The DNF (Did Not Finish) Thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A S Byatt, The Children's Book. I was disappointed in myself for hating it and not finishing, but then again, it was unbelievably pretentious. I'm a lefty, but her enlightened boho academics were insufferable, smug twits.

I finished this book for a book club and despised it. I literally thought it was terrible.

PP here. There's a certain type of Oxbridge-educated person who thinks they rule the lefty cultural landscape and they will tell you all about why they're morally superior, including condemning all Americans ("except you"). Some of them are my relatives (others among my Oxbridge relatives actually like Americans). I say this as a lefty myself. I can smell these smug twits a mile away and avoid them like the plague....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I came to DCUM this morning to pose this very question, so I'm glad I searched back a few pages to see that it was already created.

Since January, I've had a series of books that I just can't get into. It almost seems like it's a "me problem"! I used to force myself to finish a book I start, but as soon as I started giving myself permission to drop a book I'm not enjoying, I so easily just give up on it. I have a very deep wish list on Overdrive, so it's easy for me to move on. There are more books than time.

Maybe I just don't have enough mental energy to be absorbed into anything too deep these days, and that's why I'm striking out with more books than usual. I also haven't been as careful in curating my wish list, I just add new releases and anything I see with a good book review, whether or not I've read the description. I think that contributes to my issue.

Case in point, "Survivor Song", a book about zombies and a virus. I gave it a few pages this weekend, but went in blind, and quickly exited. I would never have added this to my wish list if I had read a brief description.

It's not a 'you' problem! It's that you are valuing your time as you should have been doing earlier. It doesn't really matter if you don't have enough mental energy right for anything deep or if you didn't really like it. Forcing yourself to read something doesn't gain you anything - it's not like pushing yourself to work out. When you're reading for pleasure, it should be pleasant!

For the last year or so, I've been in a mental slump and don't want to read anything I have to think too much about. I'm only in it for the story and and escapism right now and gifted myself Kindle Unlimited for the last Mother's Day! DNF away!

[Anonymous]

I’m about to quit American Marriage. I’m half way through and very bored. I was going to make myself finish because I’ve been quitting most books I start lately. Not sure why I can’t seem to finish a book these days (I used to read at least a book a week). Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn't finish Educated, or a Good Neighborhood.

Didn't like them both and there are too many good books to read.

A Good Neighborhood ENRAGED me. I did finish, but I hated it.

[Anonymous]

In my wise old age (lol I'm 38) I DNF all the time now. A small sampling.

A court of Silver Flames (Sarah J Maas) -- felt unnecessary
Things we never got over -- Didn't like the characters
She Regrets Nothing (Andrea Dunlop) -- same
A School for Good Mothers -- actively felt miserable reading it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m about to quit American Marriage. I’m half way through and very bored. I was going to make myself finish because I’ve been quitting most books I start lately. Not sure why I can’t seem to finish a book these days (I used to read at least a book a week). Sigh.

I DNFd that. I was disappointed because of the hype, but I just could not get into it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I DNF all the time. I wish Goodreads had a way to track those books. I don't like that the only choices are to show us as Read or not on your shelf at all. I don't want them on my "Want to Read," so I leave them as Read. which messes up my Reading Challenge. #nerdproblems

I created a DNF shelf.

[Anonymous]

The Handmaid’s Tale. don’t get the hype.

[Anonymous]

It ends with us - Colleen Hoover. No thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It ends with us - Colleen Hoover. No thanks.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my wise old age (lol I'm 38) I DNF all the time now. A small sampling.

A court of Silver Flames (Sarah J Maas) -- felt unnecessary
Things we never got over -- Didn't like the characters
She Regrets Nothing (Andrea Dunlop) -- same
A School for Good Mothers -- actively felt miserable reading it.

I tried a School For Good Mothers and hated it. Felt kind of Stepford Wives ish. Also could be that I’m a social worker and they portrayed the SWs as truly horrible people.

[Anonymous]

A Little Life. how is this so highly rated. It was terrible.

The Book of Longings. It got returned on my kindle when I had maybe a chapter left and I just didn't care enough to get back on a waitlist to finish it.

[Anonymous]

BearTown - even tried the sequals but they were awful also.
the plot was as old as time itself.

[Anonymous]

What Happened to the Bennetts? Wow that Allison is just the most perfect human to walk the earth. But with her superhero dad - of course!! And it really is easy to slip the FBI. I returned this after the first few chapters.
UGH

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Midnight Library

+1 Hated this repetitive nonsense.