The Did Not Finish Pile (1)
Inspired by my friend Crystal from Books Unbound, I decided to do a post about books I did not finish. You won’t be seeing too many of these posts because I tend to finish most of the books that I start, even if I don’t like them. I am a finisher at heart. Most of these are books that I just ended up losing interest in. They aren’t necessarily bad but sometimes a new, shinier book comes along and the less compelling ones fall to the wayside. I will often come back to books to finish them but a lot these books have been on my Currently Reading shelf on Goodreads for a long time, and I decided to just admit that I was probably never going to finish them. Here we go!
Title: Love and Other Perishable Items
Author: Laura Buzo
Release date: December 11, 2012
This one has been on my Goodreads shelf as currently reading for over a year now. I really liked this book when I started it and for some reason, put it down and never picked it back up. It’s a contemporary YA novel and that might have been part of the problem. Straight contemp is not my favorite genre and I think I just lost interest in it. I would not mind finishing it one day but I don’t think that day will be anytime soon.
Title: Claudine
Author: Barbara Palmer
Release date: September 2, 2014
This is a really recent DNF for me. I started only a couple of months ago and read about 70 pages. I found the main character to be quite annoying and the premise to be a little unbelievable. I had fully planned on finishing though, but put it down to read something else and never picked it up again. I was waffling over whether or not I should just try to finish it when a friend of mine reminded me that life is too short to read something you’re not into. So I’ve officially decided that I won’t be finishing this one. If, for some reason, the urge to read it ever hits me I am sure I can get it from the library.
Title: Beautiful Disaster
Author: Jamie McGuire
Release date: May 26, 2011
I am actually pretty surprised that I never finished this one. I mean sexy times with two characters who love to hate each other is one of my favorite romance tropes. It wasn’t bad, but ended up being put aside. I haven’t been compelled to pick up again so it’s going in the DNF pile for now.
Title:The Goldfinch
Author: Donna Tartt
Release date: October 22, 2013
This is a Pulitzer Prize winner, people, and I did not finish it. :( This was one of my book club’s selections this year. The story is really interesting but I never really connected with any of the characters. There is also a really looooong flashback period which totally lost my interest after a while. Sometimes I just wish people would start at the beginning of a story rather than doing a flashback that lasts a hundred pages. I think I got about a third or halfway through the book before my book club meeting. After that I never had the inclination or motivation to finish it. A well written book but one that never connected for me.
Title: A Midsummer Night’s Scream
Author: R.L. Stine
Release date: July 2, 2013
I actually did finish this one but I skim read it, so I don’t think it should really count as a finished book. This is one of the worst books I have read in a long time. I really felt like throwing this book across the room. It has super annoying characters and a totally unbelievable plot. The dialogue is especially bad. I used to love Stine as a kid and this was just disappointing. If you’re interested, I have a rant-y, train of thought review up at Goodreads.
I actually feel a little bad that I have this many unfinished books. It doesn’t happen to me often and I guess I am just not used to seeing them all in one place. Do you finish books you’re not into or do you put them away without guilt? I think everyone has a different opinion on this and I’m interested in hearing what you guys think.
*P.S. – Feature graphic above made with a pic of my niece when she was a baby. I think I sleep like that sometimes…
