Hosted by Sheila from Book Journey, this is a weekly event to share what we’ve read in the past week and what we hope to read, plus whatever else comes to mind.
Finished Last Week:
Did Not Finish:
Not one but two books made the DNF pile this year. The first one, Deep Blue, was probably lovely. I just kept thinking of Disney’s The Little Mermaid and knew I was in trouble. There was little world-building, and the whole tone of the novel was a bit too young for my taste. I’m sure it is a lovely novel, especially since Ms. Donnelly wrote it, but I am not the target audience, and I really struggled to suspend disbelief for the fantasy elements. Given how much I do love a good fantasy story, I’m still surprised by my vehement reaction, but there it is.
The second book is also a surprise DNF for me. I adored Jen Lancaster’s The Tao of Martha and was really looking forward to hearing her same snark and observations again. I struggled with the fact that I know how certain things in her life turn out because The Tao of Martha occurs several years after Jeneration X. It also sounds like she is still trying to find her voice. What was sarcastic perfection in Martha becomes awkward and forced in this one. Rather than sit through several more hours of this uncomfortableness, I opted to just remember my Jen Lancaster experience fondly with her outstanding most recent release.
Currently Reading:
Currently Listening:
Up Next:
What are you reading?
I received Catching Air on Netgalley, but haven’t read it yet. I haven’t read anything by this author, either. Did you enjoy it? I need to go back to see if you have a review and decide if it’s worth putting on my TBR list. 🙂
I enjoyed Jeneration X and had a hard time with Tao of Martha and ended up not finishing that one! Lol. Sorry to hear X didn’t work out for you. I always feel bad when I have a DNF but there’s too many good books out there to keep reading bad ones.
I actually considered requesting Deep Blue and thought the same thing as you…I kept thinking of The Little Mermaid and couldn’t do it. LOL.
Hope you enjoy your reads this week! I look forward to your reviews!
I haven’t posted the review of Catching Air yet. It will go up closer to its publication date. I’ve read all of Sarah’s books; this one isn’t my favorite but still an enjoyable read.
I’m very picky on audiobooks. I’ll torture myself with print books, but if an audiobook isn’t working for me, I find it easier to stop listening and officially DNF them. I really did like The Tao of Martha. I think going back and reading her older stuff doesn’t quite work because she shares so much of her life. It’s difficult to listen to her stories about living in a Chicago apartment when I know she moved into a gorgeous house in the suburbs. I think that was my biggest issue. Knowing what happens to her life in the future made it difficult for me to care about whatever she was angsting about at the moment.
I got about 50 pages into it and just knew that if I kept reading, I would seriously dislike it and write a fairly nasty review, which is not fair to Jennifer or the publisher. Much, much easier to stop before I got any further into it and started swearing while reading.
Thanks, Brandie! Have a great week!
I read Jeneration X and found it to be hilarious. It’s probably a favorite of mine. Sorry you didn’t find it as funny.
I just didn’t. I couldn’t get into it and found myself ignoring my phone in order to avoid listening to it. I got it off of your recommendation too. Boo for me.