Five Books I Did Not Finish

As they say, not every book is for everyone.  There was a time in my life when I felt that I absolutely needed to finish whatever book I started, no matter what.  However, as my reading preferences developed and I started reading quite consistently, I eased up on the need to finish every book.  It’s rare that I don’t but sometimes it just doesn’t work out.  It’s not that it’s a bad book, but in some way it just did not work for me.  I always find it interesting to hear about not only what books people love, but also what books they did not connect with.  So, here are five books that were not my cup of tea:

1. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
This is not a book I rushed to read, not even during the height of its hype.  At some point I came across it on a shelf at the library and thought I would give it a go.  As most of you know it is split into three parts, the first of which I found really gripping and could not put down.  During the second part however, it became a different book and I struggled to continue.  At a certain point I just stopped caring about the characters or knowing what happens and had to call it a day.

2. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
The premise of this book really appealed to me and I looked forward to reading it.  Usually there are a mix of reasons that contribute to a book being disappointing, however with this one I can point to one specific thing; the mother character.  By far one of the most irritating and ridiculous characters I have come across.  I guess it was supposed to be funny, amusing, and add humour to the plot, but for me all it did was not only distract from the story but completely overwhelm it.  I kept waiting for Audrey’s story but with the mother’s erratic behaviour taking centre stage for way too long, I had to close the book on this one.

3. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
There were a lot of little things that didn’t work for me with this book, however I wouldn’t have minded if the two main characters had been more appealing.  I didn’t feel Agnieszka had much personality and the Dragon was just a moody jerk (this does not equal depth).  After reaching the mid-point of the novel without any character development, it was time to bow out.

4. The Life of Elves by Muriel Barbery
I love books with magical realism, and this book seems to be strange and magical in all the best ways.  There are some beautiful passages, however I really struggled with the writing style.  I tried getting into the story but found myself having to reread sections in order to figure out the train of thought.  I love the idea of the story but the writing style was too much of a struggle.

5. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
I found this to have an interesting premise and I do enjoy Nick Hornby’s writing style.  However for a story like this to work, I feel like you have to connect to the characters in some way.  Unfortunately I found them to be quite unlikeable and didn’t care enough to follow their journey.

Sometimes a book is not the right one for you, for a variety of reasons.  And that’s okay.  Fortunately there are so many stories out there to explore, and you never know which one will be a favourite. 🙂