Tell me about it, my office is in Bracknell. So glad I don't have to go there every day as it's just depressing. Quite weird that it's such a dump as Wokingham is lovely and it's pretty much right next to Bracknell.
Reading itself isn't that bad but I wouldn't want to live there. Used to live in Basingstoke which, despite the abuse it gets, isn't actually a bad place at all these days and it's not that far away from Reading. But Reading isn't a total dump - Earley isn't too bad an area for example. Just like all towns it has its good and bad parts.