DNF-ing a book is again a very personal thing and everyone and their mothers have an opinion on it. For the sake of argument, I will DNF a book for several reasons but the main one is- I feel like it.
It can be because:
I don't agree with the author be its writing style, or representation, etc
Bored
Upset with s a specific theme or situation in the book.
You will get the idea as we go with them. I normally do not review books I DNF but I will mention them here and give my reasoning. Hope more people join the wagon. Life's too short and the possibilities are so many we can't really waste our time hate reading something unless that's what you want to do of course.
Starting with January:
Agua by Manuel Guerrero Legarreta
Not for me. It contains a few interesting facts, but the way is portrayed is simply out boring. I wanted something more science-heavy, it feels like it's too simplified. I assume it accomplish its goal of making it accessible to everyone but it was not what I wanted.
I initially picked this book for the challenges:
Around the world- Author from Mexico
Books in Spanish
Read Latin/Spanish authors
The famished road by Ben Okri
The first book in the Famished Road trilogy
This is meant to be heartbreaking and sad. It does cover very depressing topics.In short, this is a novel about an African community struggling and failing to be born, the community a microcosm of Africa. We have a very hard-to-define magical realism or possibly a boy who has a very vivid imagination or is simply crazy.
It felt like the plot, the pacing, did not work for me. It was confusing and that made the social commentary a little bit less prominent. I put this book aside and picked it up again a few times during this month but I wasn't able to complete it.
Reader sin confession, I skipped a few chapters, then skimmed, then read the ending. It seemed to improve or at least become intriguing enough that I decided to push through and try the second one.
This is a book I would not recommend, it needs to go to those people who enjoy the confusing and out-there magical realism that is mostly whimsical- not plot-rich. In the social commentary, some aspects were interesting but then we got distracted by a completely unrelated plotline, to then turn back to 3 steps behind before the tangent started. You might need to power through or maybe I can try to reread and see if the second time I connect more to it.
This was used for the challenges:
Around the world- Nigeria
Read more POC authors
Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth by Avi Loeb
This was totally a cover choice. Also, the title seems so interesting, I just love the idea of life outside of Earth and expected this to be a science-heavy book that I could reference in my exploration of the topic.
I ran into this book at the library and it was the first I had tried by this author. In a single sense: Not for me.
It had a good overall topic, the idea of having the hypothesis based on that object that went through our sky in those 11 days- the idea sound interesting but the execution left much to be desired. The way it was written felt longer than necessary and boring. Most likely the issue is the person is an expert on his topic does not mean that his writing style is captivating or even inspiring.
Might be just a-me-issue. Go into this knowing we will get 70% of the author's memoirs, the storyline does not go in chronological order and sometimes he focuses on aspects that are not as relevant, but oh well what do I know?
Would still advise reading it for other people interested in science and enthusiasts about life outside Earth.
Challenge:
Go more to your local Library
February was a better month.
That little voice in your head: adjust the code that runs your brain by Mo Gawdat
Self-Help, Nonfiction
That on its own is very shaky ground. I am struggling to appreciate self-help books normally so I don't know why I picked this one.
It was meant to accomplish the challenges:
Around the world: Egypt
POC Author
Hay un dinosaurio en mi sopa: Una guía rápida sobre evolución biológica by Alvaro Chaos Cador.
Another one of the books where the idea is something I feel I should love but the execution fails me. It felt dry, prolonged unnecessary, and just boring.
This was for the challenges:
Around the World: Spain
Spanish/Latin author
Works in Spanish
As for March
Wanderlust: An Eccentric Explorer, an Epic Journey, a Lost Age by Reid Mitenbuler
This is the life story of a man who spent most of his life looking for places to discover and explore. He was a hungry attention seeker and definitely not humble. Hard to like someone like that. Interesting but it felt like it was too long so eventually the dragging out of the whole thing makes its hard to get through. I decided to give up, the story was repetitive and the characters unlikeable, nothing worth pushing through it.
Wendolin Kramer by Laura Fernandez
The book was pitched to me with: Wendolin Kramer is not just any girl. She's Wondergirl. Or so she thinks. She keeps an outfit, complete with a cape, in her wardrobe and waits for Kirk Cameron to answer her letters. Almost thirty years old, she lives with her domineering mother, her henpecked father, and her depressed, pink pooch, Earl, in a tiny apartment in post-Olympic Barcelona, running a detective agency from her bedroom. When she accepts a case to follow private investigator-cum-gigolo Francis Dómino, Wen plunges into an adventure that will change her life forever. While dealing with her mysterious client, she tangles with a comic-store clerk, an assassin, and the fans of Vendolin Woolfin, the bestselling romance novelist who hides a dark secret.
This is aimed toward YA and you can definitely tell. I normally enjoy children or YA but this did not click with me. It was too nonsensical. Also, the characters were annoying and I was really not rooting for anyone. Another case of this story is not for me.
It might still be very enjoyable to other audiences, though it is a very quick read at least.
This was used for the challenges:
Around the world: Spain
Spanish/Latin author
End of watch By Stephen King
3rd book in the Bill Hodges trilogy
Quick book description: In End of Watch, the diabolical “Mercedes Killer” drives his enemies to suicide, and if Bill Hodges and Holly Gibney don’t figure out a way to stop him, they’ll be victims themselves.
That on its own sound intriguing. It started ok, but then the book just drags and it becomes so predictable. The characters were not my favorites to start with so the fact we focus on their own personal struggles instead of the actual plot- it just went downhill as the chapters progressed.
This was used towards the challenges:
Author backlog: Stephen King
Complete/Continue series
Small Steps By Louis Sachar
Companion book to Holes
Book pitch: Two years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is home in Austin, Texas, trying to turn his life around. But it’s hard when you have a record, and everyone expects the worst from you. The only person who believes in him is Ginny, his 10-year-old disabled neighbor. Together, they are learning to take small steps. And he seems to be on the right path, until X-Ray, a buddy from Camp Green Lake, comes up with a get-rich-quick scheme. This leads to a chance encounter with teen pop sensation, Kaira DeLeon, and suddenly his life spins out of control, with only one thing for certain. He’ll never be the same again.
So to start with we have 2 side characters from Holes as main characters, and those were not the ones I had any sort of attachment to. Bad start.
This is something people might love, but it was just not for me. It's a predictable coming-of-age convened with second opportunities with sprinkles of stupid decisions made by teenage boys who want to get rich using shortcuts and then realize it's not easy.
In short, it was not for me.
I am getting more comfortable in DNF-ing books, otherwise, I will drive myself to a reading slump. You do you, if you want to put a book down and then come back to it at a later time- go for it. Whatever makes you happy.
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