I wanted to read something christmassy but not a romance, so I picked up John Grisham’s Skipping Christmas. I honestly can’t believe this guy is as popular as he is. The writing is choppy and annoying, and I found myself dropping the book after only reading 1.5 chapters.
What are your fastest DNFs?
by NightReader5
9 Comments
**Twilight** and **Don Quixote**
I found a book that looked interesting at a used bookstore and it was signed by the author. I thought it was a memoir but in the introduction realized it was a self-help book written by a 17 year old that claimed to have more wisdom than any adult he had ever met and could solve all the worlds problems if only people would listen to him. I noped out after 5 pages. The writing was so bad I couldn’t even enjoy it for the comedic value.
If you think the book is bad, try watching Christmas With The Kranks. Absolutely bananas.
27 pages into Throne of Glass
I couldn’t accept the fact that a bratty, irritating, 17 year old (or something like that) girl was a world famous assassin.
She had the attitude of a preteen and – ugh – I couldn’t tolerate following her for another page let alone to the end of the book.
About 7 chapters into a good girls guide to murder . The writing style put me off.
A few pages.
I bought a nice leather-bound, Easton press copy of Moby Dick off of eBay based solely on the reputation it has as a classic. It only took a few pages for me to realize I couldn’t easily comprehend the language of the period without frequently looking things up. I was in my early twenties and hated every second of it, so I almost instantly shelved it.
Nearly twenty years later and I’m currently giving it another try. I’m currently eleven chapters in and it’s a little easier, but still not fun. It’s a real hassle trying to get through this book and I’m not really enjoying it. I hate giving up on books, but I’m not sure if I’ll make it to the end of this one.
Timely. I started Word by Word last night. Just in the preface: language is a vast index of words and their meanings we’ve acquired like hoarders. Rubbery blob of drooling baby. Dictionary writers “must ignore the puddle of useless words accumulating around their feet and seeping into their shoes.” Ick. There are more. Not sure how many more tortured and not even insightful metaphors I can take. Currently on page 6 of 300.
Something by Brad Metzger, I think. Or one of his indistinguishable colleagues. Calling it boilerplate would be an insult to both boilers and plates. I got through three pages of “this is the handsome, talented, FBI/Secret Service/CIA agent who plays by his own rules, expositing at home with his teenage daughter about the upcoming plot device.” That *can* be done well – see John Sanford – but it really, really wasn’t. The writing was *atrocious*.
About 30 pages into Gravity’s Rainbow. I didn’t understand what was going on and didn’t have the patience to continue.