Category Archives: Abandoned

On Giving Up on Night Film After Only 50 Pages

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Teresa

I know better than to give in to literary hype, but I also know better than to dismiss hyped books. If it sounds like my kind of thing, I’ll give it a try, and Night Film by Marisha Pessl sounded … Continue reading →

Posted in Abandoned, Contemporary, Fiction, Mysteries/Crime | 20 Comments

Ship of the Line (abandoned)

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Jenny

I think it may have been on my third read through Patrick O’Brian’s marvelous, masterful Aubrey-Maturin series of shipgoing adventures that I decided I would try another series as well: C.S. Forester’s series about Horatio Hornblower. The earliest of these … Continue reading →

Posted in Abandoned, Fiction, Historical Fiction | 7 Comments

Thoughts on Abandoning Umbrella

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Teresa

For the past week or so, I’ve been dipping in and out of Umbrella by Will Self. It’s not a bad book, and although it’s not an easy read, I’ve not found it as difficult as I thought I might. … Continue reading →

Posted in Abandoned, Fiction | Tagged | 27 Comments

Bloodmoney (abandoned)

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Jenny

I don’t post about every book I try and then give up on. If I only read a few pages — say, fifty or so — I don’t think it’s enough to write anything about. But I forced myself through … Continue reading →

Posted in Abandoned | 9 Comments

Sunday Salon: A DNF Round-Up

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Teresa

It feels like ages since I’ve written a review—and it has indeed been over a week. The reason is that I’ve been working through my pile of review copies and finding the books unsatisfactory. My policy about unfinished books is … Continue reading →

Posted in Abandoned, Sunday Salon | Tagged | 31 Comments

The Book Thief (abandoned)

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Jenny

My usual rule, when reading a book that’s just not doing it for me, is to give a book 50 pages or 10% of its length, whichever is longer. I allowed Markus Zusak and his narrator, Death, twice that long … Continue reading →

Posted in Abandoned, Children's / YA Lit, Fiction | 63 Comments

Drop City (abandoned)

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Jenny

In the early 1970s, T.C. Boyle’s Drop City is a hippie commune: LTWAIDNO (Land To Which Access Is Denied No One.) Everyone is welcome, the heads and the straights, the cats and the chicks, those who want to contribute to … Continue reading →

Posted in Abandoned, Fiction | 20 Comments

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume 2, The Kingdom on the Waves (audio, abandoned)

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Teresa

Last month, I listened to and enjoyed the audio version of the first of M.T. Anderson’s two Octavian Nothing books. As much as I liked the first book, The Pox Party, I did note that I think it would have … Continue reading →

Posted in Abandoned, Audiobooks, Children's / YA Lit, Fiction, Historical Fiction | 6 Comments

The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise (abandoned)

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Teresa

Before you read this post, there is something you should know about me. I have an incredibly low tolerance for quirkiness, sweetness, cuteness, and sentimentality. I can tolerate all of these things in small doses, but usually I need a … Continue reading →

Posted in Abandoned, Contemporary, Fiction | Tagged | 34 Comments

Star Island (abandoned)

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Teresa

Apparently I am humor-deficient because I just didn’t find anything funny about the first 120 pages of Carl Hiaasen’s new novel, Star Island. The premise is promising. A hot young singer with the stage name Cherry Pye is trying to … Continue reading →

Posted in Abandoned, Contemporary, Fiction | Tagged | 24 Comments