The topic this week is pretty straightforward. I have no qualms about DNFing a book. However, I’ve also become much better at selecting the books I read since I started book blogging, so it’s uncommon for me to DNF. (I also only mark a book as DNF if I read at least 10% or so, otherwise I just remove it from my TBR and don’t update the status.) I think if I review the last 10 books I DNF’d, the list will go back a couple years. But let’s find out…
- Zen Beyond Mindfulness: Using Buddhist and Modern Psychology for Transformational Practice by Jules Shuzen Harris
- What? Religious non-fiction
- When? Apr. 2020
- Why? Tried to finish this one for a good couple of months, but it was a little beyond my understanding.
- The Reader by Traci Chee
- What? Young adult fantasy
- When? Feb. 2020
- Why? Gave this one my best shot but YA fantasy generally isn’t for me.
- The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
- What? Historical fantasy fiction
- When? Sept. 2019
- Why? Pushed for awhile with this, cos I loved the premise, but I found it pretty boring. (Plus I really don’t like epistolary writing.)
- What’s Bred in the Bone by Robertson Davies
- What? Literary fiction
- When? Aug. 2019
- Why? This one had been on my TBR for nearly six years when I gave it a shot cos it’s by a famous Canadian author. Turned out I wasn’t actually interested in the story at all.
- Built on Bones: 15,000 Years of Urban Life and Death by Brenna Hassett
- What? Scientific/historical non-fiction
- When? Jul. 2019
- Why? Read nearly half and then finally accepted it wasn’t what I had expected and I wasn’t interested enough to keep reading.
- The Lost History of Dreams by Kris Waldherr
- What? Gothic historical fiction
- When? Jun. 2019
- Why? I think the narrative voice grated on me. IIRC I DNF’d really early on.
- Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips
- What? Thriller
- When? Apr. 2019
- Why? After reading about 50 pages, I wasn’t interested enough to read the entire book. Skipped to end just to see how it played out (a good decision).
- The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera
- What? Fantasy
- When? Jun. 2018
- Why? Narrative style did not work for me at all, and I felt uncomfortable with portrayal of a Japan analog culture.
- Affinity by Sarah Waters
- What? Queer historical fiction
- When? Jun. 2018
- Why? Got tired of the style and found the story pretty boring. (Aparently I ran a Twitter poll that saw DNF win 8 to 2).
- The Midnight Sun by Cecilia Eckbäck
- What? Historical mystery
- When? Dec. 2017
- Why? I remember struggling to read this in the bath… I found the mystery too blah and dull.
What book failed to capture your interest so much you had to set it back down? Or do you commit to finishing each book you start?
A few interesting titles here. I may have to check them out for myself.
Here’s mine http://bookwormsanonymous.blog/2020/05/12/top-ten-tuesday-the-last-ten-books-i-abandoned/
Thanks for stopping by, Chiara!
Your reasons make a great deal of sense at all!
My TTT .
Thanks! I usually have a pretty good sense of when a book isn’t working for me.
Affinity is one Sarah Waters I haven’t : I usually love her as a writer!
My TTT is here https://bookloverssanctuary.com/2020/05/12/top-ten-tuesday-the-last-ten-books-i-abandoned/
I know a lot of people who enjoy her books, but I guess her style isn’t for me! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I’ve only more recently started DNF-ing books but found it very helpful when I just can’t get into a book. The last couple have been non-fiction which I don’t usually read so still trying to find something in the genre that interests me
That’s a great point. There are so many books out there to try, I can’t commit to reading every one I start or I might end up hating reading!
I love the breakdown you gave us for each book. Very cool!
Thank-you! 🙂