DNF It has taken me a very long time to accept the idea of not finishing a book. Or just allowing myself to realize I am not enjoying it and to quit reading. But, it has been a very freeing feeling and these are the books that haven’t made the cut for me this year.

There’s a bit of a fine line and some debating that happens in the book community over the idea of not finishing a book - also known as DNF (Did Not Finish). Some people can’t leave a book unfinished. Some will come back to it and try again. Some have a certian amount of the book at which if they aren’t connecting or enjoying the book, they quit. And there’s a wide range of opinions and rules and feelings on this topic.

As I said, I wasn’t always ok with leaving something marked as DNF. Especially an audiobook. Party because I figure I can just loosely listen to it and at least get through it. I also didn’t like to stop a book because I have come across many books that I wanted to quit, but stuck it out and ended up like the book because of the ending or how everything tied together.

But in 2021, I finally decided to embrace this idea and make a tag of DNF books to I could see. Then if for some reason I want to read it again one day, I’ll be able to see that I didn’t like it at some other time. Might save myself some time in the future.

So here are the books that I DNF and just couldn’t get into this year.

  1. Grown Ups by Emma Jane Unsworth dnf book

  2. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver dnf book

  3. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston dnf book

  4. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid dnf book

  5. The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo dnf book

  6. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney dnf book

  7. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer dnf book

  8. The Dinner by Herman Koch dnf book

  9. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern dnf book

Andi

header Ponder This:

  • What are your feelings on not finishing books?
  • What are some books you never finished?
  • Do you ever go back and try again with books your couldn’t get through the first time?
  • Have you read any of these books I didn’t finish? Did you like them? Dislike them?