The 20 Books I Quit in 2019

I give you a lot of book recommendations, but I really never tell you what not to read. I don’t tell you the books that I quit on.

You may recall that I think life is too short to read bad books, so I have no problem at all quitting a book I hate.

You should quit reading bad books. It doesn’t matter if your friends think the book is great or the general public accepts that it’s a classic. If you hate it, drop it. If it’s required reading, say for a college course, power skim and move on. There are just too many other options out there to spend time reading something you don’t enjoy.

I document the books I hate because, when you read as much as I do, what you’ve read and what you haven’t gets a bit confusing. I don’t want to read a bad book once, let alone twice.

I read 133 books in 2019. Some of those I didn’t like. Here are the 20 books I quit without finishing in 2019 with a general description of why I quit.

The Other Wife

I just kept reading and waiting for something to happen. Nothing ever did. Too boring for too long.

I Choose You

This book has multiple murders in the description, making it seem like something I wouldn’t be able to put down. I don’t even remember the first chapters, other than that I slogged through them.

The Need

I have a little bit of regret about not finishing this book. I was really involved when I first started reading it. I mean, I couldn’t put it down. Then it suddenly turned Sci-Fi. I hate Sci-Fi. This happened right about the time that the sample ended, so I didn’t invest the money.

All the Hidden Truths

I must have dropped this book quickly because I don’t remember anything about it.

The Girls are Gone

I’m pretty sure I started listening to this book, but just didn’t get hooked, so I returned it. I love that you can do that on Audible.

Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide

Sometimes I make mistakes. When I started listening to this book, I thought it was by the women who host the Crime Junkie podcast, which I love. Wrong true crime podcast! I guess you can only stand your normal type of true crime silly because these women drove me a little bit crazy.

The Dark Bones

I was listening to this one and quickly got lost in the numerous characters. I didn’t care enough about the storyline to figure it out.

The Woman in Our House

A young nanny pretending to be another young nanny so she could get a coveted job. It’s all just a bit too cliche for me.

Blood Echo

Pretty sure I read the first book in this series. I picked up the second book, remembered the story line, remembered that I didn’t love the first one, quit the second one.

Every Single Secret

Couple goes on creepy retreat in the woods to save their relationship. Blah, blah, blah…

The Forgotten Ones

Deathbed request from a grandfather you thought was dead. That was the most interesting thing.

The First Mistake

I remember nothing about this book.

The Invited

I really wanted to like this book because it was on a ton of “must read” lists. Maybe that’s why I put so much pressure on it to pull me in during the first pages. It did not. Should I try it again? I would consider it.

Scrublands

I don’t even know why I would try reading this book. It doesn’t sound at all like anything I would enjoy. No surprise that I didn’t.

Force of Nature

A bunch of characters on a corporate retreat in nature. All I could think the entire time I was reading is that there was NO way I would ever be in this situation.

The Silent Patient

This is another book that has been on seemingly every “must read” list. I read several chapters, but just wasn’t that interested. Have you read it? Should I try again?

Watching You

I usually love Lisa Jewell. I waited for this book to release, then become available through my library loans, then I just didn’t love it. Have you read it? This is another one that I might reconsider with a friend’s rave review.

Those Who Knew

I read more of this book than I should have because I was invested in the writing, but the story was just too much for me.

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

Highly-recommended true crime that I just couldn’t get into. I tried to listen to the audiobook. As it should be, the narrator had a pretty strong accent. I’m not sure if that was part of the issue for me or not, but I gave up quickly.

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth

I actually found this book a bit offensive. Poor doesn’t mean hillbilly or druggie. I quit quickly.

There are the 20 books I quit without finishing in 2019. 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 that you truly think I should reconsider?

Happy reading!