Happy Tuesday y’all! My youngest started high school today–where has the time gone? I mean, seriously, it feels like she just started school last year, not ten years ago it was! Anyway, back on topic! This week, Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl had a guest pick our topic. Alecia over at The Staircase Reader is asking us to share books we’ve loved so much that we had to get a copy for our personal library. That list is very short for me, as I’m not particularly eager to reread books. So instead, I’m flipping the topic and sharing popular books on my DNF list.
For those who don’t know, DNF means Did Not Finish. There are many reasons I may DNF a book, but typically it has to do with my connection to the characters, and if I don’t care about them, I will not keep reading. Occasionally, I will go back to a book that I DNF because I know I wasn’t reading it at the right time. One example is The Hate U Give; I went back to it and loved it. All of these books, though, are ones that I will probably not go back to, no matter how much time passes.
All titles will lead to Goodreads and images to Amazon.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Many people love this book and list it as one of their all-time favorites. The narrative style is often pointed to as the reason people don’t enjoy this book. For me, I found the overall story just too long! I made it almost to the halfway point of the book and was tired of reading about Liesel.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
I loved A Man Called Ove by Backman and had heard so many wonderful things about Beartown. It got at least a third of the way into the book and couldn’t be bothered to find out what tragic event flipped the town. There were so many characters introduced, and I found it hard to keep them straight, let alone care about them.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
I have never despised the main characters so entirely as I did Nick and Amy! I struggled to find any reason to care and found myself skipping to the end to see if there was any redemption. If it was not a library book, I might have thrown it across the room or set it on fire!
One Day in December by Josie Silver
The story’s premise grabbed my attention, and I wanted to know how it would work out. That is until I started reading the book. The relationships were just too twisted and weird. Laurie swears that Sarah is her friend and that no man shall come between them. That promise seems to stop at Jack. Both Laurie and Jack need to grow up and be more mature. Maybe I didn’t give them time, but I didn’t care if they found their happiness.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Maybe it’s because I tried the audiobook and not a physical copy, but I found it easy to stop reading this book and not care about what happened. The part of the story from the past was interesting, and I wouldn’t mind knowing how it worked out. But the present-day story felt kind of forced. Overall, I did make it about halfway through before deciding I was done.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
I have to admit; that I picked this up because of the hype around the author and their previous book. While I put this book down around page 70, I felt it was trying too hard. I know I am not this book’s target audience, and I’m okay with that.
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
This is another example of dual timelines that didn’t work for me. I enjoyed the parts set in France in the 1940s, but the parts in Montana in the 1980s felt a bit lackluster. I might have enjoyed it more if the book had focused more on the World War II parts.
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
I desperately wanted to love this book! It sounds like a perfect combination of humor and mystery. I tried reading it twice and struggled to connect. In total, I made it about halfway. If this is ever adapted, I will watch it!
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Another one where the synopsis grabbed my attention. But it felt like the story was dragged out, and the characters weren’t ones I found myself caring about. I made it about 40% of the way before walking away.
The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
The biggest issue with this book is the lack of communication! I don’t mind the fake dating situation, but I don’t see how anyone would believe the relationship when Daisy holds a nine-year grudge against Liam. Maybe it would be better if he would tell her what happened that night so long ago. I’m sure it does come up later in the book, but I couldn’t get past page 90 to find out!
That is ten popular books that are on my DNF list. Have you read any of these? Are there any popular books that are on your DNF list?
Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.
I have The Lost Apothecary and One Last Stop on my bookshelf, but never started them. I did love Finlay Donovan though.
I loved book thief and The dating plan was not bad for me.
Hi Pam!
I had to start with The Book Thief 3 times. I don’t know why I struggled so much to get into it. But when it finally grabbed me, I loved it!
Bear Town does have a lot of characters in yes and it does take time for the story to really develop. I ended up buying the second one as well and eagerly await the release of the third one in the series.
Enjoy your Tuesday!
Elza Reads
So many good books out there, it is always good to know when to call it quits in one just wasting our time 🙂
One Last Stop is on my TBR, although I still need to get my hands on it. Shame about The Book Thief, but it is long and does drag on a little in places! Happy TTT1
Zoë
Thank you so much for stopping my by post earlier!
It took me three or four tries to get into The Book Thief.
Beartown…I’ve skipped because I’m not a sports person.
I wish I’d skipped Paris Library.
Interesting list, I like it. I loved One Last Stop (it’s on my list this week), Ace of Spades, and The Lost Apothecary, but I understand it’s not everyone’s taste.
Here is my TTT: https://herseriallife.com/top-10-ebooks-i-loved-so-much-i-have-to-get-a-copy/
Have a great week 🙂
Good for you for knowing your limits! I was never able to finish The Book Thief either.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-loved-so-much-i-had-to-get-a-copy-for-my-personal-library/
i didn’t enjoy Bear Town either and wished I’d DNF’d d it!
I wasn’t impressed by The Paris Library either. I did like Beartown.
Totally agree with you about The Paris Library… I finished it but… the 1980s parts were totally unnecessary.
I similarly started the audiobook of The Book Thief many years ago and never finished! I don’t think I actively disliked it, but did find it tricky to get the motivation to return to the story…
wow love love the list and the blog! i adoreddd gone girl.
I love this topic! I’ll have to keep it in my pocket for the next time I want to change things up!
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is also on my DNF list. I remember I thought the writing style was gimmicky and the characters felt flat to me…
Hope you’ll visit my Top Ten Tuesday list!
I loved The Book Thief, but it definitely does seem to be a very marmite book, you either love it or hate it. I also really enjoyed Gone Girl, but I love books with unlikeable characters so that’s not a surprise. A couple of these books I have on my TBR, The Paris Library and Ace of Spades, so I hope I enjoy them more than you did!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2022/09/06/top-ten-tuesday-384/
I haven’t read any of these, but The Book Thief is on my TBR. I find that lately I don’t have patience for books that are longer than they should be, so I might end up having the same problem with that one that you did. Either way, it’s good to know that there are people who didn’t enjoy The Book Thief! I think I’ve only heard people praise it before this, and the balance is good to know.
My TTT: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2022/09/06/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-loved-so-much-i-bought-them-twice/
Look at you putting those books out there as DNF!! A couple of those are faves of mine, and a few aren’t even on my radar. What this list really shows is that not every book is for every reader – and that’s totally okay. And, it’s such a great idea for a list that I might use it next time I’m stuck for a theme – I can’t think of any off the top of my head.
Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
Oh my gosh- Gone Girl. Those characters are awful lol. I did finish it but I was NOT as captivated as I thought I’d be, given all the rave reviews I saw. The Lost Apothecary I’ve thought about a few times too- probably because of that neat cover. But it’s nice to see lists like this because sometimes all you see are the hype and oocasionally it’s nice to see why a super popular book didn’t work for someone.
I’ve read and enjoyed The Book Thief and One Last Stop myself, but I can understand that they’re not everyone’s cup of tea 🙂
Oh no I loved a few of those books! It’s nice though that not everyone feels the same way. I personally don’t think I’ll ever pick up a Colleen Hoover, yet they are everywhere!
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2022/09/06/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-loved-so-much-i-had-to-get-a-copy-for-my-personal-library/
I absolutely loved A Man Called Ove, but I ended up DNFing Beartown too. I think it might’ve been around the third mark as well lol
I did read all of One Day in December… and yeah. I just didn’t end up caring for it. Life is too short to read books we don’t care for so while I don’t always take my own advice, I’m all for DNF-ing something that we just aren’t enjoying. 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting Finding Wonderland this week!
It took me two tries to get into The Book Thief. I ended up enjoying the audiobook very much. Beartwon did start off a bit slow. But WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW. Thanks for visiting my blog.
I DNFd The Book Thief the first time I read it. Then, I participated in a read-along and I got into it the second time. Liesel wasn’t my favorite character, but I didn’t mind her.
My TTT
Well 9 of these are totally new to me ones! I still need to read Finlay Donovon is killing it! I loved the author’s YA series…and still have a few others of hers on my TBR to read, including this series to date!
Thanks for visiting my TTT!
It’s always so interesting to hear why people DNF popular books! I have a few of these on my TBR, so maybe I should do a little more research, haha.
I’ve DNF’d a lot of books lately, mostly for the reasons you stated—either they were super boring or I didn’t care about the characters or both. There’s no reason to spend time on books you’re not loving, especially when there are so many more out there to read!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I could make a list like this as well. I have had a few dudes recently too. I need to get better at just stopping the book instead of wasting me time.
Ooh, tea! 😉 I’ve only read Josie Silver’s book from your list but I do have a few others on my TBR. I’m particularly looking forward to The Lost Apothecary and Ace of Spades so I’m sad to see they didn’t work out for you. Backman is an author I still haven’t tried and I think it’s because he’s so hyped and I’m worried that they’ll not be for me either, lol. Great post!
Gone Girl was quite the novel. In its defense I don’t think you were supposed to like either of those characters. I hope they are still making each other miserable in their fictional world.
I love this topic idea! Although I enjoyed some of the books on your list, I completely understand your reasons for DNFing. This is a topic I love and will definitely keep in mind for the future!
We read The Book Thief in my book club and everybody liked it. Maybe go and see my review. That doesn’t mean you have to try again, no book is good for everyboday.
I read A Man Called Ove and didn’t care that much for it, so I don’t think I read anything by the author again anytime soon.
And apart from Gone Girl, I haven’t even heard of any of the other books or authors.
Thanks for visiting my TTT this week.
I admire people who know when to stop. I tend to continue to the bitter end, or more often just put a book down with the intention of finishing it but then just not.