34 Books People Refuse To Read That Will Surprise You

    "If you put a gun to my head and ordered me to read Twilight, it would still take me a couple of seconds to think it over."

    Jarry Lee
    by Jarry Lee

    BuzzFeed Deputy Books Editor

    We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what books they will never, ever read. Here are their surprising responses.

    1. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

    Scholastic

    "I’m in the like 5% that hasn’t read Harry Potter, and I don’t plan to. I’m sure they’re good, but I just would find biographies more interesting." —basilleaves

    "The fans are just so obnoxious." —geocallie

    Get the entire series from Amazon for $52.16, Barnes and Noble for $54.74, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

    Back Bay Books

    "Every pretentious, boring 18- to 30-year-old guy says it is their favorite book. It just seems like a whiny, first-world problems, entitled kid bitching." —kylas408c8f2bd

    Get it from Amazon for $8.78, Barnes and Noble for $8.99, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    3. It by Stephen King

    Scribner

    "My mom read it when it originally came out, and now has a deathly fear of clowns. She can barely look at Ronald McDonald, and refuses to ever read another Stephen King novel. Scared me away for life!" —amandam4a4ceffe6

    "I have no interest in reading an entire chapter dedicated to a group of preteens having a gangbang as a 'bonding' exercise. Both movie adaptations left it out for a reason." —Nicky Kathryn, Facebook

    Get it from Amazon for $10.91, Barnes and Noble for $13.97, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    4. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

    Little Brown

    "If you put a gun to my head and ordered me to read Twilight, it would still take me a couple of seconds to think it over." —Beverley Carry, Facebook

    Get it from Amazon for $9.99, Barnes and Noble for $10.44, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    5. Nicholas Sparks' books

    Grand Central Publishing

    "Those sappy Nicholas Sparks books. Ugh! Gag me with a spoon! If I wanted to be pumped full of sap, I'd hook an IV up to a maple tree and do it that way." —Jacki Demchak, Facebook

    Check out Nicholas Sparks titles at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or a local bookseller through IndieBound.

    6. John Green's books

    Dutton Books

    "I know he isn't trendy anymore, but every time I would hear his work described, it just seemed overly pretentious; like it was something you read because you thought it made you look 'smart' or 'worldly' or 'deep' rather than reading it because you enjoyed the writing." —Kathy Garner, Facebook

    Check out John Green titles at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or a local bookseller through IndieBound.

    7. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

    Signet

    "It's John Green's most loathed book and I trust his judgment." —LindsayAriel

    Get it from Amazon for $6.39, Barnes and Noble for $20.23, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    8. On the Road by Jack Kerouac

    Penguin

    "Everyone I've ever met that says this is their favorite book is always a pretentious douche." —kthomas8836

    Get it from Amazon for $3.57, Barnes and Noble for $11.64, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    9. Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James

    Vintage

    "Literally would rather watch paint dry. Or follow a snail across a tarmac. Or put together an all-black puzzle." —jessieowenp

    Get it from Amazon for $7.10, Barnes and Noble for $10.11, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    10. YA books

    "By this point I've pretty much written off YA books entirely, and I'm slightly annoyed by the overemphasis the media puts on telling us we MUST read books written for tweens and teenagers or be called 'elitist' for holding back...because evidently reading at one's age level is considered 'elitist' now. In a good faith effort to see what the hype is about, I've given several of them a try (at least enough to give them a skim read) and have been disappointed in every one without exception.

    And whenever someone recommends to me a YA book, I can usually think of at least one equivalent book for adults that I've liked better. I'm not saying that every single YA book is inferior, but I'm just not interested in spending the time it would take to find the good ones that may exist when I've got so many books that are more in line with my interests clamoring for attention." —Kevin Gassaway, Facebook

    11. The Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth

    Katherine Tegen Books

    "I will never read the Divergent series, ever, because too many people kept telling me that I 'had to read it' and that I was 'missing out.' It ended up pissing me off so much that I declared that I would never read it. I refuse to even watch the movies now." —mowliberty

    Get the entire trilogy from Amazon for $31.51, Barnes and Noble for $36.24, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    12. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

    Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

    "It’s like 500 words about short people that don’t exist." —olivias4cb608226

    Get it from Amazon for $6.14, Barnes and Noble for $9.50, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    13. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

    Penguin

    "My mom became a vegetarian for 15 years after reading it and I have no intention of finding out why." —Acacia Martin

    Get it from Amazon for $6, Barnes and Noble for $9.95, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    14. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

    Penguin

    "I hate Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad with a burning hatred rivaling only that of my hatred for Donald Trump and racism. That book is pure racist imperialist bullshit. We were supposed to read it my senior year, and I only made it 10 pages in before I quit in a rage. I railed against that book the whole time we went over it. Still feel the same way now." —catalinac45fdaaef9

    Get it from Amazon for $5.89, Barnes and Noble for $3, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    15. The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump

    Random House

    "I’m not about to read something by Trump." —amtrakaround

    Get it from Amazon for $7.60, Barnes and Noble for $12.26, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    16. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

    Grove Weidenfeld

    "I'm turned off by the premise. No fat guy/gal books for this well-padded reader." —Lana Creer-Harris, Facebook

    Get it from Amazon for $10.87, Barnes and Noble for $10.97, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    17. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

    Bantam

    "I haven't seen the show. I'm sure I'd like it. I'm sure I'd enjoy at least some of the books but I'm also sure that I can't make that kind of commitment, holy shit." —akerkhoff

    Get it from Amazon for $9.99, Barnes and Noble for $9.99, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    18. Victorian novels

    "For me, it's Victorian novels and other novels along similar lines that are written with different English. I read a couple of those books in high school (Great Expectations, for example) and it was hard to read. I love reading but those books and their writing style just make it hard to understand the plot and boring to read." —Dominecc Martin, Facebook

    19. Charles Dickens' books

    Bantam

    "I refuse to read anything by Dickens. I get that he was paid by the word and all, but his books are just so dry and monotonous — not to mention he barely writes likable characters." —natashar4eb7d02d0

    Check out Charles Dickens titles at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or a local bookseller through IndieBound.

    20. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

    Margaret K. McElderry Books

    "So many books and I just can't. It just seems so boring omg." —zcamargov

    Get it from Amazon for $4.43, Barnes and Noble for $9.99, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    21. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

    Vintage

    "I wouldn’t ever read Lolita. I have so much contempt for the subject of the story. Never." —Roberta TMS

    Get it from Amazon for $8.78, Barnes and Noble for $10.10, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    22. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

    HarperCollins

    "I just can’t bring myself to do it. I see them, I see how many pages there are, I just can’t wrap my head around actually being able to focus on the same story for that long. The whole fantasy realm just doesn’t grab my attention at all." —frenzicartist

    Get the entire series from Amazon for $22.99, Barnes and Noble for $31.46, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    23. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

    Broadway Books

    "Everyone’s told me to push through the first few chapters but — why? If I can’t make it through that part why should I keep reading?" —kellyd4b83ad08c

    Get it from Amazon for $7.70, Barnes and Noble for $10.07, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    24. Contemporary books

    "Basically any contemporary novel/book. I just can't be bothered with that genre. I feel like I can get everything that is in a contemporary novel and more in a fantasy novel, or a science fiction one, or a mystery or a historical fiction novel." —n48a45f676

    25. Watership Down by Richard Adams

    Penguin

    "It's one of my best friend's most recommended books, but I don't care if it's important or significant metaphorically, I don't want to read animal snuff/torture." —Stephanie Creede, Facebook

    Get it from Amazon for $12.04, Barnes and Noble for $12.04, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    26. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

    Razorbill

    "The whole book has no delicacy and care when it comes to the subject of suicide and depression. It gives a bad idea to a potentially vulnerable age group. And it inspired the disgusting TV adaptation." —Fuzzzballl

    Get it from Amazon for $8.76, Barnes and Noble for $8.79, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    27. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

    Penguin

    "It’s a favorite for most, but I will probably never read A Clockwork Orange. Sorry, but I have no desire in delving into a mind of a rapist and actually rooting for him." —Reynee D Rainey, Facebook

    Get it from Amazon for $9.19, Barnes and Noble for $10.53, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    28. John Steinbeck's books

    Penguin

    "I refuse to read anything by John Steinbeck now. Everything I was forced to read of his in school was ridiculously depressing. The 'Red Pony' dies in like the first two chapters, the 'Pearl' ruins everyone's lives and ends up causing a baby's death, and Grapes of Wrath is just a saga of painful things to think about. NO MORE." —amalialynnh

    Check out John Steinbeck titles at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or a local bookseller through IndieBound.

    29. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

    Scholastic

    "I won’t lie, I’ve seen the movies, I’ve also attempted the first novel twice. I just couldn’t get into the writing style or the idea of the whole thing." —samanthaf470a6bef1

    Get the entire trilogy from Amazon for $32.62, Barnes and Noble for $23.66, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    30. William Faulkner's books

    Vintage

    "He writes in dialect which makes it incredibly difficult to read unless you're proficient in deep, Southern, half-word slang. I'm from Arkansas but Faulkner is just too much." —lsanders2016

    Check out John Steinbeck titles at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or a local bookseller through IndieBound.

    31. Autobiographies

    "I refuse to read autobiographies in general, just because I feel like although the person can bring unique insight on their life, their own judgment/memory can cloud some of the details or make them more biased." —thatfandomtrash

    32. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

    Little, Brown and Company

    "I don't want to read it because I know I'll be disappointed and can't feel that way for Queen Rowling." —ashima1606

    Get it from Amazon for $10, Barnes and Noble for $12.39, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    33. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

    Speak

    "This book holds a lot of problems like cheating and slut-shaming and I'm not going to read a book that holds these topics I'm against." —sophiekleinheerenbrink

    Get it from Amazon for $9.89, Barnes and Noble for $9.91, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    34. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

    Atria Books

    "What a bunch of nonsense." —MrsH810

    Get it from Amazon for $11.38, Barnes and Noble for $15.45, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

    Do you feel differently about these books? Let us know in the comments below!

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