Recent Reads | 006

This isn't your standard "recent reads" post because the truth is, I didn't read any of these books. Or, to be more accurate, I didn't finish reading any of these books. 

Part of what my reading goal has reminded me this year is that there are SO. MANY. BOOKS. I want to read. I often feel like I'll never make it through my "to read" pile, because it grows more quickly than my "read" pile.

What I've finally realised is that if I don't enjoy a book, I don't have to finish it. I no longer hold myself to an unrealistic standard of having to finish a book before I move to the next one. It doesn't matter whether I've read 2 pages or 200. If I'm not feeling it, I can hit pass and move on to the next one. 

Here are some books I have recently passed on and why.

All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr

I really, really wanted to love this book. I usually gobble up WWII historical fiction, but I just couldn't get into this one. I think this is a reflection on me rather than on the book. I had so much on my plate at the time I was trying to read it that I read it in tiny pockets of free time. When I rarely gave it more than 10 consecutive minutes, it was hard to get into the flow of the story. I did try though - I probably got more than halfway through it. Because it seems to be so widely loved, I will definitely give this one another try when I have more time to dedicate to it. 

Inside the O'Briens Lisa Genova

I really enjoyed "Still Alice" when I read it years ago, so I was really looking forward to this book. However, I didn't make it through more than about 10 pages. I found the writing so choppy and irritating that I returned it to the library within days. I don't know whether my tastes have matured or whether her writing style has changed, but this wasn't for me. I did consider whether the style would lend itself to an audiobook rather than the written word, but don't have the inclination to listen to books.

The Good Life Hugh Mackay

I read a passage from this book on Cup of Jo over a year ago, and it inspired me so much that I ran out and bought the book. To it's credit, I think the book is probably amazing. My problem was that I found every page so thought-provoking that I couldn't digest it all at a time. I kept putting it to the side in order to let the ideas sink in, which really disrupted the flow of the book. I don't think I made it through the second chapter. I do intend to pick it up again at some stage - probably at the end of the year when I'm no longer trying to get through a book a week. It's not that kind of book. I guess there's also the chance that the book is terrible, and the quote I've linked to is the only pearl of wisdom in the whole thing. Have you ever read the book? Do I persevere?

I hope you've enjoyed this unfinished books report - if you're a book-quitter like me, what reads have you given up on lately? 

Comments

[Anna]

I'm about halfway into All the Light We Cannot See and liking it (though did find it hard to get into). I'm the opposite - I'm not usually super into WWII books but I've been enjoying this one, though it hasn't yet blown my mind like the Internet promised it would. And I should get better about quitting books - I once spent months plowing through a biography and since I didn't love it, I didn't read much.