When Do You DNF a Book?
A couple of months ago, I wrote about My Top 5 Favorite Reads. Well today, I decided it would be fun to continue the series but with My Top 5 Hated Reads. Most of these are books I pushed through and read until end because no one wants to be a quitter. But over the last several months, I've learned that it's okay to put a book down and never pick it up again if you aren't enjoying it. Looking back now, I wish I had done this with all of these books.
1984
If there is one thing to know about me, I hate politics with a passion. I do not care who is running, I don't care to know what the government is up to, and I really hate hearing people's opinion on the matter. So when I was forced to read 1984 in high school, I was not a happy camper. Even though considered a classic I did not find 1984 entertaining in any way. I often found myself bored wanting to know when it would finally be over. The ending was also predictable from page one. If you are thinking of picking up a book I say turn the other way if you come across 1984.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Another classic and another high school book forced on the students. Even though slightly better than 1984, Mark Twain could not capture the adventure one would hope to have with a title as such. Going along with the characters on a very bumpy ride, I was left unsatisfied with the overall book. A surprise considering how much I've loved other stories from Mark Twain.
The Mourning Emporium
I picked this book up but after seeing the cover. Beautiful and unique I thought the story inside would be similar. Boy was I wrong! You can see my long winded book review here as to why it makes my Top 5 hated books.
A Walk to Remember
'And I lift my hands and pray' that I could turn back time to tell my younger self to not read this book. For those who love the movie, you will be surely disappointed in the book. Not something one usually says when it comes to book/movie adaptations. Everything about this book is boring. Characters, scenes, dialogue. It's all boring! How this book got a movie deal is beyond me because they are two separate and completely different stories. I've also come to learn I'm not a big Nicolas Sparks fan as many of his tales are in the same location with the same washed up storyline you will read again and again. Skip the book go straight to the movie!
The Lake
This is a book I picked up late this year and is the first DNF I've ever had when it comes to reading. Author Natasha Preston has made a name of herself over the last several years with her Wattpad stories becoming traditionally published based on their online popularity. Hearing of this, I had to check it out for myself. Picking The Lake as one of my first reads, I was utterly shocked at how boring and poorly the story was written. I was finding myself often questioning how a publisher had picked the story up at all. The suspense build ups everyone talked about were questionable and the characters were unlikable. I gave it the old college try and after 114 pages gave the book to a friend instead. I would assume all of Natasha Preston's books are similar and if so, avoid at all costs.
Update: My friend also thought the book was awful.
Final Thoughts
I find the concept strange of how certain people like certain material over others. In this case, I just don't know how people could read these books or how they were published in the first place.
Since writing this, I have come across a few other book I had to DNF and now make the list of terrible books I wished I didn't spend time on including, The Goldfinch, The Lovely and Dangerous Launch of Lucy Cavanaugh, and An Untimely Death. Maybe when I was younger I would have liked these more, but the more I read and write I find myself becoming more particular in my choices.
Let me know in the comments below what your 5 hated reads are! I can start making a list of books to stay away from.
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