It's Not Me, It's YOU...

It's Not Me, It's YOU...

• May 12, 2020

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) is about the last ten books I abandoned. I've decided not to finish a decent number of books this year, though I don't typically track or review them on Goodreads. I have to make it pretty far into a book or have strong opinions on why I quit for it to be worth noting online. However, since it is today's topic, here are my ten most recent DNFs and why I walked away: 

1. The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin – I bought this at the used bookstore then ended up borrowing the audiobook from the library. Two hours in, I realized I was bored and disconnected from the characters. It didn't seem bad, but I wasn't in the mood. Sometimes I try this type of DNF at a later time, but probably not in this case.

2. The Next Right Thing by Emily Freeman – I've read and enjoyed something else by this author in the past, and I've heard people rave about this book + podcast by the same name. I bought it on sale for Kindle but only made it a few chapters in before realizing I was iffy on some of the teaching and wasn't connecting to it. 

3. The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes – Despite lukewarm reviews, I bought a copy of this because I adored the cover. You can probably guess what I'll say next: you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. This was very underwhelming, and I wasn't invested in the heroine or mystery at all. I made it almost halfway before quitting.

4. A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge – I bought this on my trip to England with Kelly last year, and I think it was another case of cover love. The summary doesn't sound like something I'd normally read, but I took a chance. I only a few chapters before realizing I wasn't the right reader for it, for no specific reason.

5. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness – Kelly adores this series, and I finally read the first book back in 2018. Though it wasn't a favorite, I was curious about what would happen next. Four hours into the audio, I noticed that I didn't have anything critical to say about it but just didn't care enough to invest more time in it.

6. Imagine Me by Tahereh Mafi – Does it count as abandoning a book if you never even started it? I loved the original trilogy, was excited by the fourth book, but was frustrated by the fifth book. I planned to finish the series regardless, but Kelly read it and told me I didn't need to bother. So, I just took it off my to-read list. 

7. Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore – Bookstagram made me do it! I bought this on audio and loved the narrator so much that I almost continued listening. However, I couldn't ignore the fact that I found the heroine insufferable and didn't think the time travel aspect made any sense at all. I returned it for a refund.

8. The Admissions by Meg Mitchell Moore – This was a random thrift store purchase, and I really liked the sample I read. When I finally sat down to read it, I made it almost 60 pages in before deciding to stop. It definitely wasn't a bad read, but I didn't care for the dysfunctional family dynamics or first world problems. 

9. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman – I was expecting to love this book! You can imagine my surprise when I made it about 45 pages in and realized it wasn't working for me. I'm still a little sad, honestly. I just didn't like the heroine or the writing because the quirkiness felt forced. So, I set it aside.

10. Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday by Valerie Woerner – I appreciated what the author was trying to do with this book, bur I often didn't feel like I could personally relate to the way she felt about motherhood. There was just a bit too much complaining for me, so I didn't feel motivated to continue reading. 

Have you abandoned any books lately?