#18: A book that disappointed you

I'm not entirely sure what today's topic is asking. Is it a book that I thought I would like but didn't? Is it a book that I thought would change my world but didn't?

After much thought, I'm going to say Affluenza by Oliver James (not the Clive Hamilton book of the same name and topic, which I want to read but haven't yet). A friend gave it to me as a gift and I read it almost straight away—a rare occurrence.

I found that the data and comparisons he uses seem to be full of holes and too tenuous. This disturbed me because I agree wholeheartedly with the premise of the book (that consumerism leads to unhappiness) and he seems to have drawn the right conclusions, but from information that seems almost irrelevant: a handful of interviews that are not necessarily representative of the culture he is trying to depict.

A book that handles this topic better is Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton. And if anyone wants to lend me the Hamilton book, it'd be most welcome.

(It's May 9. I am writing from the future to say that today I remembered another book that disappointed me: The Messenger by Markus Zusak. Zusak is a talented writer and the book has a compelling premise, but the ending was so disappointing I ended up giving the book away to someone who I knew would bitch about it with me afterwards. I can't say what the ending is without spoiling the plot, but it ruined an otherwise good book.)

Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you've wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time

I'd like to thank Sarah Jansen for her tweet about this, as well as The Literary Gothamite and Confessions of a Book Lush for the good idea.