Books We Didn't Finish - October Edition

Autumn:  It's been awhile since we've done one of these and I've had a hard time settling down with a book so I've got a LONG list!!

I've read David Levithan before and I've liked his books in the past so I was surprised that I didn't like Two Boys Kissing.  I didn't like the writing style.  It came across condescending.  I tried skipping past the beginning, but that lingered and I just didn't like it.

The Shining Girls was one of my highly anticipated books.  A serial killer traveling through time?  Sounds awesome, but the traveling through time part was what put me off.  I didn't like how the author would just plop the reader down right in the middle of the action with no explanation of what was going on.  It was confusing and I had a hard time keeping track of the story line.

Wow, I was really let down by Covet.  I loved The Island and had high expectations for this book.  It turned out to be whiny, upper middle-class women complaining that their husbands don't pay them enough attention because they're working too hard to make the money to give them their upper middle class lifestyles.  Blah.

Panopticon:  Dialect.  This one was like Scottish brogue or something.  It regularly has words like didnae, tae, shouldnae, dinnae, wasnae, cannae.  I can decipher these words within the context, but it slows down my reading rhythm.  I don't like reading dialect.


5 Days at Memorial:  I am not a non-fiction person.  I was, however, interested in reading a Katrina story.  The story of what happened at Memorial hospital was infamous.  I think a lot of people were anticipating this book.  However, there was just a lot of boring details about the architecture and history of the hospital, which I'm sure had relevance to the story in some way, but made it a total snoozer.  People wanted to know about flooding and death and dying and making agonizing choices...not architecture.

Forever Interrupted may be one of the saddest books I ever picked up.  Obviously just from reading the back you know it's going to be sad.  Couple is married for a week and the husband dies.  That's sad.  But the story is just way more sad than that.  It was just too depressing for me.  I couldn't handle it.

The Book of Someday.  The premise seemed promising.  It's about 3 unconnected women that are moving towards an event that will intertwine their lives.  Three women, three viewpoints.  It got to be a little much, and it just wasn't holding my interest enough.  Maybe at a time, when my life wasn't quite so busy I could handle a slower paced book, but right now I need something that gets to the point...now.  This one wasn't it.

Kari: My list isn't nearly as long, but here goes:)

I tried to read Dualed, but I found it dull.  I had a hard time orienting myself to the world in the story.  I found myself not really caring about what was going on. I am getting tired of books taht take over half the book to build the world for me.  I like to be oriented in the beginning.  It makes for a more enjoyable book. 

Liars and Lovers was my Retro Read selection for the month of October.  So far, I have enjoyed the books that Open Road Media has chosen for us bloggers in the program.  I finally found one I had a hard time getting through.  I felt like there were too many characters in the beginning.  It was slow in getting to the point.  I found myself putting it down in favor of other books.  Not a good sign for me.

 I'm honestly not sure what possessed me to try Stealing Harper.  I didn't care for Taking Chances, but I am always willing to give a book the benefit of the doubt.  Well, reading a story that I didn't' like the first time doesn't make it any better reading it a second time from another person's point of view.  I realized I didn't want to go through the story again, so I gave up.

I know that the "Just One Night" series, beginning with The Stranger, is supposed to be reasonably short stories.  I tried to read it, but halfway through The Stranger, I knew I would not like it.  I got tired of Kasie saying it was the last time she would sleep with Robert.  I also couldn't get over the cheating thing. If you are unhappy, leave first.  Otherwise, it's just slimy and sneaky.  I won't be finishing the series.