’s been a bad week. I started drinking my own piss.”

      • caseyjosephine@alien.topB
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        10 months ago

        Yes, exactly! There are some good lines in the book, but the movie plays the ambiguity better. I also think the tone comes across better in the movie: the business card scene and the Hip to be Square scene are standouts.

        Have you read Glamorama? It’s also by Bret Easton Ellis and is the unofficial book that Zoolander is based on. It’s not as good, in my opinion, but it has its moments.

        • UncommercializedMail@alien.topB
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          10 months ago

          Yeah, the tone and humor plays better in the movie. The business card scene is still funny in the book, but something about hearing the inner monolog as Bateman sweats over fonts takes it up a notch. And how they handled the Huey Lewis and The News scene was much better .

          I have not read Glamorama, I’ll have to check it out!