Books I DNF But Didn’t Chat About

I do a roundup of books I did not finish (DNF) every now and then because I often otherwise don’t chat about them. I don’t often give up on books (although I wish I did) and unlike most people, I sometimes rate books I DNF if I’ve formed a strong opinion about them or have developed strong feelings about what I read.

I usually do a full review for those I end up rating to explain the reason for the low rating, but for others, like those below, they fall into this roundup of reads.

Previous DNF roundups:

• Weekend Reads #111: Recent Books I DNF
• Weekend Reads #91: Books I DNF’d in 2018
• Weekend Reads #84: Recent Books I DNF

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John Constantine, Hellblazer, Vol. 1: Original Sins by Jamie Delano & Rick Veitch, illus. by John Ridgway, Alfredo Alcala, Rick Veitch, Tom Mandrake, Brett Ewins, & Jim McCarthy

GENRE

Horror

SERIES

John Constantine, Hellblazer

PUBBED

1988

QUICK SUMMARY

I managed to read all of Hellblazer #1 and #2 and part of #3 before giving up. The first and second issues focus on John Constantine helping out a friend with a hunger spirit. The friend had travelled to an African country and accidentally picked up the spirit there when trying to help a tongueless child. Realizing he’s way out of his league with this spirit, he tries shipping it to Constantine after first trapping it in a bottle. But the spirit gets loose and starts infecting people in NYC who begin gorging on food despite seeming more and more malnourished. Using his friend, who’s addicted to heroin, as bait for the spirit, Constantine works with Papa Midnite, voodoo priest and crime kingpin, to trap the spirit.

As far as I’ve read, the third issue seems unconnected to the first and second and is about Constantine tracking down demons that are making deals on people’s souls. (Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS

I really wanted to like this because John Constantine is such an intriguing character — something I’ve thought since first meeting him in the DCeased comic-book series — but I did not like the illustrations in this and could not work past them to fully take in the story. The story in the first and second issues is interesting and entertaining, and I wanted to learn more about the guilt Constantine seems to carry around with him, which I think the ghosts that follow him signify. But I was so turned off by the illustrations that it felt a chore to work through the third issue with the same illustration style. The story is dark and grisly, and the art depicts that and even emphasizes it in some parts. That typically doesn’t bother me, but my dislike of the style, and colors too, caused it all to just turn me off.

I didn’t get very far into the third issue and wondered if it will somehow connect back to the first and second issues. I do hope there’s some continuity because there seems to be more to the story in the first and second issues. It’s obvious that I’m still interested in this since I have hopes about it, so I consider this a temporary DNF. I just need to get over my dislike of the illustrations first, if that’s possible.

DO I RECOMMEND IT?

Yes or No

The story is interesting and worth the read if it appeals to you or if you like horror or would like to be introduced to Constantine, and especially if the illustration style doesn’t bother you.

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The Yellow Room: Alice Darvell’s Subjection, A Tale of the Birch by Anonymous

GENRE

Classic Erotica

SERIES

n/a

PUBBED

1891

QUICK SUMMARY

The Yellow Room is a Victorian erotica novella about Alice, an orphaned 18-year-old woman sent to live with her stern aunt and uncle, who, along with the housekeeper Maud, introduces Alice to BDSM by force. There’s lots of spanking, dominating, and humiliating Alice, a virgin, and, based on other reviews, she was raped too. (Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS

How did I come across this book? I think I stumbled upon it while browsing my library’s digital collection. I have no idea what first drew me to it — maybe I needed to select a book with a yellow cover for a book tag or reading challenge — but learning that it’s Victorian erotica intrigued me. I went in with no expectations and, though I didn’t like it and eventually gave up on it, I wasn’t disappointed because I didn’t know what to expect in the first place.

As for why it didn’t work for me — the constant humiliation and spanking was unappealing. Alice was being taken advantage of and was clearly not a willing participant at first. When she began liking it all, I began to question it as that progression seemed to have occurred too quickly, so I didn’t think it believable. And as with many books written during this time, the prose turned me off too, and I was often bored, despite the characters’ carryings on. I seem to have read 76% of the book before giving up. I’m surprised I made it that far.

DO I RECOMMEND IT?

Yes or No

Don’t waste your time on this. There must be some other Victorian erotica out there to try.

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Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan

GENRE

Fantasy

SERIES

Wheel of Time, book 6

PUBBED

1994

QUICK SUMMARY

The Wheel of Time series begins with being about three farm boys — Rand, Mat, and Perrin — who learn that they are essential to defeating the Dark One and are taken from their small village by the Aes Sedai (a magic wielder) Moiraine and her warder Lan. They are followed by village girl Egwene, who seeks a life of adventure and to possibly become an Aes Sedai herself, and later by the village’s Wisdom (healer), a young woman named Nynaeve, who intends to bring the young people back to the village. In the first book, the three farm boys (young men, really) learn that one of them will be the reborn Dragon, a powerful figure who can defeat the Dark One (and probably go mad doing it).

By the sixth book, we know which of the boys is the Dragon reborn, the girls are training to become Aes Sedai, and these village young’uns have made many friends and enemies along the way. The couple hundred or so pages I read in Lord of Chaos feature Aiel enemies plotting against Rand, Rand working on a school to train male channellers, and Nynaeve trying to heal Siuan and Leane, who were cut off from the power. (Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS

I’d love to tell my past self that this is a DNF to see what my reaction would be, lol! I really thought I’d complete this eventually and make it all the way to the end. But I keep either putting off reading it or, when I did pick up the book to read, falling asleep or becoming distracted after a few words. At first I thought my several bouts of reading slumps were to blame, but the slumps are over, and I still don’t turn to this as a potential next read. Plus, the things that annoyed me in the previous books (repetition, pulling of braid, criticizing the opposite sex often, Perrin and Faile) are insufferable by this one, which makes reading it highly unappealing.

I wanted to complete the series to see what happens and to understand the cryptic opinion many who’ve completed it hold — that the best thing to do after completing WOT is to reread it. Why?

DO I RECOMMEND IT?

Yes or No

It’s probably an unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed the first three books the most and probably consider the first book a favorite (can’t remember for sure and don’t feel like checking). If the series being 14 books long plus a prequel or two doesn’t put you off, then go ahead and jump in.

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Dracula by Bram Stoker, illus. by Becky Cloonan

GENRE

Classic Horror

SERIES

n/a

PUBBED

1897

QUICK SUMMARY

It’s the classic tale of Dracula, the master vampire dude. (Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS

I own this book and I love it, even though I DNF the story. The story is boring. I guess I’ve consumed too many iterations of Dracula’s story to be amazed or interested in this. I was majorly BORED while reading, although the beginning was interesting and also when the narrator (Jonathan?) was at Dracula’s castle wondering WTF is going on. But once the story got back to London or wherever, I was bored. I was hoping to at least meet Van Helsing before giving up (just so I could imagine him as Hugh Jackman), but my patience ran out.

Other than the beginning, the only other things I liked were the illustrations. The illustrations are why I bought a copy of this edition and why I will keep it despite not enjoying or completing the story. (This is my second time attempting Dracula. Who knows? There might be a third.) The description of them as “contemporary, edgy, stylishly macabre with Victorian overtones, and an unusual color palette” in the book/Goodread’s summary is spot on. Cloonan does a great job, and the style made me think of comic books while I read (see samples of the illustrations here). I think they are the best things about this book, and I wish there were more of them, appearing on every page instead of a few.

DO I RECOMMEND IT?

Yes or No

I recommend it to those who’ve never before attempted Dracula and those who have but never tried it with Cloonan’s illustrations on the side.

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A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

GENRE

Fantasy

SERIES

A Song of Ice and Fire, book 3

PUBBED

2000

QUICK SUMMARY

Many things happen and more lords join the fight for the throne, I think. The story is one long, continuous thread in my head, so I don’t remember where one book ends and the other picks up. (Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS

My plan was to reread these books. But I’ve forgotten why that was the plan at all. Most likely I listened to the audiobook of the first novel one day while cleaning and liked it so much that I decided to reread them all. Things would have petered out once I switched from audio to print for this book. Either that or I got distracted by other books while rereading this and didn’t remember to return to it.

Either way, I enjoy the story and would like to complete it when the series is eventually (if that becomes an actuality) done.

DO I RECOMMEND IT?

Yes or No

GRRM’s ASOIAF series is one of my favorites, and I loved the first and second books. It’s grim, it’s dark and not for those who’d rather not read about a lot of violent acts and backstabbing.

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The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, Elio M. García Jr., & Linda Antonsson, illus. by various artists

GENRE

Fantasy

SERIES

A Song of Ice and Fire

PUBBED

2014

QUICK SUMMARY

This lavishly illustrated volume is a comprehensive history of the Seven Kingdoms, providing vividly constructed accounts of the epic battles, bitter rivalries, and daring rebellions that lead to the events of A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO’s Game of Thrones. In a collaboration that’s been years in the making, Martin has teamed with Elio M. García, Jr., and Linda Antonsson, the founders of the renowned fan site Westeros—perhaps the only people who know this world almost as well as its visionary creator.

Collected here is all the accumulated knowledge, scholarly speculation, and inherited folk tales of maesters and septons, maegi and singers. (Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS

I took the synopsis from Goodreads because it does a good job briefly stating what the book is about. I bought and read this for the wrong reasons. I think I bought it shortly after reading the currently published books for the first time. I wanted to know more, especially what happened before the events in the series so I could make more accurate guesses about what might be coming. But although this book provides some interesting information that brought a new perspective to Daenerys’s journeys, it didn’t give me what I really wanted or fully answered the questions I had about the Children of the Forest and the White Walkers. Also, the writing was quite dry, since it’s written as if a maester wrote all this stuff down. The artwork are gorgeous, and I presume that they are paintings, and I appreciated the maps too. However, as the publish dates for the new books seem lost in the future, never to appear, my interest in these supplemental books have dwindled, and I wonder if I should unhaul this.

DO I RECOMMEND IT?

Yes or No

If you’re still fully committed to the book or TV series, then it’s probably worth checking this out. It’s also possible that I’ll return to it.

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The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology: An A-Z Guide to the Myths and Legends of the Ancient World by Arthur Cotterell & Rachel Storm, illus. by various artists

GENRE

Nonfiction — Mythology

SERIES

n/a

PUBBED

1990

QUICK SUMMARY

An encyclopedia of various myths from around the world and the gods, goddesses, monsters, people, and such associated with them. (Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS

My plan was to read this from beginning to end, but I got distracted somewhere in the middle. It’s fascinating and each entry made me want to know more, wishing the entries were longer. It was also fun to have started reading the Wheel of Time books for the first time while reading this because I could see where and what cultures and myths Robert Jordan drew inspiration from for his characters, world-building, and magic system (like the Aes Sedai). Myths covered in this encyclopedia include Greek/Roman, Celtic, Nordic, South and Central Asia, Egypt and West Asia, East Asia. I intend to return to this book and attempt again to read it from beginning to end. I could have left it on my Goodreads “currently reading” list, but I really want to clean it up and have on it only the books I am actively reading, so that folks stop thinking I’m reading 8, 10, 14 books at once.

DO I RECOMMEND IT?

Yes or No

I highly recommend it to those interested in myths and legends and the like from around the world, or those who just want a book like this at hand in case they need to look up something.

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Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff VanderMeer, illus. by Jeremy Zerfoss

GENRE

Nonfiction — Creative Writing

SERIES

n/a

PUBBED

2013

QUICK SUMMARY

It’s a creative writing book, specifically about writing fantasy and sci-fi stories, but the lessons apply to any type of writer, I think. (Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS

Hmm… I guess I stopped reading this book around when I stopped writing creatively or doing anything artistic, like drawing. I love this book, though, and often recommend it to those looking for a creative writing book, especially if they are interested in writing speculative fiction. It’s such a great book. I didn’t even make it halfway through, but I could tell it’s great, and I was much inspired while reading it. Another reason why it took a while for me to work through it is because I was doing the exercises as I went, so once I stopped writing and drawing, I really stopped reading it too.

In addition to exercises and tips from VanderMeer, there are essays from noted authors, like Ursula Le Guin, and the book is filled with gorgeous, colorful illustrations on every page that add a playful tone to it all. So I highly recommend this if you are looking for a book about writing that will inspire you. It’s only on this list because it’s been such a long time since I’ve returned to read it and I really want to clean up my “currently reading” list on Goodreads. But I fully intend to complete it.

DO I RECOMMEND IT?

Yes or No

Of course! It’s worth trying.

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Parasites: Tales of Humanity’s Most Unwelcome Guests by Rosemary Drisdelle

GENRE

Nonfiction — Science

SERIES

n/a

PUBBED

2010

QUICK SUMMARY

It’s about parasites all around us and that humans often come in contact with. (Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS

This too was a fascinating read that I wish I’d continued with and completed. I learned a lot from the bits I read, and strangely, I didn’t find it boring. I got distracted by other books, which is why I failed to complete it, but I’d like to return to it.

DO I RECOMMEND IT?

Yes or No — Maybe?

I haven’t returned to it since 2016, so I can’t say for sure that it’s worth it. The subject interested me, but I don’t remember much of the writing to say it’s all worth the read.

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The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg (illus.)

GENRE

Fantasy

SERIES

Early Earth

PUBBED

2013

QUICK SUMMARY

I think it’s about a man of one the early civilizations who leaves his home in the North Pole and travels to the South Pole, where he finds his true love. (Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS

Umm… so, I’ve had this out from the library since 2017. I think I’ve been reading it since then too. I remember really enjoying it and hooked and making it to the middle of the book before I stopped reading. I no longer remember why I stopped, but I suppose I got distracted by other books. I’ll prioritize this in the new year so I can FINALLY return it to the library.

DO I RECOMMEND IT?

Yes or No

I do remember enjoying the story but not minding the art much. I also remember it being very popular back then in 2017.

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What I’m Currently Reading:

How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams

In recent years, I’ve taken to enjoying reading romance novels around Christmas time. That’s why this is here. I started it before Christmas but haven’t made much progress and can already feel the romance mood receding, so hopefully I’ll complete it soon.

Page by Tamora Pierce

This is the second novel in Pierce’s Protector of the Small series, a YA fantasy series also set in Tortall, the fantastic land where Pierce’s popular Song of the Lioness series is also set. I enjoyed Pierce’s books as a kid and am currently rereading them. Unfortunately, I started this when a bout of reading slump had hit, so my progress is incredibly slow.

World of Warcraft Chronicle, Vol. 1 by Blizzard Entertainment

I started this in December 2021 but have yet to complete it due to the several slumps I suffered through in 2022. I don’t know, man, but if I read a book through several slumps, it takes me even longer to complete it.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

I started this in February 2021, a year I think that began and ended in reading slumps. I keep intending to pick up from where I left off but have yet to.

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HAVE YOU DNF’D ANYTHING LATELY?
ALSO, did you have difficulty reading in 2022 too?