Get ready for a bit of a rant, y’all! Now, I know this can’t just be me but I have this little OCD-like quirk when it comes to books. No matter how much I am not enjoying a read, I will push through. I will keep this teeny tiny unicorn poop pellet of hope that maybe, just maybe, things will get better. Why?
Because, I HATE NOT FINISHING BOOKS!
I don’t know what it is but it bothers me. My friend Melody is the complete opposite. She is perfectly capable of having no conflicting emotions whatsoever about marking a book DNF and moving on.
“I don’t give a fuck. I don’t waste no time.” *sings* “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”
I have never DNFed a book before. Even some really crappy ones. I read one a couple months ago that irked the living hell out of me. I was so passionately irked, I just had to run to Amazon and leave my frustrations in a 2-star review. I avoid reviewing books that I may give a low rating to. I want to support and encourage more times than not but this one was just not getting away without a rant. I felt all that and I STILL finished that damn book. The incomplete factor in a book gives me hives. Even if they were a Free One-Click. Imagine the ones I PAID for. Even more so, I want to make sure I finish them.
Well, the day came, folks.
There are a couple books that I marked as “currently reading” on Goodreads that have been sitting there…waiting…incomplete status. I’ve been telling myself that I’ll eventually get to them because hopping on my Goodreads and seeing them there as “currently reading”–STILL–and knowing others see it, gives me anxiety.
I had to finally ask myself the real and hard questions.
“Desiree. Are you really going to finish it? Are you even interested in going back in? Do you even remember what the hell is happening in the story?” *crickets*
This has happened before and I have gone back just to get it over with and finish. This time around though, I must be honest and admit that it’s just not going to happen. I don’t even remember what happened in the story. Le sigh. And so, we have Desiree’s first DNF. *hangs head in shame*
Let’s look at my list of “Currently Reading” from my Goodreads page and discuss which are getting the dreaded, “DNF” marking and the ones I’m still holding out hope for.
The List:
Oh, Julian. Julian, Julian. I was so excited for this. I had actually seen a book blogger post a beautiful picture on Instagram with this book that had just released. Some of you already know I’m a book cover slut. If I see one that just smacks me in the gut like a hot guy passing by, turning and giving you that grin that oozes alluring pheromones; Pfft! You’ve got me! *wipes drool from side of mouth*
Funny, that the very title of this one gave that exact feel and scenario. “The Allure of Julian Lefray” by R.S. Grey seemed cute, sexy and promising. I remember purchasing it and jumping right in.
Lately, I’ve been on a New Adult/Adult Contemporary Romance kick. I haven’t forgotten you YA, I’ll come back, but I’ve just been in the mood for funny, sweet, sexy reads.
Normally, I’ll finish these in one sitting. The fact that I got as far as 80% and for some reason stopped makes me wonder. Something must not have been grasping my attention. Sadly, for the life of me, I can’t even remember anything about the story. Nothing. If I can’t recall any events from the book, that tells me something.
It’s been weeks. I’d look at my Kindle, starting a whole new adventure in another book and think, “Should I?” Nope. That was always my lackluster response. Finally, this morning I crossed, once again my Goodreads and it was there. Staring at me. Mocking me. The incomplete failure that all have seen, sitting there, festering. (Yes, I’m well aware of my dramatics) I asked Melody about DNFs and how she goes about it on her GR (goodreads) and she talked me off the shame spiral I was taking myself through over intentionally choosing not to finish a book.
And so I did it. I marked my first DNF today. It was both liberating and cringe-worthy, but felt like freedom all the same. It was official. I removed this weight off my shoulders. Sorry Julian, the allure was there. Your staying power? Not so much. Hmm *strokes imaginary beard* this could totally be a life metaphor about guys and dating but if I start on that train, we’re gonna be bunny trailing this little blog post WAY off course.
On to the next book’s life sentence!
Now, here’s a book that I was really excited to get–okay, maybe I should stop saying that ’cause I seem to say this about every book. I bought this fresh, sunny, summer read and took it on a roadtrip with me.
I began reading “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Morgan Matson and it was cute and mysterious. There’s this whole premise about one from the bestie duo who just up and disappeared and no one knows anything about how or why. The mystery factor is what keeps you pushing through, wanting to know. There’s also a list left to the bestie behind, challenging her to do things outside of her comfort zone.
All this sounded like an adorable and enjoyable read. Somewhere along the way–I’m guessing around 43%–I was feeling a little worn out waiting for the mystery to be solved. I became invested, hoping for the MC’s possible love interest sub-plot to pick up but the story started dragging and I just put it on pause. This was back in December.
Now, I don’t think I will DNF this one. I want to finish it. I’m curious and do remember the events of what I’ve read so far. So, this one survives the chopping block. I will finish you one day–hopefully before the end of the year.
Oh, “Beautiful Elixir” by Addison Moore, how I wanted to like you. I really did. But, holy hell, I’ve never disliked a main character/heroine so much before. I have been an avid reader of Addison Moore. She was one of those Automatic one-click authors for me. I loved her “3am Kisses” series and read and enjoyed the first two books in the “Beautiful Oblivion” series. This here is the third book in that series. I should’ve known something was up when I read the latest from her “3am Kisses” series and for the first time, did not enjoy it. I was sadly, disappointed. I expected so much more and it just fell flat. Then I saw this one come out and started it.
47% later I just stopped. I’m surprised I got that far but like I’ve been saying, I have a thing about not finishing a book. I just cant do it–till now. Let me just say, when it comes to New Adult/Adult contemporary romances, I forgive A LOT from main characters and their romantic leads. I go in usually not taking them all that serious. I read a lot of NA/Adult romance for the fun thrill of it. Sometimes, you find those authors that just do it right. But not always.
Anyway, this was just one MC I could not forgive and get past. This chick was a pathological liar and there was nothing appealing or redeeming about her. The entire time I’m thinking, “What the hell is wrong with this guy? Why is he into her?! She’s horrible! She’s so flippant and irritatingly indecisive.”
The more I read, the more annoying she was. My main characters by no means need to be perfect but there was nothing likable about this chick. Again, this has happened to me before and I STILL pushed through and finished those stories. This one? I just couldn’t.
So, after this liberating and nerve wrecking decision, I thought long and hard–okay, not that long or hard–and decided this book will just have to be the second victim in the DNF fate of books.
Ah, cute YA contemporary. This is one of the good ones. I know it is! I was really enjoying it, I remember. I believe I read that 45% of “My Life Next Door” by Huntley Fitzpatrick in one sitting. Don’t ask me what happened because I couldn’t tell ya. At some point I stopped and never picked it back up.
I plan to. This is one of those I will not DNF. I want to finish and relish all the cuteness. Unfortunately, I am Dori (forgetful character from Finding Nemo) so I don’t remember much if anything about what I have read. It was a while ago so, I’m gonna say that’s the reason.
Fear not, cuties, once I find myself in that ‘easy breezy YA contemporary’ feel again, you and I. It’s a date.
Last but not least…
This book. This. Book. I had bought this during the hype of the upcoming conclusion to the series, “Champion“ was about to be released. “Legend” by Marie Lu was the YA book that year. The entire series was being praised and if you read YA, then you just had to have read this.
I got it. I cracked it open and started reading. For some reason, Goodreads won’t give me a percentage progress on this so I marked it as 60 pages out of 305. Not very far…
I liked what I had read thus far. Dystopian is my favorite genre. I love it hence I’m even writing in the sub-genre myself. This is one of the Dystopian books that everyone is telling me I must read. I know. I’m sorry! I believe what happened was that at the the time I cracked this open, I just wasnt in that mindset to read it. I was in the mood for something completely different. Sometimes, you’re just not in the mood for a certain type of read and that has nothing to do with that particular book. The book could be amazing! You’re just not ready to read it at that moment.
Well, that’s what happened here. Unfortunately, that pretty thing up there has been sitting and waiting…and waiting. I just havent found my way back to it. With that said, this puppy’s not getting the DNF stamp. I will most definitely be reading this and the following two in the trilogy. When? Not sure, but it’s gonna happen, dammit.
Oh, brother. That was all a mouthful. I hope you all enjoyed and hopefully, I’m not the only one in this struggle out there. Do you DNF? Are you a little neurotic like me and NEED to finish books even if they’re sucking?
Where do you stand on marking books DNF? Let’s talk about it!
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