Worst Books of 2018

This list is in no particular order.

1. Stephen Florida by Gabe Habash: On the surface this debut novel is about a college wrestler with mental and anger issues, telling it in first person really gave it and edge I haven’t experienced before. However, Habash’s writing is very stylistic and ambitious, but I struggled to keep up with the stream of consciousness throughout the novel. Stephen Florida sort of echoes Holden Caulfield, and that little twerp and I have never been friends.
2. The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero: Greg Sestero had quite a story on his hands when he met the creator of the best worst movie ever made, Tommy Wiseau. However it feels like once he put it down in writing the story became clunky, even with the help of journalist, Tom Bissell. Also, he made way too many references to Retro Puppet Master. We get it Sestero. Retro Puppet Master was your first big Hollywood gig, but I bet most of your readers weren’t interested in that. Do yourself a favor, and just watch the movie.
3. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers: Oh man, I found this book to be so self indulgent. Just look at the title! Eggers even puts a “Reading How To” at the front of this memoir suggesting that you only read about 250 pages of it. I should’ve taken him up on that advice, but I have this thing about not reading a whole book. Anyway, if you’re looking for a heartfelt memoir about a 20-something who loses both of his parents to cancer, and is then given the duty of taking care of his elementary school aged little brother it’s safe to say that you only really need to read half of this book. If you want to read nearly 300 pages worth of a 20-something having an existential crisis full of self pretentious prose, then by all means continue past the 250 page mark.
4. The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami: I debated on whether or not to put this on the list. I did enjoy the book, but while this might be Haruki Murakami’s magnum opus, it is not one of the best books penned by him that I’ve ever read. The story was a little too convoluted for me, and I thought the introduction of new characters would NEVER stop. Not to mention the unsatisfying ending. If you want something shorter, and a little more fun to read, I recommend Kafka on the Shore.
5. The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman: Pure fluff. I guess I was expecting more out of this than I got. Instead of a “memoir” this book is in the format of one long intimate conversation between Megan and Nick about their history together. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE Megan’s instagram. It’s just discovering that they decided to write a book  after their popularity on social media escalated kinda put me off. Meg and Nick, I love you, but I think you’re #relationshipgoals belong on insta where they were first available to the masses, and everyone fell in love. We never needed a nearly 300 page book of you guys trying to be funny. Although, Nick did give some pretty good advice. If you’re looking for a partner, don’t use a dating app. Go to a cooking class, or writing workshop, or art exhibit. You’ll meet more people with better values than you ever will through an app.Check out last year’s “Worst of’ list by clicking here.

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