Guys, all I did in 2019 was work a lot a lot a lot and move (to Sacramento). THAT’S IT. It was RUFF (Heh. Get it? Because I’m a vet. You know, dog barking? No? Okay nevermind). Anyway, the point is that because I was busy, I was in the WORST reading rut. Every book I picked up, I put down. I ended up reading (or attempting to read) 35 books. I DNF (did not finish) 10 of them. So let’s see what they were and why the heck I couldn’t finish them.
1. You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley
Ugh, this book was building up such a story. BUT I was so torn by the hinted love triangle* that I had to stop. I WAS TOO STRESSED! I LIKED BOTH DUDES, GAH! So I had to stop.
*I don’t even know if that love triangle was going to be real, so I could have been way off the mark. it’s just what my brain was deciding based on the stakes that were being established and what not.
2. Dracul by Dacre Stoker & J.D. Barker
Why did I think reading a HORROR story around Christmas was a good idea? IT WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA. I adore horror 11 months of the year. ALL EXCEPT DECEMBER. So I had to stop. I will definitely be picking this one up again come fall.
3. The Tiger Catcher by Paullina Simons
I picked this up because I wanted to read THE BRONZE HORSEMAN again. But guys, this doesn’t have Alexander nor Tatiana in it, and it doesn’t even take place in Russia during WWII. So, what the heck was I thinking? Needless to say, I picked up the book I meant to (The Bronze Horseman) after I set this one down.
4. The Barter by Siobhan Adcock
I blame Audible for this one. It was a part of the romance audiobooks subscription I had. I don’t like your typical romance novels, but I adore love stories, and this one straight-up said “a ghost story and a love story” on the back blurb! HELL YES, I LOVE BOTH OF THOSE THINGS. By 30% there still wasn’t much hint of love story I was hunting for (there was lots of the ghost story, though, which was freaking awesome), so I had to put it down.
5. Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
I read this during an uber stressful time of my life, thinking THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEED. I was wrong. I was too often reminded of all the things that were stressing me out, so it only fueled my anxiety fire.
6. Inspection by Josh Malerman
Looking back, I try to remember why I DNF this one. I’m drawing blanks. I think this one was simply a sad victim to the horrible reading rut I was in. I actually really liked what I read…. maybe I should pick it up again?
7. Kingsbane by Claire Legrand
100% DNF this one because it was smack dab in the middle of my move. In fact, just seeing the cover of this book stresses me out, because I remember a life packed in boxes, a kitchen with no food, and unorganized mess from corner to corner in my house. Yes, so, sorry KINGSBANE. It wasn’t you, it was me.
8. The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
I LOVED the characters in the The Tea Rose and The Winter Rose, so I found when I started this one, I just missed those characters.
9. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
I am going to blame all of you for this one: too much dang hype.
10. Time’s Convert by Deborah Harkness
Look, THE DISCOVERY OF WITCHES is one of my favorite books ever, so I was STOKED when a spin-off book was released…. but then… I just missed Matthew and Diana. And every scene in this book that had them just made me wish I was reading the original series. So DNF it was.
What’s the most recent book you DNF?
A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.
