Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Want to Throw in the Ocean

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is about Books I Want to Throw in the Ocean.  Honestly, if I'm feeling like I want to throw a book in the ocean I usually DNF but here are 10 that I managed to finish that I would happily have dropped overboard.

1.  An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James - This is not the standard opinion as I've seen this list on all kinds of official "Must Read" mysteries list but I HATED this one.  I actually really enjoy James' books usually but I found this one boring and there's a scene where the main character knowingly uses the belt that the victim was killed with (just because it was a belt not to get a confession or anything like that) that still sticks with me.

2.  Dipped, Stripped and Dead by Elise Hyatt - This cozy was about refinishing furniture and I'm fascinated by antiques so I figured it would be a win.  It really really wasn't and the final straw was when the amateur sleuth confronts the killer on a cat walk over a vat of toxic chemicals with her 3 year old in tow.  It was the most To Stupid To Live moment I have ever read.

3.  Crystal Cove by Lisa Kleypas - I was so disappointed by this one.  I had loved the previous  3 books in the Friday Harbor series and loved the main character in this one so I was really excited.  Unfortunately the romance was just unpleasant and the hero was plain disturbing.

4.  Emily's Ghost by Denise Giardina - This is pretty much the only one on this that I've read recently but it was one of the first that came to mind when I read the topic.  Another one I really expected to love and another one I really didn't though I didn't hate it as much as some of the others.  My primary thought while reading this was wondering what exactly Charlotte Bronte had ever done to this author because whatever it was it must have been pretty awful because the author clearly HATED Charlotte.

5.  Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult - I know people love Picoult and I can absolutely see why as it definitely pulled me in and was an addictive read.  However, I had some serious problems with the premise (which only intensified looking back on it with experience with a medically fragile child) and the ending still angers me.  It made me so mad that I have never read another book by Picoult.

6.  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - This is my mother's absolute favorite book and I resisted reading it as a child and when I read it as an adult I disliked it intensely.  Mostly I really really disliked Amy.  I still don't understand why Amy was allowed to get away with just about anything and if anyone reacted to her they were lectured about being a good sister and some other stuff and Amy never ever had to take any kind of responsibility for her actions.  It does make for rather lively discussion at holiday meals though if things get a bit awkward or I need a good change of subject.

7.  Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll - I was okay with Alice in Wonderland though it wasn't a favorite but this book was like listening to someone tell you about their dream.  My grandmother loved these books so this is not an opinion that I will defend with great zeal but I would gladly never read them again.  

8.  The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett - I loved the movie featuring Humphrey Bogart so when I saw my library had this in audio I decided to give it a try.  I was prepared for the datedness and how the females were portrayed.  I was prepared for the slowness but I was prepared to be bored senseless.  The story is interesting but I'll stick with Bogart's Spade versus reading any more of him in print.

9.  Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott - I'm not sure I would want to throw this in the ocean if I read this now but when I read this as a preteen I did in fact throw it across the room and refuse to finish it (though in the long run I did).  Eight Cousins was one of my favorite books so I was sure I would love the sequel and I did until Alcott killed off a certain character.  Looking back it definitely worked out all for the best (well except for the one who died but he was fictional and it was probably only a matter of time given his habits) and Rose ended up with the person she should have but the eleven year old version of me did not see it that way.  

10. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce - I read this in high school and it still haunts me.  Why they had a bunch of 17 year olds read this is a complete mystery to me.  It is the only book I ever read the Cliff Notes for and they were pretty much like "yeah, this is super confusing".  I still haven't forgiven Joyce for the agony he put me through.

What books would you like to throw in the ocean?