Greetings Bookworms,
It’s Tuesday and the ladies of The Broke and the Bookish have a fabulous topic for us today. They’ve asked us to list out societies we’d never want to live in and/or characters we’d never want to trade places with. Dystopias and post-apocalyptic novels are some of my favorite books, so I’m really excited! Let’s get to listing, shall we?
1. The Handmaid’s Tale
by Margaret Atwood (my review): Hmmmm, let’s think. Why wouldn’t I want to live in a world where women are enslaved and used strictly to breed children? Maybe I picked the husband I wanted and have no desire to be reassigned by a terrifying religious government. Maybe it’s because if I’m going to grow a kid, I’d like to keep it. Maybe it’s because they no longer allow women to read?! Plus, that whole winged hat thing is a bad look for me.
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: 
Children fighting to the death. For sport. Even if you don’t get chosen yourself, your kid someday might. Let’s talk about the worst thing ever. I think this is pretty much it.
Try not to cry. I dare you. (Source)
3. The Passage by Justin Cronin (my review): I had some serious anxiety reading about the people living in the compound. Nearly 100 years since the vampire apocalypse, this fledgling society lives on a wing and a prayer… And the rapidly deteriorating battery powered lights that keep them from being eaten every night. 
4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy (my review): We never find out exactly what happened to the world, but nothing grows, everything is coated in ash, and there are bands of cannibals roaming the countryside. 
It’s so freaking BLEAK, and I don’t want to go there ever, ever, ever!
5. Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro: How would you like to grow up knowing that you were a clone being used for spare parts? Don’t get too attached to those kidneys now, kids.
6. World War Z by Max Brooks (my review): I had SO MANY NIGHTMARES reading this book. It’s a fantastic look at what would happen to the world during a zombie apocalypse.
7. The Stand
by Stephen King (my review): As if surviving the deadliest strain of the flu EVER and trying to find other survivors weren’t enough of a challenge, the friggin devil incarnate is out there causing trouble? Yep, I could live my life without going through THAT madness.
8. Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley (my review): Oh, I won’t lie. There are days when a dose of Soma sounds like a grand idea… But I’m not big on societally mandated orgies. Sorry y’all.
9. Alas, Babylon
by Pat Frank (my review): Nuclear War is THE WORST. I don’t want to live through that.
10. A Game of Thrones
by George RR Martin: I don’t know what’s the worst thing about living in this world. The brutal “justice” meted out by wicked royals? There’s no telling when winter will end? The friggin zombie things living behind the ice wall? Heck, Martin is so fond of killing off characters I’d probably already be dead. Westeros, I shan’t be visiting!
Alright Bookworms, it’s your turn! What books would you NOT want to be sucked into???
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Tabitha
My first reaction was a Handmaids tail, then the The Chrysalids by John Wyndham then… Animal Farm :s
Words For Worms
Good choices!
Nish
We seem to have a few in common 🙂
Words For Worms
Well, you know what they say about great minds!
Heather @ Capricious Reader
So, basically any dystopian world, is what you are saying. And crazy worlds where too many kings are playing for crowns. I think I can agree with all of these.
Words For Worms
I *might* reconsider Game of Thrones, but only if I could be a dragon.
Heather
DUDE. IF ICAN BE A DRAGON, I’LL GO ANYWHERE. ANY.WHERE. Especially if I am red and breathe blue fire.
Words For Worms
YES!!!
Megan M.
These all sound terrifying. Oh, man, Never Let Me Go. I only saw the film, but it absolutely killed me. And Game of Thrones, yep, never would I ever want to live in those books.
Words For Worms
I don’t think I managed to watch all of Never Let Me Go, but the book made me very grateful for the full ownership of my organs.
Ashley F
OMG I love this list. I’m thinking anything involving zombies or biological plague is a big no-no for me.
I’m thinking I’ve read enough Stephen King books to never want to live in a small town in Maine.
Ashley F
And can we mention that I don’t want to live anywhere near Coraline (I know you love you some Neil Gaiman). Creepy button eye mom’s are not for me.
Words For Worms
Oh yeah, I’m staying FAR AWAY from Coraline’s weird other dimension… Well… Practically all Gaiman really. I don’t want to be inside that mess, what with the deities running amok and the sewers and the button eyes…
Ashley F
Eww I forgot about the sewers.
And can I also mention, although I know we both love us some Medieval Scotland, can we not go unless there’s a full plan for grooming and hygiene?
Words For Worms
Yeah, we need to think this through. Like… We’ll need to teleport home to sleep at night. And use the bathroom. And shower.
April @ The Steadfast Reader
“I’m thinking I’ve read enough Stephen King books to never want to live in a small town in Maine.”
Ha! I love it. 😀
Ashley F
It’s totally true. Between zombie cats, pissed off teenagers, rabbid dogs and crazy clowns, keep me the hell away from there….although I’m sure Maine is totally nice in real life. Fictional Maine? Hell no!!!
Words For Worms
Haaa! You’re right, the state of Maine has kind of been ruined for me. Plus it’s cold there. Brrr.
Jennine G.
This is an AWESOME list! The Road scared me so badly I had to leave it at work to read on my free period…before bed was just too much. I don’t think it was scary, scary…I think it was the child and not knowing what would happen to him, the mom in me couldn’t take it.
I have The Passage and Never Let Me Go as well…this makes me want to read them sooner!
Besides dystopian, I’d never want to live in any book set before the time of electricity, indoor heat and plumbing. I’m really fond of those things. I’d visit Little House on the Prairie, but I wouldn’t stay!
Words For Worms
YES! It wasn’t so much a startling scary, just a bleak depressing suspense! I share your love of electricity and indoor plumbing, I keep a running tally of things I should keep in my purse *just in case* I get sucked back in time. Toilet paper!
April @ The Steadfast Reader
Our first two are exactly the same… I’m not gonna lie, I’d try my hand in Brave New World, but when you phrase it like ‘societally mandated orgies’ well… suddenly, it’s back on the list.
I was so close to The Song of Ice and Fire, The Passage, and The Stand but I went a different direction. 🙂 I needed honorable mentions on this list.
Words For Worms
LOL, you know it doesn’t seem so bad until they start giving you the side eye for being monogamous… Honorable mentions would have been a great idea, I can think of more!
Andi (@estellasrevenge)
ALL OF THESE. No part of ’em. None!
Words For Worms
Hear, hear!
Jennifer St. James
1984–NO Way. And your list is spot on!
Words For Worms
Ewww yeah, nobody wants Big Brother looking in. Unless you want to be on reality TV… In which case I question many, many things about you…
Psychobabble
Ditto, ditto for The Road. OMG, I had never read anything so bleak before. And I also share your experience around having nightmares caused by World War Z. There is a part of me that really wants to see how I would do in a zombie apocalypse, though. Maybe I’ll save that for virtual reality.
Words For Worms
Sooooooo bleak! If a zombie apocalypse actually happened, I’d want you on my team! (Of course, I’d get eaten basically immediately, but I wouldn’t hold it against you if you had to put me down. You could keep me as a pet though. That’d be fine too.)
AMB (Koiviolet)
Great list! For me, the top of the list would be the characters in Wuthering Heights, which I’m re-visiting right now as part of a read-along. Not only are the characters horrible people (particularly Catherine and Heathcliff), but they also live in a society where the life expectancy is very low. They are obsessed with death for a reason. I want modern medicine!
Words For Worms
Oh man, Wuthering Heights! Heck yes, modern medicine! I like being able to be out in the rain and not just dying as a result. Both Catherine and Heathcliff are terrible human beings.
Hannah
Really? NOBODY?? Fine, I’ll say it because it’s been on my mind lately: 50 Shades of Gray. I don’t even know if I spelled it correctly, and I don’t really care. I don’t want to be in that book.
Or, I Am Legend. That was just sad. 🙁
Words For Worms
LOL, the thing about 50 Shades is that it’s not a whole world. Like, if you don’t want to be in a whiny abusive relationship you can just not do that. If I had to trade places with Ana, I’d grow a pair, find a functional relationship, and get a real job. Harumph! (I Am Legend was super sad, I wouldn’t want to live there either!)
Megan M.
Bahaha! I love you for saying this! I’ve read enough recap reviews to know that I don’t EVER wanna live in that book!
Katie @ Polished Page-Turner
With all the cold I’ve dealt with these past few weeks, I know living in the Song of Ice and Fire would be dreadful. I need summer and there is too much snow in this series.
Words For Worms
Very good point! Nothing worse than life on the GIANT FRIGGIN WALL OF ICE!
Rebecca @ Love at First Book
I’d have to agree with you. I don’t want to go to any of those places, especially in The Handmaid’s Tale. . . ugh. . .
Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader
You wouldn’t want to be a baby breeder? Well, I never! Isn’t that what we ladies are here for??? 😉
Ha ha ha ha ha. No.
Melinda
When I read number 1 I was thinking “Is she going to mention the fact that women are not allowed to read” cos I think that’s just horrible. I would die.
The Hunger Games is a no-go for me too. That’s the only two books from your list I’ve read…
Zs.
I, Claudius by Robert Graves.
You know: ancient Romans, that stuff.