I grew up in the 80's loving this comic and was excited to start from the very beginning. I don't know when Peanuts became funny, but it was not at thI grew up in the 80's loving this comic and was excited to start from the very beginning. I don't know when Peanuts became funny, but it was not at the beginning in the early 50's. I know it was a different time, but the repeated sexism inclusions of how girls are inferior to boys in every way was annoying as well. DNF'd a little over half way through, because life is short and I have better things to read. ...more
DNF'd at 2% - did not even make it through the 1st chapter. Being inside the heroine's vacuous head is an experience for certain, one that most readerDNF'd at 2% - did not even make it through the 1st chapter. Being inside the heroine's vacuous head is an experience for certain, one that most readers enjoyed. But nah, I can't. ...more
DNF'd at 35%. Not helpful, not a resource, and not funny, though humor seems to be what the author was going for.DNF'd at 35%. Not helpful, not a resource, and not funny, though humor seems to be what the author was going for....more
So you’re telling me that in 2018 this book won the Pulitzer Prize, Lambda Award, AND the Andrew Carnegie Medal? Wow, the1.5 stars - I didn't like it.
So you’re telling me that in 2018 this book won the Pulitzer Prize, Lambda Award, AND the Andrew Carnegie Medal? Wow, the back 70% must be mind-blowing, because the first 30% was just mind-numbing. ------------------------------------------ First Sentence: From where I sit, the story of Andrew Less is not so bad. ...more
Reads like multiple rambling vignettes stitched together. The reader feels like they do not know what is going on, becaus1.5 stars - I didn't like it.
Reads like multiple rambling vignettes stitched together. The reader feels like they do not know what is going on, because, there is nothing really going on.
I preferred The Night Circus, which I blasphemously found to also be overrated and underwhelming. So...I’m thinking this author is not the best fit for me, though she is well-loved by many others.
DNF’d around 35% through, about 180 pages. ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: There is a pirate in the basement....more
DNF’d at 35% through. It is a self-help book being marketed as a novel. I do not believe I am the target audience as I ac1.5 stars - I didn't like it.
DNF’d at 35% through. It is a self-help book being marketed as a novel. I do not believe I am the target audience as I actually love my life which makes the reading of a nonapplicable self-help book toilsome.
I do love fiction and I love France, but those two things were not enough to make this one worthwhile for me. Perhaps it all turns around and becomes wonderful in the back half but I cannot endure the pain it would take to reach the end to know. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: Maybe I just needed to pull myself together and stop wallowing. And yet my thirty-something middle-class discontent wouldn’t let me go.
First Sentence: The raindrops crashing against my windshield grew larger and larger....more
The synopsis and comparison to Tom Perrotta set expectations for a literary drama, but reality was a lackluster, light er1.5 stars - I didn't like it.
The synopsis and comparison to Tom Perrotta set expectations for a literary drama, but reality was a lackluster, light erotica that failed to engage. I’ll never understand how authors can make a book about sex boring, but this is not the first to accomplish that feat and will probably not be the last. DNF’d at 67% with no cares to give about how it ends. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: She always tried hard when she wanted to win people over, never understanding that, sometimes, drifting away was exactly what made them follow.
First Sentence: Jayne couldn’t pinpoint exactly when she’d begun to dread date night....more
DNF'd around 55% through. It doesn't hold my attention, and it seems like examples and explanations go on forever.DNF'd around 55% through. It doesn't hold my attention, and it seems like examples and explanations go on forever....more
I had such high hopes for this one but at 40% through, I’m indifferent to finishing it. DNF’ing as there’s no excuse to not be 2 stars - Meh. Just ok.
I had such high hopes for this one but at 40% through, I’m indifferent to finishing it. DNF’ing as there’s no excuse to not be engaged after reading over 200 pages. While not bad, the plot moves along so slowly that the reader constantly feels like they are just waiting for something interesting to happen.
The narrator of the audiobook does a really nice performance, and it is only because of her I made it this far before deciding to put this one aside. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: You burn young and bright. Death comes to steal your breath, your eyes go sightless, and you are snuffed out, a candle burned to its wick. They tell those who loved you, This is the way of the Gods.
First Sentence: I was dreaming of the forest. ...more
DNF’d at 58% (278 pages). Brilliant start that grabs you right away but after those first couple chapters, you just wonde1.5 stars - I didn't like it.
DNF’d at 58% (278 pages). Brilliant start that grabs you right away but after those first couple chapters, you just wonder endlessly through dullness, reading much about superfluous boring activities like knitting. (No offense to knitters, but that’s not how this book is sold in the synopsis and I can only imagine that knitting is far more interesting to do than to read about.)
Most GR reviewers, as well as a few authors that I respect, rave about her writing, but I found it mostly to be stilted and elementary to middle school level in quality and complexity. Since I’m clearly in the minority, in fairness below is an excerpt so you can judge the writing for yourself.
Panova Mandelstam and I held the reins of the horses while Panov Mandelstam and Algis stamped down the snow around an open place. Horses are much bigger than goats. I was a little scared of them, but I had to help hold them, and they only stayed still and did not jump like goats did, and I could tell they were very tired. Finally we led the horses in the open place and then we took all the blankets from the sleigh and covered them with the blankets. Panov Mandelstam took the bags out of the sleigh and put them in the little hollow, and then he helped Panova Mandelstam climb down from the sleigh and over the snow to sit on them.
Then he straightened up and looked at Algis. Algis was standing next to the back of the sleigh. His head was hanging. He said, low, “I didn’t fill the bucket.” He meant the grain bucket. So there was no food for the horses.
There are numerous POV narrators with new ones being introduced frequently and switches happen multiple times within each chapter. The author gives no delineation or heading to imply who is speaking and since all the characters “sound” alike (flat, 1-D, cardboard), it can take a few paragraphs to use context clues to figure out who is narrating. This made for a fragmented reading experience. Especially since each narrator speaks in 1st person (eye roll), there is no excuse for all the characters “sounding” the same. It did not help that the audiobook narrator scarcely changes her voice or inflection to imply it is a new character speaking. So no matter which format you utilize, it ends in frustrated disappointment.
This was my 2nd novel by the author, the first being the also much-hyped, Uprooted. I went back and read my review for it which was also a bored 1.5 stars with subpar narration that was DNF'd at just over ½ way through the book. So at least she’s consistent. I will say she has strong beginnings, but as for me, no matter how hyped her future books are, I shall not be tempted. There are far, far, far, far, far, far, far better fantasy books to be read. ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: The real story isn’t half as pretty as the one you’ve heard....more
DNF’d at 50%. Half way through a book I still wasn’t invested in the characters or the plot so I am setting this one asid1.5 stars - I didn't like it.
DNF’d at 50%. Half way through a book I still wasn’t invested in the characters or the plot so I am setting this one aside. I picked it up after watching the movie trailer which looked intriguing. While I haven’t yet seen the movie, the book has been slow, not very believable and unengaging.
My thoughts were very similar to those of my GR friend, Carmen, though in her review she words them much more elegantly and includes several excerpts that showcase what went wrong (for me) with the novel. Had I paid more attention to her review prior to reading this one, it would have saved me a few hours. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quotes: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but if you want to hurt someone...way down deep, use words.
After much buzz about this one, particularly regarding the audiobook with celebrity cast, I am surprised to be setting this one aside almost immediateAfter much buzz about this one, particularly regarding the audiobook with celebrity cast, I am surprised to be setting this one aside almost immediately (around 7% in). The audio version is chaotic with no clear delineation of which character each voice represents, with rapid transitions between narrators. I may return to it as a visual read in the future, but Lincoln's opening poop soliloquy does not have me exactly eager to jump back into the story....more
I cherish my hand-selected group of Goodreads reviewers and friends as they so rarely lead me astray. But yet, sometimes,1.5 stars - I didn't like it.
I cherish my hand-selected group of Goodreads reviewers and friends as they so rarely lead me astray. But yet, sometimes, they do in fact lead me astray.
Maybe I didn’t give it long enough, but this one was DNF’d at just over 20% through. The dialogue was overly simplistic and stilted and everything else was just too blah and meh, making it feel like a chore to return to the book. Life’s too short and the TBR pile is too long. ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: History has failed us, but no matter. ...more
I’m throwing in the towel and DNF’ing this one at 38%. And before you say, “Don’t be so quick to give up on it, it’s grea1.5 stars - I didn't like it.
I’m throwing in the towel and DNF’ing this one at 38%. And before you say, “Don’t be so quick to give up on it, it’s great!”, like my husband did, know that I feel strongly that engagement should exist after reading 500 pages, and it doesn't. I feel like I waited hundreds of pages too long to give it up. ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: “Sally.” ...more
Some books grab your attention from the first page, and the storytelling is so on point that you are ensnared in the auth1.5 stars - I didn't like it.
Some books grab your attention from the first page, and the storytelling is so on point that you are ensnared in the author’s web the whole time. Those books are lovely, but this was not one of them.
With a boring start, it felt like everything was taking forever to progress and the heroine was annoying and whiny. Characters acted randomly with no explanation for their abnormal behavior, just whatever was convenient to create conflict for the plot.
Around 40% through, still was not engaged and had a hard time staying focused on the story. It was such a slog that my mind would wander to other things, as my eyes were “reading” the book. DNF’d with no regrets. I would be hesitant to read another book by this author.
------------------------------------------- First Sentence: The first inkling that something was wrong was waking in darkness to find the cat pawing at my face. ...more
Cher 'N Books
>
Books:
abandoned-dnf
(70)
Loading...
