I almost hate to admit that I gave up. But I did. Last year I gave up a lot – on books that is. Do you do that? Start reading a book and decide it’s just not worth your time?
Early on in this blog, I shared a post about why it’s ok not to continue reading a book – you can read the full thing here. In it, I reminded readers that not every book is meant for every reader. It’s sort of like foods – not every person around you will like the same foods, and they won’t like the same books either. It would be a boring world if we were all exactly alike!
Today, I want to focus in on why I haven’t finished books in the past. It seems to fall into a few categories – genres I really don’t like, self-help books that frustrate me, and subject matters that gave me anxiety. These books are in the order I started them, beginning with last May:
Bluefishing by Steve Sims
This was a self-help book I really thought I was going to love. However…I felt creeped out and dirty after listening to it. It was more about self-promotion and how great the author was. Not so much about helping others develop skills. In fact, for a self-development book, I don’t think there was any advice except to say be more awesome like him?
Where the Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson
I had chosen this book in honor of Native American Day. Hobson is a Native American author and has experienced life on a reservation. He writes from a place of anger and hurt in this book that no one would be able to understand who hasn’t experienced it. There were many references to young children using drugs and being abused. I had chosen the audio form of this book and about 1 hour had to turn it off. As a mother of a child around the age of the main character here, I couldn’t listen to the atrocities happening to and around them – my anxiety and emotions went into overload.
The Shadow House by Anna Downes
I never should have picked this up – it’s a thriller. A horror story. 100% not my cup of tea. But the sweet lady at the bookstore recommended it and I thought I’d give it a try. So many times she’s pushed me outside my comfort zone and I’ve found good books in the process, but not this time. I read about 5 chapters before I had to put it away. Like Where the Dead Sit Talking, this book involves atrocities directed at children and I couldn’t do it. My husband said my anxiety went through the roof the week I tried to read it!
You Are a Badass by Jen Sicero
Y’all – I was so disappointed that I disliked this one as much as I did! I had a copy of it on my shelf for close to a year before finding time to pick it up. I took it on our family vacation back around Thanksgiving. I made it about an hour into reading it and threw it against the wall. Literally. That’s when my husband decided it was time to go visit my happy place – the cute little used bookstore in the town we were visiting – and trade it in. I felt like this book came off condescending. I am sure there was a time when I could have used the advice Sicero gave, but I’m not that kind of girl anymore, and wanted to shake her and tell her that it doesn’t work that way all the time. I ranted about it the whole 15-minute drive to the bookstore and I think my husband sighed in relief when I handed it over for my trade in credit!
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Ok – so I did actually finish this one. But only because I was traveling and had nothing else with me. I put it down several times without the intention of picking it back up. The subject matter and the age of the main characters when bad things happened were too harsh for me. I know this was critically acclaimed, but it was not an easy read for me at all.
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
This is my most recent DNF book. This one is very heavy on the death and sadness side. I haven’t fully given up on it yet, but it’s sitting on my shelf only about 10% read. I think you have to be in the right mindset to conquer a book with so much death, and I’m not there right now. We have a lot of big changes going on in our house with our eldest heading to college this month and some potential career changes coming up. Maybe once things settle down, I can pick this one back up!
Again, it’s not a bad thing to not enjoy a book – I don’t know many people who enjoy every single book they encounter! It can actually be freeing to acknowledge how much you dislike something – don’t let a bad read keep you stuck trying to finish it. Just chalk it up to the book not being the right fit, sell that sucker, and move on to your next amazing read!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: The First Ladies, Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray
- Current audio book: Little Fires Everywhere, Celest Ng
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Angels & Demons, Dan Brown
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