Read in 2023

Did Not Finish

• Crowded Vol. 1
  by Christopher Sebela
  (comic, action)
  main character was eminently dislikeable
• A Life With Alexandra David-Néel: Book I
  by Frédéric Campoy + Mathieu Blanchot
  (comic, adventure)
  didn’t like the setup
• Solomon’s Crown
  by Natasha Siegel
  (alternate history)
  author’s note really turned me off
• Only Bad Options
  by Jennifer Estep
  (fantasy, romance)
  DNF 2% — wasn’t digging the POV, more magic-y than expected
• The Life & Love of the Forest
  by Lewis Blackwell
  (coffee table book)
  uneven writing, poor photo curation
• Starfighter Command
  by Grace Goodwin
  (romance, sci-fi)
  DNF 48% — not enough of a throughline
• The Right to Sex
  by Amia Srinivasan
  (essays, commentary)
  boring
• The Creative Act
  by Rick Rubin
  (non-fiction, creativity)
  way too woo-woo
• Married by Scandal
  by Tessonja Odette
  (romance, fantasy)
  wasn’t for me — narrator was too intense and dramatic
• The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction
  by Alan Jacobs
  (non-fiction, essay)
  I think I already agree with the premise
• How to Read Now
  by Elaine Castillo
  (essays, commentary)
  DNF 21% — just not that into essays
• Magician
  by K.L. Noone
  (fantasy)
  boring first chapter
• Heart, Haunt, Havoc
  by Freydís Moon
  (horror, romance)
  put it down and never went back 🤷‍♀️
• The Bright and Breaking Sea
  by Chloe Neill
  (fantasy, alt history)
  DNF 24% – felt slow even though plot was advancing
• The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen
  by KJ Charles
  (romance, historical)
  didn’t even finish the first chapter — greatly disliked the POV character
• The Rebel and the Rake
  by Emily Sullivan
  (romance, historical)
  DNF 7% — infodump from both POV and their meetcute was boring
• Something Wilder
  by Christina Lauren
  (romance, adventure)
  DNF 50% – don’t like how the characters reacted after A Bad Dramatic Thing, and the misunderstanding between the leads was frustrating
• No. 5 Vol. 1
  by Taiyo Matsumoto
  (manga, sci-fi)
  wasn’t feeling it, though the art was intriguing
• Join the Future
  by Zack Kaplan + Piotr Kowalski
  (graphic novel, sci-fi)
  anti-socialist, pro-individualist
• Ten Steps to Nanette
  by Hannah Gadsby
  (memoir, humor)
  sounded too intense, didn’t find the intro funny
• Freethinkers
  by Susan Jacoby
  (non-fiction, history)
  too slow, have tried starting this book too many times
• Witchlight
  by Jessi Zabarsky
  (graphic novel, fantasy)
  didn’t like the characters
• Priestdaddy
  by Patricia Lockwood
  (memoir)
  DNF 3% — wasn’t funny
• Breath of Life
  by Jocelynn Drake
  (romance, fantasy)
  DNF 28% — MC was annoying, pace too frenetic
• Ring Shout
  by P. Djèlí Clark
  (horror)
  DNF 7% — too gross!
• Radiant Sin
  by Katee Robert
  (romance, paranormal)
  DNF 52% — not much happening despite continual warnings about danger
• Accelerating Universe
  by Nicola Claire
  (sci-fi, romance)
  DNF 7% – didn’t like the MC or conflict
• Devi’s Distraction
  by Ruby Dixon
  (romance, sci-fi)
  DNF 8% – alien attitudes rubbed me the wrong way
• The Assassin’s Salvation
  by Ruby Lionsdrake
  (romance, sci-fi)
  DNF 69% – I felt uncomfortable about the age and experience gap between the leads
• Hot Blooded
  by Heather Guerre
  (romance, paranormal)
  DNF 38% – the hero was throwing up some red flags on creepy behavior
• So I Accidentally became an Alien Outlaw’s Mate
  by Sophia Sebell
  (romance, sci-fi)
  DNF 20% – needed editing, hero reminded me of Arnold but not in a good way 😂
• How Far the Light Reaches
  by Sabrina Imbler
  (essays)
  just not a big essay person, might try again
• The Unbalancing
  by R.B. Lemberg
  (fantasy)
  DNF 8% – main character had an annoying outlook
• Wed to the Alien Gladiator
  by January Bell
  (romance, sci-fi)
  DNF 58%, wasn’t holding my attention
• Getting to Center
  by marlee grace
  (self-help)
  didn’t like the writing style, wasn’t saying much of anything
• Electric Heart
  by Anna Carven
  (romance, sci-fi)
  hero was kind of a jerk
• A Restless Truth
  by Freya Marske
  (romance, fantasy)
  didn’t grab me, didn’t like the MC
• The Red Scholar’s Wake
  by Aliette de Bodard
  (sci-fi, romance)
  disliked the power differential between the MCs, wasn’t feeling it
• The High Commander’s Mate
  by Ella Blair
  (romance, sci-fi)
  needed more editing
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
  by Gabrielle Zevin
  (fiction)
  too literary, too drama
• Sisters of the Vast Black
  by Linda Rather
  (sci-fi)
  looked like it was going to be kind of a closed character study that sounded boring
• The Spare Man
  by Mary Robinette Kowal
  (sci-fi, mystery)
  too much alcohol, weirdly mixed modern and old language, the heroine was big into throwing around her money and name