Hello everyone! Last year I read 7 books that I rated less than 1 star. Today I’m going to share them with you, starting with the 5 half-star books and finishing with the 2 0-star books. Click here for the video version of this post.
Creative Walls: How to display and enjoy your treasured collections by Geraldine James
Summary
Creative Walls will inspire you to organize and arrange your collections on any surface in your home to create character, charm, and elegance.
Any wall is perfect for display, whatever its size, shape or style. In this inspirational guide, Geraldine James, veteran collector of all things beautiful, shows you ways to organize and display your treasured collections to celebrate their uniqueness and your creativity. Collections of quirky items can illuminate a little corner, whereas a teenager’s bedroom will transform instantly when hoarded sports memorabilia makes the leap from the floor to the wall in a bold, clever arrangement. Look for unusual spaces and items: line up a series of themed prints above a picture rail, set heaps of floral china plates in grand style above the fireplace or simply add a mirror into a display to instantly create another in its image. Chapter by chapter, discover how to arrange virtually anything from scratch, rearrange the collections you treasure to best effect and begin a journey into colour, texture and themes to create elegant displays that give a home character and charm. From a memory wall of sepia family photographs to witty collections of kitsch art, this clever guide shows how to create a look that will bring any space to life.
Review
The cover has white text over a white background, and it only gets worse inside the book. The text design is horrendous, with random size and format changes mid-paragraph and illegible sidebars. My eyes bled trying to read this book. What text can be read just describes the uninspiring and claustrophobic photos; it doesn’t provide any advice whatsoever.
The Witch-Crafting Handbook: Magical Projects and Recipes for You and Your Home by Helena Garcia
Summary
Over 70 projects for stylish witches to make at home. Wicked Baker, Helena Garcia, is back with a new book to help you witch-craft your way to a more magical life, with creative projects for you and your home. Inspired by ancient folklore and all things mystical, Helena offers remedies for your apothecary using foraged ingredients and age-old formulae; fashion accessories for your witch’s wardrobe; enchanting homewares and decorations; devilishly delicious recipes both sweet and savoury; and tipsy tonics. With Helena’s creepy ideas, you’ll learn how to make playful projects like an evil eye choker, peppermint foot spray, a Christmas spider wreath, and piranha fish pie, among many others. All you need are simple materials and ingredients, a little imagination, and a sprinkling of sorcery.
Review
There are no step-by-step pictures for these projects, many of which seem to have fiddly parts where pictures would be necessary, and some projects don’t even have a picture of the finished item. The book appropriates and misuses smudging. I DNFed it at the point I kept seeing charcoal in toothpaste and food recipes. Please don’t ingest charcoal.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Summary
Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in the vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999 – and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery.
There is a reason why Stephen King is one of the bestselling writers in the world, ever. Described in the Guardian as ‘the most remarkable storyteller in modern American literature’, Stephen King writes books that draw you in and are impossible to put down.
Review
This is going to be an unpopular opinion, because so many people cite this book on lists for writers. I did not find it helpful. For a book that claims to avoid bullshit, it sure seems full of it. The rambling memoir is just a bloated and roundabout way to pretend to talk about writing. What tiny sections about writing actually exist are full of contradictions and, in my opinion, just plain bad or useless assertions.
The Greatest Invention: A History of the World in Nine Mysterious Scripts by Silvia Ferrara
Summary
In The Greatest Invention, Silvia Ferrara takes a profound look at how—and how many times—human beings have managed to produce the miracle of written language, taking us back in time to Mesopotamia, Crete, China, Egypt, Central America, Easter Island, and beyond. Silvia Ferrara’s The Greatest Invention is a code-cracking tour around the globe, sifting through our cultural and social behavior in search of the origins of our greatest invention—writing. An exhilarating celebration of human ingenuity and perseverance, The Greatest Invention chronicles an uncharted journey, one filled with past flashes of brilliance, present-day scientific research, and the faint, fleeting echo of writing’s future.
Review
It seems like the author just transcribed a recording of her stream-of-consciousness thoughts on the concept of writing. Said thoughts are at best tangential to the history of writing the book is supposed to be about and at worst random sentences added to meet a word count requirement.
The Mermaid’s Sister by Carrie Anne Noble
Summary
In a cottage high atop Llanfair Mountain, sixteen-year-old Clara lives with her sister, Maren, and guardian Auntie. By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions. By night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphan infants–Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree.
One day, Clara discovers shimmering scales just beneath her sister’s skin. She realizes that Maren is becoming a mermaid–and knows that no mermaid can survive on land. Desperate to save her, Clara and O’Neill place the mermaid-girl in their g**** wagon and set out for the sea. But no road is straight, and the trio encounters trouble around every bend. Ensnared by an evil troupe of traveling performers, Clara and O’Neill must find a way to save themselves and the ever-weakening mermaid.
And always, in the back of her mind, Clara wonders, if my sister is a mermaid, then what am I?
Review
I recognize the allegory and what the story must mean to the author, whose sister died of cancer. However, the awkward dialogue, flat characters, and hammering of questionable morals make it a painful read.
Twist Your Fate: Manifest Success with Astrology and Tarot by Theresa Reed
Summary
Use astrology and tarot to discover your unique challenges, talents, and to set yourself up for success.
Are you running your own show or is your life running you? Wondering how some folks seem to reach the top with ease while you’re struggling to figure out where to even begin? Some people are born (financially, socially) into good “fate,” but most of us need to twist fate to achieve our best lives.
The best way to twist fate to your advantage is to know your strengths, pay attention to what’s happening around you, and trust your instincts. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your natal chart, being attuned to the insights that Tarot can provide, and trusting your intuition are the tools you need to master any situation and create success on your terms.
Twist Your Fate will show you how to find your best path and maximize your talents. You’ll learn how to use Tarot to brainstorm new creative ideas, compare career options, and make intelligent decisions. You’ll also learn how astrology can help you find divine timing for every situation.
Review
The author actively encourages people to use others’ birthdays, signs, and alignments for work-related decisions like hiring and promotions. She even includes tips for, and I quote, “sneakily” learning people’s birthdates for those purposes, like it’s a big funny secret between her and the reader and not, you know, a massive privacy violation. Are the alarm bells ringing yet? Aside from that, astrological chart details within the text don’t always match with the chart website the author recommends. Interpretations for different planetary positions often feel the same or universally applicable. It’s the author’s lack of integrity and her willingness to mess with other people’s livelihoods that made me give this book 0 stars.
The Listening Path: The Creative Art of Attention by Julia Cameron
Summary
The newest book from beloved author Julia Cameron, The Listening Path is a transformational journey to deeper, more profound listening and creativity. Over six weeks, readers will be given the tools to become better listeners–to their environment, the people around them, and themselves. The reward for learning to truly listen is immense. As we learn to listen, our attention is heightened and we gain healing, insight, clarity. But above all, listening creates connections and ignites a creativity that will resonate through every aspect of our lives.
Julia Cameron is the author of the explosively successful book The Artist’s Way, which has transformed the creative lives of millions of readers since it was first published. Incorporating tools from The Artist’s Way, The Listening Path offers a new method of creative and personal transformation.
Each week, readers will be challenged to expand their ability to listen in a new way, beginning by listening to their environment and culminating in learning to listen to silence. These weekly practices open up a new world of connection and fulfillment. In a culture of bustle and constant sound, The Listening Path is a deeply necessary reminder of the power of truly hearing.
Review
This book is full of bloated, useless text and not a single bit of practical advice. The author makes ridiculous claims like that walking makes people honest. She also makes dangerous implications with quotes about a daily journaling practice being better than therapy and solving people’s addictions. There are constant mentions and discussions of God as the source of creativity and inspiration. An entire section just sets readers up to think they’re not proper creators when they inevitably can’t listen to spirits or ghosts. It’s so quixotic it seems unhinged.
And on that negative note, that wraps up my worst books of last year! Did you read any of these books? What was your experience with them? Let me know in the comments. Until next time, have a great day!
Hissing Potatoes 