Recent books I DNF’d

I generally mark books as DNF (did not finish) all the time. If I’m not enjoying a book, I stop reading it. Luckily, I’ve read some great books recently and haven’t marked a book as DNF for a while. But here are some I DNF’d recently.

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Recent books I haven’t finished

The Sunbird by Wilbur Smith – will not try again

In Wilbur Smith’s The Sunbird, Dr. Ben Kazin is a brilliant archeologist. Louren Sturvesant is rich, impulsive, and physically imposing, everything Ben is not. Now, the two men–friends, competitors and partners–are searching for the legendary lost city of Opet, built by who escaped the fall of Carthage two thousand years ago.

For Ben, the expedition is a chance to prove a controversial thesis. For Louren, it is a chance to spend millions–and make it all back in gold and glory. But what awaits them is an astounding discovery, a siege of terror, and an act of betrayal that will tear the two men apart and bind them together forever…

Hidden beneath water, jungle, and blood-red cliffs is a lost world where two men and a beautiful woman were caught in a furious battle of passions two thousands years ago, but which has begun once again….

omg I hated this book. The narrator is so pretentious. Like the absolute worst. What a misogynistic, pretentious asshole. Louren was pretty good, even if he had questionable morals, and I really liked Sally. But Ben was the. worst. I stopped after the first half

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All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – might try again

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
 
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
 
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

Even reading the summary, I really want to like this. Like I really really want to. It sounds so interesting. But I hate Finch. I’m sorry but he’s the worst. Again, the most pretentious asshole ever. Violet honestly has 0 personality, which I think is kind of the point, but it’s a problematic point. Maybe some day I’ll finish it, but I’m more likely to watch the movie when it comes out.

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Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay – will try again

Provence, in the south of France, is a part of the world that has been—and continues to be—called a paradise. But one of the lessons that history teaches is that paradise is coveted and fought over. Successive waves of invaders have claimed—or tried to claim—those vineyards, rivers, olive groves, and hills.

In Guy Gavriel Kay’s new novel, Ysabel, this duality—of exquisite beauty and violent history—is explored in a work that marks a departure from Kay’s historical fantasies set in various analogues of the past.

The protagonist is Ned Marriner, the fifteen year-old son of a well-known photographer. Ned has accompanied his father, Edward Marriner, and a team of assistants to Provence for a six week “shoot.” Ysabel takes place in the world of today: in a modern springtime, in and around the celebrated city of Aix-en-Provence near Marseilles. Dangerous, mythic figures from the Celtic and Roman conflicts of the past erupt into the present, claiming and changing lives.

My friend Andrew recommended this book to me YEARS ago and I finally found a copy at a second-hand store one day. I was really enjoying it, but also in the middle of the worst book slump ever. I literally read TWO BOOKS that whole year (2015). I will definitely be picking this one up again as I’m still super interested in it.

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Let me know if you’ve read any of these books! What were your thoughts? What books have you recently put down?

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