I once shredded a book that was gifted to me so that no one else would unwittingly read it.

I read books recommended by book reviews or for book clubs, so they are all liked by someone. Some of the books I hated the most were very popular. For example, I couldn’t get rid of Where the Crawdads Sing fast enough, and the recipient was happy to take it. I gave it away as I was walking out of my book club.

I would put it aside for my next trip to McKay Used Books in Manassass, they give credits for trading in books and I can always find a few more books to buy with the credits I get. If you haven't been there you should go because it's awesome.

Former librarian here. Libraries weed/discard hundreds of books each year, due to bad condition, book becoming less popular so not as many copies needed, etc. They are recycled if possible. You can recycle or throw away as not every book needs to be saved. There are plenty that were made to be disposable, and popular and even critically acclaimed books go out of style and no one wants them. So don’t feel bad about it.

You can donate to the library. If they have a Friends of the Library group, they can sell it if the library doesn’t want it. You could probably also take it to a used bookstore.

But if you don’t think it’s good enough to pass on, you can trash it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That you’d actually feel bad if someone else unwittingly picked up your copy at a used book store or little free library. It feels wrong just throwing it out, but I feel as though the cover is very deceptive and someone else might think they’re getting a fun little read. Post-it note warning inside the cover?

Please stop wasting peoples' time with such inane posts!

Stop wasting your own time commenting on posts you don’t care about!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ha ha, this is how I felt after I read my first Colleen Hoover book.

SAME!!!!

I actually paused and wondered if I had written your post.

I see people recommending her on her all the time but she is so terrible. I’m glad I’m not alone!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ha ha, this is how I felt after I read my first Colleen Hoover book.

SAME!!!!

I actually paused and wondered if I had written your post.

Count me in, too.

I also feel this way about "A Little Life." Nothing redeeming in the end for all that florid prose. But I'm analytical enough to understand that others enjoy these kinds of reads, so I just move on.

OMG what a horrid read! My sister-in-law (actually very funny because we are all conservatives) sent that to me as a birthday gift around 2015 simply because it had won or would win the Mann-booker prize. She had no idea what the book talked about. "What are the trigger warnings for A Little Life?
TW: sexual abuse, child sexual abuse, scary verbal abuse, psychological manipulation and gaslighting, kidnapping/imprisonment, many modes of self-harm, a violent accident, a few moments of prejudice against the disabled, drug use, addiction, grief and loss of a loved one."

The wheelchair incident at the end was horrifying.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I threw one out. Only time in my life I have ever thrown a book out. I hated it SO MUCH! "The Guest" by Emma Kline. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! PURE TRASH!

I hated this too but it's fun to think about, especially the ending. I will probably put my (hardcover ugh!) copy in the LL for someone else to hate.

Mine is JONATHAN. FRANZEN. yuck.

Hmm I like Franzen, so maybe I’ll like The Guest? We should start a thread of most hated books.

Anonymous wrote:That you’d actually feel bad if someone else unwittingly picked up your copy at a used book store or little free library. It feels wrong just throwing it out, but I feel as though the cover is very deceptive and someone else might think they’re getting a fun little read. Post-it note warning inside the cover?

Please stop wasting peoples' time with such inane posts!

Anonymous wrote:Put it out with the recycling. If it’s a hardback you may need to rip off the covers.

Yep. I tossed it in recycling. I didn't want to put it back out there for others to read.

Anonymous wrote:I hated Heidi Julavits's "Mineral Palace" so much that, even though I was reading it on the beach at Playa del Carmen, I stuffed it in the restroom trashcan.

I mean, I haaated that book. It was like Cormac McCarthy on steroids: every time an infant or small animal entered the narrative, you knew it was about to meet a grisly, drawn-out fate, to no narrative purpose.

Anonymous wrote:I threw one out. Only time in my life I have ever thrown a book out. I hated it SO MUCH! "The Guest" by Emma Kline. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! PURE TRASH!

I hated this too but it's fun to think about, especially the ending. I will probably put my (hardcover ugh!) copy in the LL for someone else to hate.

Mine is JONATHAN. FRANZEN. yuck.

Put it out with the recycling. If it’s a hardback you may need to rip off the covers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ha ha, this is how I felt after I read my first Colleen Hoover book.

SAME!!!!

I actually paused and wondered if I had written your post.

Count me in, too.

I also feel this way about "A Little Life." Nothing redeeming in the end for all that florid prose. But I'm analytical enough to understand that others enjoy these kinds of reads, so I just move on.

I have thrown out books for this reason