I don’t believe in reading books that I’m not enjoying. Those people who say they have to finish what they started are talking Greek to me. Would you watch a TV series you didn’t like because you saw the first episode? Eat a meal you found to be unpalatable? Wear an outfit that didn’t fit, just because you tried it on? Of course not. Why then do we punish ourselves when it comes to reading books? Is it because we feel we are fulfilling some higher purpose, making ourselves more worthy individuals? The philosophy just doesn’t stand up.

So here they are, the books I didn’t make my way through. It’s a list that will grow through time, so be sure to check in sporadically if you’re surprised that I haven’t read something. It doesn’t mean that these aren’t wonderful novels, it just means that the style of writing didn’t work for me.

1. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller- and for all my friends out there who feel the same way, it’s always Catch 22!
2. Less by Andrew Sean Greer – It’s never a good sign when you can put down a book to read something else. It nearly always means that you ‘just aren’t that in to it’. I’m not worried about this one as it seems that everyone else in California is currently reading it, so I don’t need to!
3. Closer by K.L.Slater – this one is different, I came really, really close to finishing it, but gah! I’m a parent and I really didn’t like where it was headed. Stronger readers than I will almost certainly succeed where I have failed.
4. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult – The girl can certainly spin a yarn, but I struggle with her books and I really don’t know why. I was also given this book just after having read All The Light We Cannot See and I just couldn’t do another war story.
5. Landline by Rainbow Rowell – This isn’t going to make any sense, but this book made me feel old. I might give it another go at some point.
6. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton – I managed to get about halfway through this one and then……. well, I just petered out of enthusiasm.
7. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen – I’m so sorry everyone. This book has been recommended to me over and over again, by friends whose opinions I really do value, but… gah! It’s like wading through treacle and I guess I’m just not worthy.
8. The Summer Before The War by Helen Simonson – Dense, beautifully written and sadly not for me.
9. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney – I think that if the press is to believed, this is the book that everyone is supposed to fall in love with. Everyone except me, perhaps?
10. The Nanny by Gilly McMillan – I thought I’d give McMillan another spin, but was terribly disappointed.  I declared time of death at page 143. 
11. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler – I’m completely beside myself because I just can’t focus on this story.  Every time I sit down to read it, my mind just fills up with other thoughts.  Sorry.