Happy Tuesday, y’all! Jana, over at That Artsy Reader Girl, handed this week’s TTT topic over to Sia at Every Book a Doorway. Sia is asking us to share books that defied expectations. This can be books we loved way more than we thought we might or books we didn’t enjoy. So, I will combine this with a TTT topic I missed back in July about books that we DNF. I will look at my list of DNF books from my recent reads to narrow my list. So, are you curious about what books I’ve stopped reading recently?
To help me make this list, I used the tag on Goodreads that I created for my DNF. Why? That way I know I’ve tried the book if I come across it at a later date and think I may enjoy it. Also, just because I’ve stopped reading a book doesn’t mean that I won’t give it a try at a later date. It just means that I won’t be reading it any further for the moment. I also leave a comment on the Goodreads page stating how much of the book I’ve read and why I’ve stopped reading it.
Now let’s look at the books I’ve stopped reading recently!
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
- Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
- Release Date: January 2019
- Amount Read: 40 pages
- Why Stopped: Put it down to read something else and have no desire to return to it.
Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Release Date: October 2021
- Amount Read: 19% of the audiobook
- Why Stopped: Struggled to connect with the characters and story
The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson
- Genre: Contemporary
- Release Date: June 2018
- Amount Read: 4% of the audiobook
- Why Stopped: Struggled to connect with the story was bored.
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary
- Release Date: April 2023
- Amount Read: 27% of the audiobook
- Why Stopped: Struggled to connect with the characters and the multiple timelines.
After Anne by Logan Steiner
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Release Date: May 2023
- Amount Read: 204 pages (53% of the ebook)
- Why Stopped: Too many timelines, with random jumps that didn’t flow with the story.
The Bookshop of Secrets by Mollie Rushmeyer
- Genre: Contemporary
- Release Date: October 2022
- Amount Read: 28% of the audiobook
- Why Stopped: Struggled to stay connected with the story
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Release Date: January 1985
- Amount Read: 3 chapters
- Why Stopped: Actions didn’t match the characters’ ages; too hard to suspend belief.
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
- Genre: Romance, Contemporary
- Release Date: May 2022
- Amount Read: 10% of the audiobook
- Why Stopped: Bored with the story
Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
- Genre: Romance
- Release Date: February 2023
- Amount Read: 1 chapter
- Why Stopped: Bored with the story
The All You Can Dream Buffet by Barbara O’Neal
- Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
- Release Date: March 2014
- Amount Read: 75% of the physical book
- Why Stopped: Found I just didn’t care about what happened in the end.
And that’s ten books I’ve stopped reading recently. Have you read any of these? Should I give them another try? What are some books you’ve stopped reading recently?
Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my other bookish lists, reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.
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I wish I had stopped reading Every Summer After! I finally started skipping the past timeline chapters and skimmed though the present day. The big reveal was anticlimactic so you didn’t miss much! I really dislike this structure. people You Meet on Vacation uses the same structure….again, I skipped half the book that revisited the past. Happy Place uses the same structure but it’s done much better. Still thought the story was meh though!
Ender’s Game has been on my TBR for a long time – or failing that, its movie version. But now when you say, “Actions didn’t match the characters’ ages; too hard to suspend belief” — I’m seriously rethinking that!
I believe the movie is a bit better, though it’s been ages since I’ve seen it, at connecting the characters’ actions to their ages. The book starts with 6-year-old Ender suddenly attacking his bully (also 6) to the point of putting him in the ICU.
Good for you for knowing your limits!
I liked Once Upon a Wardrobe, but there were elements of the storyline that were hard to connect to for me, too.
Here is my Top Ten Tuesday post.
I think Tessa’s and Carley’s are the only two I recognize, but I did read about Carley’s because I was seeing it everywhere and decided it wasn’t a me book. Always good to know what we’ll enjoy. 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting my website today.
I would have DNF’d Ender’s Game if I hadn’t been reading it because it was a book my husband has long loved. I really do not get why it’s so highly praised. I also read Once Upon a Wardrobe and wouldn’t really be able to say you’re missing much. It was okay, but not a stand-out read.
My TTT
My husband has tried getting me to read some of his favorite books, but I barely get past the first couple of chapters as his taste is so different.
The only one from your list this week that I’ve read is Ender’s Game, and I read it 20+ years ago so I don’t remember much about it. Based on what I do remember, though, I suspect that if I were to read it now I would DNF it.
My TTT: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2023/09/05/top-ten-tuesday-books-that-defied-my-expectations/
I have Once Upon A Wardrobe on my physical shelves but have had no desire to pick it up and read it. While I am familiar with other books on your list I haven’t tried to read them. Have a great week!
I’ve tried to read ENDER’S GAME three different times and I just cannot make it past the first chapter or so. Not my kind of book at all. I’m glad I’m not alone since EVERYONE seems to love it so much!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I was trying to do it as a buddy read with my daughter, as she had to read it for school. She felt the same as I did but pushed through. Only one person in her group enjoyed the book.
I haven’t picked up any of the books from your list, but I think DNF can be really healthy, especially for book bloggers who are always expected to pick up so much. If a story isn’t speaking to you, you ought to set it aside and feel no guilt.
It’s so funny how you can read over half the book and find you don’t care anymore. And then there are books just not worth it.
An interesting list. Very organised of you to do that on Goodreads!
Have a great week!
I absolutely adore Ender’s Game. I’ve read it like 16 times. For me, it’s the underdog story that I love so much. But I do understand why you struggled. The author is asking us to suspend a LOT of disbelief. Lol!
I have a DNF shelf on Goodreads too it’s so handy!
I remember wondering what all the fuss was about for Ender’s Game in the beginning, but then I read on and I got into the book totally. Later, I went to conference where Orson Scott Card was a guest speaker and he was a brat!!!!!! I decided I wouldn’t reward that behavior by reading anything else by him.
Sorry I didn’t reply yesterday. my hubby and I took our grandsons to the zoo and when we got home I was exhausted. Thanks for visiting Head Full of Books
I hope you have fun at the zoo! Honestly, the only reason I tried reading Ender’s Game was because my daughter was reading it for school.
Did my comment go through?
I’m bad about DNFing and I’m also really bad at remembering if I DNF! Lol. If the book isn’t working for me, I do DNF and just move onto the next book so DNF books quickly get forgotten for me. I can’t even remember if/when I read them! These are all new to me titles here!
Thanks for visiting my TTT!
I used to be the same way, I think that’s why I added a stopped reading tag on my Goodreads.
I’m better about DNFing books, but there’s still some that I hang on and hope they’ll get better but I’ve never had one that does. I can definitely identify with not connecting to a book that requires too much suspension of disbelief. Great post this week.