I Wouldn't Recommend THAT Book To My Worst Enemy

CrimsonTide4 · #1 10-30-2002, 06:06 PM

What book is that? Why?

#2 10-31-2002, 10:11 AM

"Ugly Ways" by Ansa (?).

I had a hard time understanding the book. If I can recall, she seems to have an obsession with cats

I stopped reading the book half way through.

Eclipse · #3 10-31-2002, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kissy324
"Ugly Ways" by Ansa (?).

I had a hard time understanding the book. If I can recall, she seems to have an obsession with cats I stopped reading the book half way through.

Oh Kissy....say it ain't so!

I LOVE Tina McElroy Ansa!! I thought Ugly Ways was hilarious!!

I would not recommend ANYTHING by Roslyn McMillian, Terri sister. I personally think she was adopted because homegirl would not know a plot if it walked across the room and said "Hi, My name is Plot."

As much as it pains me to say this, I would not recommend the Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen Graham. The book had great potential...He's an Ivy League law professor who after several successful nonfiction books decided to try his hand at fiction. It was a mystery surrounding the death of a prominent AA judge who had fallen for grace and subsequently dies under mysterious circumstances. I found the writing stilted and overwrought. He appeared to be trying to impress us with all of the 50 cent words he knew. He also used the word "for" too much, as in "She walked out of the room for she was tired of the conversation." Uhhhh ever heard of the word "because"?? The book was the first Today show book of the month earlier this summer. Hummm....matter of fact, I don't recall seeing another Today Show book of the month selection since then. Coincidence???? I think not!! LOL

Afrochic · #4 10-31-2002, 07:45 PM

The Hand I Fan With by Tina McElroy Ansa and Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant. I've tried to read both books several times and have put them back on the shelf several times. I like books that get me hooked within at least the first 50 pages. Both were boring in my opinion. I will give DeBerry and Grant's book one more try since I've had it for years. Tina McElroy Ansa's book was about a ghost named Herman who had been dead for a hundred years and Lena falls in love with him.

No thanks. Anybody on this board who lives in Memphis can have my book if they want...consider it an early Christmas present...

CrimsonTide4 · #5 10-31-2002, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Afrochic
The Hand I Fan With by Tina McElroy Ansa

I have liked her other ones but the aforementioned book was BOGUS and BULL MESS!!! I mean come on LENA had it going on like dat in the book but ALL of her people were dead and then along comes a GHOST who gives it to her like that.

Can we say **coughbullishtcough**

lovelyivy84 · #6 11-01-2002, 01:25 AM

what to pick, what to pick......

Give me some time. I'll have a list

Hazard of majoring in english.

Off the top of my head Faerie Queen is foremost though. I HAD to read it and HATER it. Why couldn't the requirement just be Paradise Lost? *sigh*

ykimber · #7 11-01-2002, 04:03 AM

I would not recommend Hot Johnny, that book did not hold my attention at all. The book started to drift off on to many different stories, it just was not structuted right.

I also bought Single Mom by Omar Tyree when it first came out in 1999 or 2000 and I have yet to finish that book, same reasons as Hot Johnny.

Gina1201 · #8 11-01-2002, 10:40 AM

As much as I would hate to say it FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY by Omar Tyree. I absolutely loved FLYY GIRL and when I heard there was going to be a sequel I was jumping for joy. That is until I read the book!

I'm still upset that I spent $$ on that book!

#9 11-01-2002, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Eclipse
Oh Kissy....say it ain't so! I LOVE Tina McElroy Ansa!! I thought Ugly Ways was hilarious!!

Yes Eclipse, it is so. I really put my best effort forward, to give that book a chance, but I couldn't do it. The book was too outrageous. The only reason I was going to try and finish the book was because I spend my money on it

ClassyLady · #10 11-01-2002, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Afrochic
The Hand I Fan With by Tina McElroy Ansa

I actually really liked that book. I thought it was a creative fantasy. I thought the ghost motif was really nice. I haven't read any of the other books in the Lena series

Quote:

Originally posted by Gina1201
As much as I would hate to say it FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY by Omar Tyree. I absolutely loved FLYY GIRL and when I heard there was going to be a sequel I was jumping for joy. That is until I read the book! I'm still upset that I spent $$ on that book!

I concur. The sequel was just not up to par.

kiml122 · #11 11-01-2002, 07:29 PM

Tumbling - by Diane McKinney - Whetstone

It really took every thing I had to finsih that book.

Another one is Please, Please, Please... by Renee Swindle

Shelacious · #12 11-01-2002, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kiml122
Tumbling - by Diane McKinney - Whetstone

It really took every thing I had to finsih that book.

Just goes to show ya...one (wo)man's trash is another (wo)man's treasure: I absolutely LOVEDTumbling, although it was a slow start in the beginning. Because of that book, as well as her other novels (although I didn't like them quite as much), I rank her as one of my favorite authors.

Books I just didn't like very much: "Maintenance Man" by (Michael Basiden)--just thought it was horribly written; "Snow Falling on Cedars" by (can't recall)-- I know lots of people thought this was the best book, and while compelling at times, it just took me TOO LONG to mush through it. "The Moaner's Bench" by Mars Hill just didn't do it for me either. I haven't been able to finish any Tina Ansa or more than one Toni Morrison novel, but I'll reserve judgement.

A final note: the worst offense an author can do: have an incredibly strong novel and then short change the ending--very disappointing. I'd rather you just make the entire novel bad.

CrimsonTide4 · #13 11-01-2002, 08:41 PM

I agree with Shelacious, Diane McKinney Wheetstone is a fantastic author but TUMBLING truly was the best. Her other books were TEMPEST RISING and BLUES DANCING. I liked the last 2 but BLUES DANCING was a wee bit different to me.

Here is a book that I HATED: GINGERSNAPS. That thing was GORRIBLE and I swear that I do not know HOW i finished it or what compelled me to finish it either.

Afrochic · #14 11-01-2002, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shelacious
I haven't been able to finish any Tina Ansa or more than one Toni Morrison novel, but I'll reserve judgement.

Maybe I'm not into Tina's style but I know one thing, when I buy a sample of your work and I don't like it, it's rather hard for me to try you again. Actually a friend told me about her a few years ago so I decided to pick up her book. Wrong Move! And in the words of CT, it was **coughbullishtcough**

I don't particularly care for some of Toni Morrison's work, but who am I to judge a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature and Pulitzer Prize.

Another book I wouldn't recommend is The Seasons of Beento Blackbird by Akosua Busia. If you don't recognize her name, she played Nettie on The Color Purple.

prospectiverushee · #15 11-02-2002, 03:08 PM

I read so much it's hard for me to pick just one book. Here's my list so far:

Sweet St Louis by Omar Tyree- Normally if a book is good, I can get though it in about 2 days. It took me 2 weeks. The characters were whiny and boring and the story was just so stupid

Milk in My Coffee- I love me some EJD,but that's just one book I never could get into. I feel the same way about Liar's Game. Those two books just don't have the same quaility about them as his earlier books

Men Cry In The Dark by Michael Basiden- Just blah.