Thursday, March 1, 2018

When you finally read that book that's been on your shelf forever... and it stinks!

{Inspired by Caffeinated Reviewer's March Take Control of Your TBR Challenge I recently joined, I thought I'd do a series of TBR-themed posts. Keep an eye out for at least two more coming up soon!}

Has this ever happened to you? It just happened to me last weekend with The Books They Gave Me, edited by Jen Adams.


It might be a bit overkill to say it stinks, but it sure was a letdown. I didn't rate it on Goodreads because I didn't finish it, but I was hovering between 1- and 2-stars when I DNF'ed it instead. A few stories were good, but there were far too many others I just did not care for.

Reading an underwhelming book isn't exactly breaking news -- it happens to all of us at times. The thing about this particular book is that I know it has been sitting on my shelf for over 5 years. It's a book about books I thought I would absolutely love. AND it's basically just a collection of short snippets, so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that I didn't at least dip into when I first bought it. But nope. I didn't read a single story (that I can recall) until last weekend. After putting it aside and picking it back up a few times thinking maybe I should just power through since it's so short, I finally DNF'ed it. I'm not a big DNF-er, but I'm trying to be better about admitting defeat and cutting my losses in terms of time invested in books I don't really care for. Because with all the great books out there, why not move onto something better?

I really am fine with having a DNF, but couldn't help thinking: I can't believe that book has been taking up shelf space for 5+ years! Forget the (minimal) time I spent trying to enjoy the book, it took up bookshelf real estate for sooooo long. I don't know about you, but when that happens, I can't wait to get that book out of my house and on its way to a used book shop or donation bin. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean no one else will like it. But it is making me wonder just how many other duds are lurking on my shelves that I should be clearing out. Thankfully picking up those lingering books doesn't mean all DNFs and disappointment -- there have also been hidden gems lurking on my shelves, but that's a post for another day :)

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What book did you end up not liking after it sat on your shelf awhile? I'd love to know!

14 comments:

  1. Yay for finally reading it. I have books on my shelf that are so old they are out of print and something keeps me from picking them up. This is a great idea with regard to the TBR pile posts!

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    1. Thanks! I was kicking the idea around in my head and this just seemed like perfect timing :)

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  2. Bummer you had to DNF a book... I hate when that happens, especially when it is a book that has been taking up real estate for a long time.

    I usually try to power through books even if I don't like them, but sometimes you just have to walk away.

    I can't remember the last book I had to DNF that I had for a very long time. The scary part is that I currently have a lot of books that have been sitting on my bookshelves for 4+ years. I'm hoping that when I get around to reading them, that they don't suck!

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    1. Yup, sometimes you really do just have to walk away -- getting the book out of the house helps me not feel the need to pick it back up and try again when I know it's a lost cause, too!

      I hope you have hidden gems rather than duds waiting for you!

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  3. I hate when this happens! I'll have a book that's a top TBR pick for ages, and then when I finally read it, it's a let-down. Sometimes I think it's just because the momentum has passed. Maybe I was excited when I first got it, but by the time I finally read it, the newness had worn off. Such a disappointment!

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  4. I was so convinced that I would love Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy series that I bought the entire series. Then I sat in my to-read stacks for a few years before I attempted to read them. I tried to read the first book but I was so bored by it. I'm still going to attempt to read the later ones because there are a lot of series where I like the part of the series better than the other parts. But it was such a disappointment.

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    1. Oh, I've preemptively bought so many full series convinced I would love them...so I would hate for that to happen! The only reason it probably hasn't is because so many of them are still unread! ::hangs head::

      I do have a few of the Betsy Tacy books in treasury format -- I haven't tried them yet myself. All I can say is that I know the girls get older throughout the series, so I'd say there's hope if the youngest installments didn't work for you that maybe as they grow up, there might be something more there you might like :)

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  5. It certainly sucks when a book you've had for awhile sucks when you finally get around to reading it! I wrote a post a couple years ago now where I wondering if the longer a book sat on my shelf increases the "suck factor." It really didn't matter on the handful of books I looked at.

    Our reading habits and preferences change the more we read so a book we picked up ages ago might be beyond what we know and like when we finally pick it up!

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    1. You're so right about our habits and preferences changing! That's probably the biggest reason why I trade-in/donate/etc so many books... I look at them and go WHY do I have this?! There are still plenty left to read though...

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  6. Good for you for DNFing! I'm so bad about that. And it would definitely be a bummer to have it be one you were so looking forward to. I know what you mean about bookshelf real estate! As I was sorting through my books, there were quite a few that I kept because I wanted to read them, but I knew that after I did, I would most likely be giving them away. But I still wanted to read them, so I couldn't do it yet. In the meantime, they take up shelf space, and they're rather low on my priority list to read. Dilemmas! :)

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    1. I really don't DNF all that much, but it does happen on occasion. Depending on the book, if I really didn't think I would keep it and I needed the space, I think I could convince myself to rely on the library for some titles I know wouldn't be "keepers" -- but there certainly is the convenience factor of having them right on your shelf! I'm pretty bad at prioritizing the ones I think will be "keepers" because I feel like I can read those any time vs. library books or ones I want to read and clear out -- you're so right, such a dilemma to have :)

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  7. I've recently read two books that have been on my shelves for years and both have been underwhelming and I felt the same way! It made me wonder if I should just get rid of some of the books on my to-read pile that I don't feel excited about, because maybe my lack of excitement it an indication I really won't enjoy them.

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    1. I think if you read a few of them like you already have, you'll get a better idea of which ones really should just go on their way and it'll get easier to figure out which ones are worth keeping. The lack of excitement definitely is a clue!

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I'd love to hear what you think :)