tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post5208181359877398701..comments2024-02-29T02:54:19.767-05:00Comments on Babbling Books: Books That Bugged MeBrian Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-53296951408645512372014-07-30T23:11:34.141-04:002014-07-30T23:11:34.141-04:00Hi Lainy - This would be a great meme!
What I th...Hi Lainy - This would be a great meme! <br /><br />What I think is interesting is how different books push certain buttons in different people.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-15231392465334978832014-07-30T13:29:32.349-04:002014-07-30T13:29:32.349-04:00The only one I have heard of is 1984 and I plan to...The only one I have heard of is 1984 and I plan to read it sometime but won't be rushing out anytime soon. I haven't heard of the others and always find it amazing how some books can provoke such strong reactions within us. This would be a great meme don't you think :) <br /><br />Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.netSo many books, so little timehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-43377993458874839762014-07-30T10:28:02.151-04:002014-07-30T10:28:02.151-04:00Hi Maria - I was thinking that you would have some...Hi Maria - I was thinking that you would have some great comments on this post :)<br /><br />Some of the books that you note are, or sound very troubling. The BOOK version of A Clockwork Orange, though its theme was ultimately anti violence, came close to making my list. There was a passage involving a rape and murder that was extremely troubling. <br /><br />Your reaction to infidelity is definitely understandable and I can relate. I actually find the theme to often be troubling. In fact, both Implosion and the White Plague had particularly nasty marital betrayals that went a long way towards adding to the darkness of both works.<br /><br />I do think that it is also important for art to sometimes show the dark nature of reality so I cannot say that I hate these works. They were just a little too much for me. I agree that if a book's theme is morally reprehensible that is a different story indeed!<br /><br />In theory I would read any genre as I think that worthy art can pop up anywhere. With that said I do not think that I will be reading any erotica any time soon!<br /><br />Thanks agin for the super comment!<br /><br />Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-54020884280261549472014-07-30T00:34:21.558-04:002014-07-30T00:34:21.558-04:00(Here's part II.)
Another book that I read an...(Here's part II.)<br /><br />Another book that I read and hated: "The Catcher in the Rye", by J.D. Salinger. I couldn't stand the protagonist and his cynicism, not to mention his crude language. I read it in high school.<br /><br />In addition to all of the above, there are four genres I totally REFUSE to read -- horror, erotica, transgressive fiction, and LGBT literature. <br /><br />I dislike the horror genre because it's based on the writer eliciting fear in the reader. To me, fear is an unbearably unpleasant emotion, and I just can't tolerate it. As for erotica, it frequently contains such things as bondage, submission (usually of women), and "menage a trois". All of these are morally disgusting to me. As for LGBT literature, I'm simply not in the least bit interested in reading about relationships between people of the same sex. I'm sure LGBT people would also find it very uninteresting to read about straight relationships. As for transgressive fiction ("The Catcher In The Rye" belongs to this category), it deals with -- according to Wikipedia -- ***characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society and who break free of those confines in unusual or illicit ways. Because they are rebelling against the basic norms of society, protagonists of transgressive fiction may seem mentally ill, anti-social, or nihilistic. The genre deals extensively with taboo subject matters such as drugs, sexual activity, violence, incest, pedophilia, and crime. The genre of "transgressive fiction" was defined by Los Angeles Times literary critic Michael Silverblatt.*** UGH.<br /><br /><br />I once tried to read Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”, and could not get very far. The idea of a man being turned into a giant bug (and I think I know exactly what kind of bug it is) is just nauseatingly disgusting….<br /><br />Several commenters have mentioned the Marquis de Sade. I wouldn't touch his books with a ten-foot pole. They're pure, totally brutal, pornography. (Of course, the words "sadism" and "sadist" come from this sick guy's name.)<br /><br /><br />WHEW! The floodgates opened....lol. Fascinating, isn't it, the power of the written word to so profoundly stir our emotions, whether in a positive or negative way?<br />Maria Beharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13635809880830316283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-17709135940296297312014-07-30T00:32:49.976-04:002014-07-30T00:32:49.976-04:00(This is very long, so I'm breaking it up into...(This is very long, so I'm breaking it up into two comments. Lol.) <br /><br />Oh, Brian, I TOTALLY empathize and agree with you! This is an EXCELLENT idea for a post!! I don't know how you were able to get through these books! They sound absolutely HORRIFYING!! I would NEVER be able to finish reading such books. Heck, I would never even pick them up! I've always been very sensitive. I can't even watch the evening news, because when I see a real-life tragedy reported on the screen, I just burst into tears. My husband knows he can't watch ANY news on TV while I'm in the living room. <br /><br />Thankfully, I have never read any of these books. I had the intention of reading "1984", because it's a classic, but, now that you've mentioned how horrible the events in it are, I don't think I ever will.<br /><br />There are two books that bug me, and I've never even read them. However, I did see the movie version of one of them. The book is "Beloved", by Toni Morrison. OMG. I had to run out of the movie theater in the middle of the movie.....it was just SO harrowing....so nightmarish..... First of all, the plot of the movie (and book) is heart-rending. It's about an African-American female slave who actually kills her baby daughter in order to keep her from suffering through the evils of slavery. And these evils are well detailed in the movie. This movie still haunts me.....just like the ghost of 'Beloved', the baby girl, who also appears in the movie....<br /><br />Another terrible book is "The Exorcist". I don't know WHY I decided to read this. After all, the movie is ABSOLUTELY horrifying! No, I never saw it, thank God! But, just from reading the book,I didn't sleep well for an entire WEEK. <br /><br />Another terrible book that I had the sense to never read was "A Clockwork Orange", by Anthony Burgess. Nor did I see the movie. What is so terrible about the book is the theme -- whether it's ethical to attempt to forcibly change the personality of a psychopathic, sadistic killer, by making him feel nauseous every time he contemplates committing horrible crimes.....I have seen one still photo from this movie, and I was disgusted when I saw that it showed some sort of restaurant/lounge area full of white plastic tables shaped like naked women supporting themselves on their hands and feet, FACING UP.(Therefore, their legs were wide open.) DISGUSTING, and VERY demeaning to women. Why, oh, why, do people write, and then FILM, such morally reprehensible books?<br /><br />Then there's "Lolita", by Vladimir Nabokov,which I will NEVER read, because it's the story of a man "in love" with a VERY young girl....<br /><br />Another book that I DID read, that bothered me HUGELY, was "Wuthering Heights". OMG, I HATE this book!!! This book is NOT a literary romance novel. This book is all about Heathchliff's insane, irrational, revenge on the Linton family. The romance is barely there! It was sickening to read about this psychopath. He's just DESPICABLE. I don't know why this book is so highly rated. I MUCH prefer "Jane Eyre"!!<br /><br />Another one I also read, and never finished, was "Anna Karenina". Remember I even participated in a read-along for this book? What, I wonder, was wrong with me? I HATED the subject matter of the book, which is adultery. I have NO compassion for people who cheat on their spouses. If they're in the wrong marriage, then let them get a divorce first. You see, I've been cheated on. I don't accept ANY excuses for this. So I don't know why the heck I participated in this read-along....<br /><br />Maria Beharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13635809880830316283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-54454348256035220892014-07-26T00:43:39.291-04:002014-07-26T00:43:39.291-04:00Hi Jane - I have never read The Painted Bird but i...Hi Jane - I have never read The Painted Bird but it looks disturbing on a lot of levels. I too will stay away from it. <br /><br />I agree, there is troubling and there is troubling. I guess that certain things effect us in detrimental ways. I think such things vary from person to person. For those of us that are so moved by particular books it probably is best to stay away from what bugs us this much. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-38337084702444474842014-07-25T15:14:17.295-04:002014-07-25T15:14:17.295-04:00Mercifully, I have not read any of these, not even...Mercifully, I have not read any of these, not even 1984, which I managed to avoid in school. I think the list is perfectly valid. I appreciate good writing, even if the subject matter is not something that I gravitate to, but I also know my own psyche and what I can subject it to without repercussion.<br /><br />I remember quite a number of years ago, a friend recommended The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosiński -- I read the back cover and gave it back unread. It may have been an important book but it was simply not something I wanted in my head.<br /><br />There are troubling books that I'm glad I read because they expanded my consciousness, but there are more troubling books that I just have to say no to.<br /><br />Interesting post, and interesting topic to think about.JaneGShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11094501834387622997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-2984242724114797482014-07-21T09:26:07.237-04:002014-07-21T09:26:07.237-04:00Hi Naida -As I alluded to plausibility is a key fa...Hi Naida -As I alluded to plausibility is a key factor in making a book disturbing to me. The Road looks to be plausible thus it may not be for me.<br /><br />Metallica actually has a few songs based upon literary works.<br />Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-61695463219797901852014-07-20T23:11:09.730-04:002014-07-20T23:11:09.730-04:00Great discussion post Brian!
I agree that "r...Great discussion post Brian! <br />I agree that "really great books have the power to bother people the most". It's true I think because some of the best books are the ones that can get under your skin.<br /><br />Interesting that Metallica based their song on Johnny Got His Gun.<br />Implosion sounds very creepy as does White Plague.<br />I have 1984 on my shelves, but haven't gotten to it yet. I read The Road and found McCarthy's writing to be beautifully sad. I remember that book was disturbing though, and unsettling. Scary stuff when a writer can make a world like that seem real. <br />Thanks for sharing these novels that chilled your soul!<br />The Bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10217390642323530030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-35248298591704970492014-07-18T00:10:30.951-04:002014-07-18T00:10:30.951-04:00Hi Words and Peace - Thanks for stopping by and th...Hi Words and Peace - Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the good word. <br /><br />I have read a few books by Jose Saramago and I really love his work. An interesting thing about the above list is that none of the books bothered me because of a particular passage that described brutality (even the Room 101 passage of Nineteen Eighty - Four is not the reason that Orwell's book is so disturbing for me). So who knows, maybe I will brave it sometime.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-79033465757473450162014-07-17T23:45:55.897-04:002014-07-17T23:45:55.897-04:00Thanks for your great post. Having read Blindness,...Thanks for your great post. Having read Blindness, I decided never to try to watch the movie! Yes, things are really tough, but the writing is so superb, you definitely need to give it a try. I wish I could forget what it's all about an d reread the first 2 pages as brand new to me. Awesome!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-17289563999503919622014-07-16T11:06:04.700-04:002014-07-16T11:06:04.700-04:00Hi Caroline - I thought that the novel Johnny Got ...Hi Caroline - I thought that the novel Johnny Got his Gun was so much more troubling then the from so it is probably best to avoid it too.<br /><br /><br />it looks like there are several novels called the Rapture. I would guess that you read the one by Liz Jensen? I would love to read what you thought about it.<br />Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-15497379464777683642014-07-16T11:00:43.045-04:002014-07-16T11:00:43.045-04:00Hi Lindsay - I read a lot of non - fiction about c...Hi Lindsay - I read a lot of non - fiction about concentrations camps and other similar horror when I was a lot younger. Though shocked it seemed to have less of a detrimental effect on my psyche.<br /><br /><br />Interesting how we both made a conscious decision to shy away from The Road. I read Cormac McCathy's Blood Meridian. It was filled with horrendous violence but it did not get to me like the above books did.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-70112777374274130032014-07-16T10:20:56.764-04:002014-07-16T10:20:56.764-04:00I've seen the movie Johnny Got his Gun and fou...I've seen the movie Johnny Got his Gun and found it VERY disturbing. I'd never read the book. It was enough for me. I've also read 1984 and did find some of it rather disturbing too. <br />I still want to read The Road. I hope it's not as disturbing as you fear. I've just read two utterly disturbing novels. The one I reviewed. El interior del bisque. The other one The Rapture gave me nightmares. Stay away from it. Maybe I'lll review it anyway. Carolinehttp://beautyisasleepingcat.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-33021377468023571802014-07-16T10:06:35.660-04:002014-07-16T10:06:35.660-04:00A thought provoking post Brian, and very interesti...A thought provoking post Brian, and very interesting to read your thoughts about these, though I confess the only one I have read is 1984, which I certainly found disturbing. I had The Road sitting on my to read pile a long time and I just didn't think I could stomach it so I think I gave it to charity. Picking up on what one of your other commenters said, I have read a lot of fiction based around concentration camps but a lot less non fiction because I just don't know if I could cope.Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08731930823596505781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-63111194404264743272014-07-16T09:17:02.283-04:002014-07-16T09:17:02.283-04:00Hi VB - I am so glad to hear from you. I hope that...Hi VB - I am so glad to hear from you. I hope that all is well :)<br /><br />I have not read The Bone People but I heard that it is harrowing. I agree that for me too, the disturbing part comes when I feel a lot of empathy for characters.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-27594004319824726812014-07-16T09:13:28.019-04:002014-07-16T09:13:28.019-04:00Hi Scott - Your comment made me laugh.
I think h...Hi Scott - Your comment made me laugh.<br /><br /> I think horrendous scenes of torture and abuse would be difficult to get through I am not sure that I have read too much fiction containing this stuff. It is the reason I will likely stay away from Blindness.<br /><br /><br />It seems that the books on my list involved folks who were suffering over the long term.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-34718645766638241282014-07-16T01:57:45.894-04:002014-07-16T01:57:45.894-04:00I coonect myself toomuch with a book that when Iam...I coonect myself toomuch with a book that when Iam done with it , it really take sometime to get back to the real time and place around me..and I share very similar thoughts regarding books..For me it was the bone people by Kerui Hulme was a quite disturbing tale..1984 i have never completed,now I think that this might have been the reason..Blindness Saramago being one of my favourite made me too sad with all the plot...My friends taunt me that I pereceive charcters of a novel like that of movie.Its strange and interesting how a book can touch one..After a long time Iam back to your blog and I must say it is a thought provoking one...cheersvbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01815931257531886393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-37151078056856395602014-07-15T10:17:13.209-04:002014-07-15T10:17:13.209-04:00There a few scenes in a few novels that I would ra...There a few scenes in a few novels that I would rather not have allowed into my head, things I really wish I could un-see (the torture scene in Murakami's <i>The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle</i>, for example). Generally, though, I can stand the awful and grotesque much more than I can terrible writing. I thought <i>Johnny Got His Gun</i> was terrific, and <i>1984</i> I could easily read again (I haven't read the other two). But I will <i>never</i> get the stench of <i>The Da Vinci Code</i> off of me. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-29307133247672217852014-07-15T08:15:28.434-04:002014-07-15T08:15:28.434-04:00Hi Tracy - Nineteen Eighty Four is such a universa...Hi Tracy - Nineteen Eighty Four is such a universally read book, that it is a bit surprising that it shook me so much. <br /><br />I originally read it when I was 17 (I remember as it was in 1984!) and it left me with a vague empty feeling. When I read it years later that is when it really bothered me. For me, it is the destruction of the love that existed between Winston and Julia that makes this so horrifying.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-72332827298799750592014-07-15T08:08:35.735-04:002014-07-15T08:08:35.735-04:00I've also only read one of the books on your l...I've also only read one of the books on your list - 1984. One of the books read for my o'level course way back when, I can't remember finding it particularly disturbing aged 14/16 (I probably didn't understand all of its subtleties) but having read it several times since I can certainly see why it would make your list.<br /><br />Great thought provoking stuff as always, thank you for sharing.Felicity Grace Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17852843882007267665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-67925650132127467482014-07-15T00:14:19.459-04:002014-07-15T00:14:19.459-04:00Hi Guy - I think from the comments thus far that s...Hi Guy - I think from the comments thus far that such lists seem to be very personnel. In my own case I even hesitated to write this entry as I think that in some ways it really opens my psyche for all to view.<br /><br /><br />I can imagine American Psycho being disturbing.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-21235739851425029762014-07-15T00:11:34.233-04:002014-07-15T00:11:34.233-04:00Hi James - Perhaps I should have emphasized that I...Hi James - Perhaps I should have emphasized that I think all of the above have merit, some a lot of merit as works of art. I believe that the message conveyed by the authors of every one again was admirable. <br /><br />I even thought that there might be some hope peeking out in the appendix of Nineteen Eight - Four. I agree it had all sorts of things going on that make it an essential read.<br /><br /><br />They just all bothered the heck out of me!<br /><br /><br />I am off to read your review of Nineteen Eighty Four!Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-7544402806226182232014-07-15T00:06:40.679-04:002014-07-15T00:06:40.679-04:00Hi Emma - Thanks for the very thoughtful comment.
...Hi Emma - Thanks for the very thoughtful comment.<br /><br /><br />I read a lot of non fiction hand accounts of Concentration camp inmates. This stuff if terrible beyond belief. I am sure the fiction may be as powerful.<br /><br />I think that one of the problems with Fifty Shades of Grey (I have not read it so I am just speculating) is that the message may be reprehensible. This would be undoubtedly disturbing. I have not read too many books that would fit into this category. Ayn Rand comes close for me but I cannot say that her work is disturbing. I would say that the theme of all of the above authors have humanistic and/or moral messages but are disturbing in other ways. Plus, while not all great, I would say that they are all fairly decent books.<br /><br />Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-29159406842440371872014-07-14T20:57:38.108-04:002014-07-14T20:57:38.108-04:00I would have to think a bit to generate my own lis...I would have to think a bit to generate my own list, but off the top of my head: American Psycho. Guy Savagehttp://www.swiftlytiltingplanet.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com