It seemed difficult to concentrate in 2020. I discussed this with friends and others online, so I know I’m not the only one who couldn’t seem to focus on much among the racial injustice, civil unrest, political chaos and the pandemic.
Just like many of you, I assumed being stuck at home would mean I would read a lot more, and I did. I finished the year having read 150 books for only the second time ever. But I also watched a ton more television than usual and dropped more books than in past years.
I quit 31 books in 2020. That’s 11 more books than I quit in 2019. I quit 16 books in 2017. I can’t find a list from 2018 for some reason. Maybe I just quit the list too.
I think life is too short to read bad books, so I have no problem quitting a book I hate, but 31 books in a year is clearly a lot, even for me. I was questioned about dropping some of these books because others loved them. That’s ok! Pretty much everything I read is highly recommended. Just because it doesn’t grab my attention doesn’t mean you don’t love it.

Here are the 31 books I dropped in 2020:
- Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
- The Power of Self-Compassion
- A Mother’s Secret
- I’m Thinking of Ending Things. I also tried to watch this Netflix show, since I heard it was really good. I didn’t finish it either.
- The Better Liar
- They All Fall Down
- Influencer: Building Your Personal Brand in the Age of Social Media
- Girls on Fire
- Case Histories
- Wall of Silence
- The New Husband
- Inside Jobs: Tales for a Time of Quarantine
- Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness
- Willing to Die
- How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy
- Don’t Turn Around
- The Lucky One
- These Women
- 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
- Catherine House
- The Cabin
- Rules for Vanishing
- The Leaving
- The Silent Wife
- The Most Powerful You: 7 Bravery Boosting Paths to Career Bliss
- Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change
- The Searcher
- Sweet Little Lies
- The Darkest Evening
- Leave the World Behind
- Forgiving What You Can’t Forget: Discover How to Move On, Make Peace with Painful Memories, and Create a Life That’s Beautiful Again
Not for everyone
These are the 31 books I quit without finishing in 2020. I am aware that some of these books were highly touted, but they just didn’t grab my attention.
What do you think about the list? Is there something here you truly think I should reconsider?
As always, happy reading!
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