DNF 2009

Here is my list of the books I could not, would not, or refused to finish in 2009. There is still December to think of but as I am on a Miss Read kick combined with other Christmas reads, I seriously do not think I will run into any more books I won't be able to finish this year.

1. Why We Hate by Dick Meyer - On an every day basis I have to deal with people who irk...those who think everybody else wants to listen to their music; people who don't even know there is such a thing as cell phone etiquette; people who have forgotten to use words like hello, good-bye, thank you, you're welcome, have a nice day, excuse me; and so on and so forth because Lord knows I could go on forever. Since I have to live it, I choose not to immerse myself in a book about it...too frustrating (especially if I do not agree with the author on some of the causes and the cures). (p.22) I wrote this DNF note at the beginning of the year and have since moved to a town where I haven't encountered these same frustrations but I still won't be reading this one...too negative.

2. Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov - Just can't do it and believe me I tried...65 pages of trying but here is the thing, I have a thirteen year old daughter and I can't turn off that mother part of me when reading a book...just can't. I chose Lolita for one of my mini-challenges where you are asked to read a book outside of your comfort zone and this has always been that book for me...and I guess it will continue to be so. (p. 65)

3. Thirteen by Lauren Myracle - My daughter began this series with Eleven and it has become a tradition for me to buy the latest installment on her corresponding birthday. She loved Eleven and Twelve but had a hard time finishing Thirteen. I decided to give Thirteen a try for my YA challenge but couldn't get into the story. Maybe I should have started at the beginning but I can tell when a book/author just isn't the right fit. (Chapter 2)

4. Writing Home by Alan Bennett - This book is a good read but at 600+ pages it is too much Bennett all at once. I will return and finish this at some point.

5. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen - Janzen is very funny and there was one part in this memoir where she describes what it was like to go on camping trip with her family that I was laughing so hard I had to put the book down. But I couldn't get past the feeling that under the layer of humor she was jabbing members of her family and the community she had grown up in in a mean-spirited way. There were also two too many incidences of TMI which as my age progresses my tolerance for decreases. (p. 61)

Going over this list has got me thinking about the books I did finish but couldn't stand. On some occasions I finished because I was reading for a challenge. On others, my curiosity to see how the book ended sustained me through my disdain. But the first question asked when I say I didn't like a book is 'why did you keep reading' and, looking back, whatever the reason it wasn't good enough to justify the time and the frustration. I should have moved on and, if I have any reading resolutions for 2010, to move on will be at the top of my list.