Many of you know that I am a voracious reader. Last year I read and reviewed 314 books, and I've already read and reviewed 69 this year.
Most of these I get from my library.
I am fortunate (so fortunate!) to have a wonderful county library system that generously allows sharing of materials between the twelve branches. I thank the librarians and library staff who pull books for me and cart the books to me across the 1,609 square miles of Brazoria County. I apologize to them for not reading the books they worked so hard to get into my hands.
Please urge me to try again with any of these that you loved. This is a list of the books I've borrowed over the last year that I did not read.
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger (two times)
Gliff by Ali Smith
Knife by Salman Rushdie
There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib (three times)
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides (two times)
Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin
Question 7 by Richard Flanagan
Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner (two times)
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh
There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb
Long Island by Colm Tóibín
A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks by David Gibbons
Ten Birds that Changed the World by Stephen Moss
Absolution by Alice McDermott
Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
How to Age Disgracefully by Claire Pooley (two times)
Ten Million Aliens: A Journey through the Entire Animal Kingdom by Simon Barnes (two times)
The Best Life Book Club by Sheila Roberts
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
Those are all new to me ones so I unfortunately can't recommend trying again with any of them. I rarely DNF these days as I feel like I've gotten better and picking books I know I will enjoy, so I went rogue with my own topic choice! Although I did recently DNF a book, I decided to skip the topic as I could only think of that one title since it was DNF'd so recently. I had hard time getting into Margaret Owen's The Merciful Crow, so after 200 pages I think I quit.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
I have read several of the books on your list but I wouldn’t encourage you to go back to a book if you didn’t like it. LIfe is too short for reading things we don’t like!
ReplyDeleteI own a couple of the books on your list - The Best Life Book Club and the Lula Dean book. Both unread as yet. That being said, we know not every book is going to work for every reader. And we also know we won't get to read all the books we'd like to. Don't think it is bad at all to DNF a book if it's not working. Nice for you to thank the library staff in your area. Don't think you need to apologize for not reading the books - ha! They understand. Take care, Deb!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've not finished a book since "Pillars of the Earth" when I decided I didn't like the characters enough to spend that much of my life with them (it's a long book!). I haven't finished "Gilead" either but I haven't bailed on that one -- I'll give it a third try.
ReplyDeleteGood Omens was a DNF for me, too, but I loved the TV series based on it. So that’s another option for you!
ReplyDeleteThe audiobook is fun, too!
DeleteInteresting list. I haven't read any of these. I usually enjoy Sheila Roberts' books, but I haven't read this one. I, also, have Long Island on my TBR. Mainly because I'm from there.
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing. I sit in front of my computer and request books and then when they seem to all come in in a bunch, I am swamped. My issue is often I forget to go back and place the book on a wish list somewhere so they often just fall off my radar.
ReplyDeleteThe only one I have read on your list is The Summer of Yes. It is the least favorite that I have read by Courtney Walsh, but others have loved it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've read any of these. Love how I can order books outside of my local library as well. Especially helpful with research. Thanks for sharing, Deb.
ReplyDeletehttps://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2025/03/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-books-i-did-not.html
I haven't read any of these, but I am all for moving on and not looking back. I've made lists of the books I didn't finish over the years and never once have I been convinced to try them again. There are far too many books that I want to read to take time to try something that didn't work for me the first time around.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of these books, but I do have Lula Dean on my TBR. I'm hoping to give it a try soon.
ReplyDeletePam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/books-i-dnfed-in-2024/
I haven't read any of these books, but they look a bit boring...
ReplyDeleteHere’s my Top Ten Tuesday
Rabbit Ears Book Blog: WORLD’S WEIRDEST BOOK BLOG!
Long Island was fine to me. My son read There is Always This Year but it may suit him more due to his age and some experiences. Sorry to hear How To Age Disgracefully failed. I see in your sidebar you are reading The Comfort of Crows which I really liked. I hope you like it.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to talk my husband into getting a library card. Even if he doesn't check out physical books, I think he would get a lot of use out of their online services. I am so grateful for the library--for libraries everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of these books, although I do want to read a few of them. Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books and The Mighty Red are two in particular I am looking forward to. I really want to try something by Elif Shafak. I read a short story of hers awhile ago and really enjoyed it.
If it's not clicking, it's not. It isn't anyone's fault, it just happens.
ReplyDeleteHa! Thanks, Stephen!
ReplyDeleteSometimes a book just isn't a good fit for everyone. Over 300 books is awesome though.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of these books so can't comment on them... but given how much you read and love reading, I am guessing you might end up getting to some of these in the future :)
ReplyDeleteFrom your list I read and finished Long Island but liked the first book, Brooklyn, better. Also I Cheerfully Refuse was tough getting into at first but then I had to know what happened. Also read Absolution and liked that one.
ReplyDeleteI think that was a buddy read with JoAnn.
Abandoned Intermezzo as I was bored. That said....life is too short to struggle through a book you aren't loving. There are just too many books we want to read!
I read 5 of the books on your list. I know that I do get books and run out of time before I've read them. I loved Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books.
ReplyDeleteHow to read a book and Intermezzo are on my TBR! Well done on your reading this is impressive!
ReplyDeleteThere Are Rivers in the Sky sounds actually pretty interesting to me, but I'm not sure whether it would be something for me.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Good Omens on Amazon Prime. I probably won't attempt to read it after seeing the show with David Tennant and Michael Sheen.
ReplyDeleteI tried and failed with Intermezzo, too.
I couldn't get past chapter 6 of Normal People so I'll take your word for it on the Rooney. I did finish Good Omens but I didn't love it the way the whole world does....
ReplyDeleteI haven't attempted to read any of those, so I have no advice to go back and try again ;)
ReplyDeleteGood omens is a fave of mine and i've read it more than once. Perhaps the english humour doesn't appeal to americans?
ReplyDeleteI'm not being rude when i say the english humour perhaps doesn't translate. I find the same with american humour TBH. Humour is very cultural.
ReplyDeletesherry