P.E.'s DNF list

There once was the story of a girl who would never leave a book unfinished. She obsessively needed to finish every single book she read, no matter how much she detested the book. This habit lasted for years until she started her own book blog. As a reviewer, critical thinking and analysis were required every time she read something. She learned how to explain why she didn't enjoy a book. She noticed annoying trends, and learned even more of her personal taste.

Reading became harder, because it wasn't just about enjoying books; it was about reviewing them. And so, after multiple reviewing mishaps, and reading slumps, she decided that if she didn't want to read a book, she didn't have to read it. Thus began the DNF pile.

I don't know why I just wrote about myself in the third person. Anyhow, I wasn't always the type that gave up on a book, but after browsing YouTube videos instead of reading a book I didn't like (which is a big deal for me since YouTube has always bored me) I realized I had to stop. It takes weeks to read a book you don't want to be reading. I still mostly give every book a chance.

Recently, I've been so tired of reading boring, predictable plots. I thought maybe looking at the books I didn't like could help me identify which books I should avoid.

So, behold. The 7 books I DNF'ed in no particular order and my explanation for why. Note that the explanations were written at the time of the DNFing decision. All covers link to Goodreads.

From October 2011
"I stopped reading 53 pages in. Nothing is really wrong but I just don't feel like reading more. And the book is literally giving me a headache because the pages smell dusty. I just wasn't captured in the story and nothing really made me want to stay. I'm really sad about that but these days I really don't have the time for a story I don't want to read. I may revisit it in the future though that's not likely. Just not for me. :("

DNF March 2013.
I didn't write why, but I still remember enough to explain. I read this for a psychology project on the transformative effects of power. I talked about the power paradox, and different types of power which is where Machiavelli becomes important. I honestly did try to read the book, but the font was tiny, I had no knowledge of the history behind the events, and I figured after a while I got the gist of the book. Also, I might end up having to read this book for one of my classes, and I see no need to read it twice. I'm lazy like that.

DNF September 2012
I also didn't post a review for this one so I'm going by memory. I received this book for review and it honestly wasn't my type. I remember being bored with it. I don't like small town stories, especially contemporary without much drama and I couldn't continue after some point. I felt really bad not reviewing it, but it felt torturous to read it.

DNF April 2013
"Maybe someone can convince me this book gets better and I'll give it a chance. For now, I don't want to continue reading. 

The plot and setting frankly don't interest me at all. The characters were also really annoying. I didn't like Rachel at all. She's egotistical and self entitled. I really hate when people do stupid things that are doomed to fail. Not planning doesn't make you brave, it makes you stupid. I don't believe in her as a badass character. In general I don't like people like her in real life so why would I read a book about them?

Just not for me."

DNF August 2013
I wrote a full review for this one. Well, more like a half review since I didn't complete the book. The review will be posted in a few weeks. Essentially, I found this book to be predictable with an irritating main character.

DNF August 2013 
My review is a little to long, so here's an excerpt.
"I stopped reading because I have a horrible headache and I need something to take my mind off it and this book failed at that. 

It was already a bit of a stretch, in terms of being the type of book I like, but I decided to give it a chance. The problem I had was it didn't contain enough initial emotion for me. About 70 pages in based on Kobo's number system and I wasn't into the writing which was a little bit too descriptive for me.

The concept at that point didn't draw me in. The biggest issue I had was that I didn't feel any connection to the characters and I didn't feel like that would change. For example Josh was meant to be a character I liked and admired, but I didn't like a lot of the pranks. The characters were meant to be outsiders and their oppressors, from what I read, were stereotypes. 

That meant Michal had this condescending tone whenever she spoke of them, like me, I am enlightened while everyone else my age is an idiot. Maybe this does happen but I've never experienced it and I honestly can't deal with protagonists that think this way."

DNF August 2013
Another excerpt:
"The Victorian setting is ridiculous. WHY? The characters are annoying. Nora is like 15 and thinks she knows everything. If you don't allow her some freedom, she will put herself at risk so someone will notice her. Bram is a zombie and a nice guy, but the thought of a romantic involvement with a zombie is ugh. I don't even feel like caring about the characters. I was reading this book so it would end. I have no interest whatsoever. 

The book is ridiculously long without much happening. There are too many story lines, none of which move very fast. Maybe good for a movie but it makes the book incredibly cluttered. "

Conclusions

There are some recurring factors from my list. For example, don't underestimate how crappy I feel when I have a headache. Mostly though, if I don't care for the characters, I lost interest. Some of these books had supposedly good plots and settings, but the characters couldn't cut it and that was incredibly boring. Also, if I feel like something is predictable or cliched, I tend not to like it. 

Do you DNF? What makes you stop reading a book?

-P.E.