Recent DNFs

Asylum Hotel:  I was so incredibly bored in this book.  The beginning was creepy and intriguing, but at about14% it completely slowed down. If it had continued that creepiness into the rest of the book I might have continued. Instead, i just stopped caring.

What She Doesn't Know: I saw this author pitching this on Instagram, so I was intrigued. However, the opening scene where a boy is creeping on his best friend's little sister instantly turned me off of this book.  Then it moves to a podcast where the main character is telling her story.  I had no interest. I also found out that it's a love triangle which is not a trope I enjoy.  I was done.

The Resident Murder:  I tried so many times to get into this book.  Again, it's another one I found incredibly boring.  The main character was kind  was not enough to keep me wanting to find out what happened.  

The Caretaker:  I had to stop reading this one at about 50%.  I was so tired of living in the head of the main character.  It was like the entire book was a fever dream hallucination.  It was exhausting trying to keep the events of the book straight and trying to figure out what was reality and was wasn't..  Maybe others don't mind, but I have too many other things to read that won't tire me out.

January DNFs

The Bridesmaid:  I really wanted to like this book because the premise sounded like a good mystery.  However, I found there were too many characters to keep track of and they were all kind of annoying. Especially Holly.  She was too quirky  and "edgy" for my liking.

Beth is Dead:  I didn't realize this was a loose Little Women retelling.  I was bored from the beginning.  I'm not a fan of retellings so that may have skewed my opinion.  There were no likable characters.  I really didn't care int he end find find out what happened. 

The End of The World As We Know It:  The Stand is one of my all-time favorite horror novels.  So I had high hopes for this collection of stories set in that world.  Unfortunately, I didn't like any of the stories that I did manage to make it through.  I felt like they were all trying too hard.  I got through about 5 stories and gave up.

August DNFs

Not Quite Dead Yet:  I can suspend disbelief for a lot of things.  However, there is no way a woman who was brutally beaten and sustained a drastic head injury could just get up and walk out to try to solve her own attempted murder.  It doesn't  work like that.  Also, I was surprised to learn that the main character was in her late 20s.  I thought she was a teenager.  At least she and the others around her acted like they were.  I gave up about 15% in.

With a Vengeance:  I am beginning to think that I just need to give up on this author.  This is the second book in a row that I just could not get through.  It's sad because I did like a couple of his earlier books.  However, this one was so boring.  I gave it about 35% and gave up.  I didn't care about any of the characters. 

More Recent DNFs

An Inquiry into Love and Death:  This author has always been a hit or miss for me.  Unfortunately this first book by her was a miss.  I was bored. I wanted to be creeped out by a ghost story, but it never really happened. I also thought the detective was a creep.  He just shows up at the house and declares he is staying with an unmarried, unchaperoned young woman? Definitely a creep.  The insta-love on her part also killed it for me. 

Ghost Camera:  I'm not sure I can call this a full DNF.  I did make it through the main story, Ghost Camera and about 3 of the other short stories included in the audiobook.  But I ended up losing interest in the rest of the stories. They weren't very interesting.  Maybe I'll go back some day and finish them.  But for now, I'll move on.  

How to Make Friends with the Dark:  I only made it about 25% into this book.  I found it really depressing and worse I found it profoundly boring.  I'm not sure that a book that is supposed to be about dealing with grief should be boring. But it was.  

The Briar Club:  I was the only one in the book club who DNF'd this one.  I peaced out when the son of the boarding house was encouraged to lie to his mother about the parties that went on when his mother wasn't home.  Couldn't get behind that one... it gave me the ick. He was a minor.   I don't care what kind of mother she was, it was not someone else's place to tell him what to do especially because he was a minor.  

Books I DNF'd in February

Promicide:  I was hoping for a good cheesy 80s themed prom serial killer book.  Instead, I got a gross, unfocused maybe supernatural book that kept trying to remind me it was set in the 80s.  I lost interest after I realized I couldn't connect with the characters.  I don't recommend.

Missy's Murder:  I love a good true crime book.  This one wasn't one.  I made it about halfway through and gave up. I was bored.  I appreciated that the author was trying to create suspense around what happened, but it just wasn't there.  I googled it instead.

Night of the Storm:  Still having no luck with thrillers.  I hated every character in this book.  If I had to wait out a hurricane with these characters, I would probably take my chances with the weather.  At one point, the main character's car is damaged in the storm.  She actually thinks the social worker who is investigating her as a mother will not understand why she can't show up for an appointment once the storm is over.  I think the worker would understand given the massive hurricane.  It was all nonsense and I couldn't spend any more time in her head.

Tag, You're Dead:  I had a hard time following this audiobook.  I had no idea what was going on.  There were too many characters to follow.  The narrator made everyone sound the same. I had a hard time remembering whose perspective I was following.  The story was all over the place and I don't recommend.

October DNFs - 4 Books I Gave Up On

The Narrow:  I seem to either love or not so much like books by this author.  Unfortunately, this one ended up being a DNF.  I was really bored.  I realized that I didn't even care about the main character, so I gave up.  Let's hope for the best with the next one.

Friends Don't Lie:  I think I'm over stories where the main character's actions make no sense.  Why not just approach the woman and say, "Hey, I have the same name as you and people keep thinking I'm you.  Can you fix it?"  The whole premise didn't sit right with me.  I gave up half way through.

The Legacies:  I wanted to like this, but it just wasn't remotely realistic.  The teens were insufferable and just awful people.  The parents were as bad as the teens.  There was no one to root for.  I gave up about 50% in.

Their Vicious Games:  I gave up at the 65% mark.  There were so many plot holes in the book. How they kept what was really going on so quiet for so long is anyone's guess.  Also, why?  What was the motive?  The main character comes from an upper middle class family.  Her parents have excellent jobs as teachers in an elite private school.  They aren't poor.  Yet all she does is complain.  Not for me.

September DNFs

The Chateau:  Instead of the mystery I was hoping to get, I got a bunch of middle aged whiny women.  Every single one of them had an issue.  I've had my fill of stories like this.  They just make me roll my eyes.  I didn't care what happened to any of them.

Ghost Radio:  This one was so confusing.  I had no idea what was going on.  I listened to the beginning a couple of times, but couldn't figure it out.  So, I gave up.

Murder on a School Night:  I'm not sure what kind of teenagers this author of this book has been around lately, but the do not talk like the girls in this book.  I read the first chapter...if I never read the word "vulva" ever again it will be too soon.  Why were these girls so over the top?  I really didn't care to find out.

August DNF's

This Delicious Death:  The premise of this book was interesting. Unfortunately the execution was not interesting in the least.  I hated the characters.  I felt like there was zero world building.  I really didn't care what happened to the characters. It's too bad because I really liked this author's last book.

The Hate Date:  I was really hoping for a cute Rom-Com. but this was clearly not it.  I found the characters incredibly immature.  The reason JJ wants to "get' revenge on her her is easily cleared up with a phone call to her lawyer.  I mean it's explained very clearly how she got her money. But then I guess here wouldn't be a plot.

A Novel Disguise:  I found nothing in this book to be the least bit amusing. I did not buy into any of the people in the house not knowing that the main character was in disguise.  I was also turned off when she kept telling me how attractive every male character she came across was to her.  It was off putting.

Murder on the Red River:  I hate cheating.  I have a hard time liking a character when she is knowingly in an affair.  I also disliked the main character.  I was just not interested in a book featuring a character who does not care for themselves.

June DNFs

Regrets Only:  I have to agree with a review I read about this that said I can't read another book about rich PTA moms.  Can we please stop painting PTA moms like this?  At any rate, it left a bad taste in my mouth.  I decided I didn't care what happened.

Vicious Circle:  This was just plain boring.  I would have thought a book that had a cult in it would be creepy, especially with the setting.  But it was just boring.  Again, I didn't care what happened to the main character.  I gave up.

You Must Remember This:  I was really bored (sensing a theme?0  The book also has really unlikable characters.  I guessed the ending and when I skipped ahead confirmed I was right.  I'm glad I didn't waste my time reading the whole thing.

The Headmaster's List:  I guessed the ending in the first few chapters.  It was really obvious as to who was driving.  It kind of ruined the journey for me, so I gave up.

Book I DNF'd in May

Late, I know...but here they are.

Road of Bones: This book was just really boring.  I had no idea what was going on.  I think I restarted it about 3 times.  I didn't find it spooky.  I didn't care for the characters.  This is another recent book by this author that I have DNF'd  Maybe it's a sign?

Cabin in the Woods: I gave up on this book about 30% in.  Again, I was bored.  The book was also not what I was expecting at all.  I didn't care for the dual timelines.  I didn't like any of the characters. It wasn't for me. 

Four Found Dead: This was a dud for me.  There was absolutely no suspense in the book.  I am usually a big fan of this author's books.  This one just fell short.  The beginning made no sense to me. I had a hard time buying that a movie theater in a mall had only one exit out into the mall.   I gave up about 20% in.

Games for Dead Girls:  I found this book really confusing.  Again, the dual timelines didn't work well.  Both of them were dull.  I really didn't care to figure out what was really going on.  I thought I was getting a horror story, but there was nothing like that in the first half of the book. I tried reading it a couple of times and when it expired at the library, I took it as a sign.

Books I DNF'd in April

Helltown:  I thought that this sounded like an interesting true crime book.  I live in the area, and had never heard about this serial killer.  However, I ended up DNF'ing the book I was really bored and learned more reading the Wikipedia page.  My biggest issue with the book is that the author keeps going off on tangents about Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer.  They are very loosely and remotely connected to the serial killer.  I felt like he was trying to fit them into a story where they really didn't fit.  I didn't want to read about the two authors, I wanted to read about the serial killer and his victims.

Head Cleaner:  I'll be honest, I have absolutely no idea what was going on in this book.  I think I listened to the first part 3 times.  I'm sure there is a good story in there somewhere, but it was just too confusing.  I don't recommend it.

Red Hands:  I am so sad to have DNF'd this one.  I did enjoy the first two books in the series.  This one was just boring.  There were way too many points of view.  Half of the characters I didn't care about.  I did flip to the end of the book, but the ending wasn't any better.  

This is Not the Real World:  This is the sequel to This is Not the Jess Show.  I was hoping for a good follow up to a mediocre book.  Instead, I got a snooze fest.  I realized that I just didn't care about what happened to Jess and her boyfriend. So I gave up.