31 Books I Quit in 2020

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:

1. Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
2. The Power of Self-Compassion
3. A Mother’s Secret
4. 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.
5. The Better Liar
6. They All Fall Down
7. Influencer: Building Your Personal Brand in the Age of Social Media
8. Girls on Fire
9. Case Histories
10. Wall of Silence
11. The New Husband
12. Inside Jobs: Tales for a Time of Quarantine
13. Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness
14. Willing to Die
15. How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy
16. Don’t Turn Around
17. The Lucky One
18. These Women
19. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
20. Catherine House
21. The Cabin
22. Rules for Vanishing
23. The Leaving
24. The Silent Wife
25. The Most Powerful You: 7 Bravery Boosting Paths to Career Bliss
26. Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change
27. The Searcher
28. Sweet Little Lies
29. The Darkest Evening
30. Leave the World Behind
31. 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!