My reading goal for this year was quite lofty. In fact, many of my goals for the year was quite lofty but hey, who cares?
Back in the good old days - last year - I was known for being that ‘reader’. I ate every book and made sure to give a brief review after each read. My Whatsapp status was dedicated tobook rants and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. In my leisure time, I sent e-books to my friends unprovoked, hoping it would spur conversations around the selected books. Those were fun times. I even created a bookstagram in hopes that I would become one of those big time book influencers along the line.
My story has changed as I have not read up to twenty books this year. It’s sad. I blame school.
I did notice that every time I try to pick up a book, I end up dropping it halfway. And as someone who believes that books have feelings, that’s saying a lot. Nevertheless, there is no cause for alarm as every reader goes through a reading slump. So today, I am not writing to you to tell you how scared I am about losing my ginger as a reader, but to chitchat about the books I started reading but then abandoned.
Welcome to my world of *DNF’ed books.
*DNF - did not finish
Of course, it is a looooooong list so only five books made it here after a tough battle.
Judging Criteria
How much I genuinely did not enjoy it
My mental state at the point of picking up the book
How likely I am picking the book up again.
Dead Poets Society by N.H. Kleinbaum
I started this when I thought I wanted to go deep into Dark Academia. According to the internet it’s supposed to be that piece of media that would set me in the mood. To be fair, the movie adaptation of this book was recommended but I decided to dump the movie and go for the book because in my experience books are better.
I was disappointed because I expected DARK. The academia was present because it is set in a school but it seemed to sunshine-y for me. I did enjoy it as a chill read though. There is a 40 percent chance that I’ll pick it up again because really, I only have a few chapters left to go.
Fine Boys by Eghosa Imaseun
This also could be classified as dark academia media. It is set in university and from what I read before tossing it, it’s going to be dark. I have a soft spot for Nigerian books, so there is a 70 percent chance I am getting back to it. It was quite enjoyable but I guess I started it during test period so I had to drop it.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Another dark academia. I really really wanted to finish this as the period of starting this book was when my dark academia obsession peaked. It is the number one book according to bookstagram, booktok, bootube, that one must read to be classified as a true dark academic.
The problem was that there a lot of references to European culture, Greek mythology, and everything else I had no idea about. It was tiring googling every single time I read a paragraph. Yes, I was going to learn a great deal by researching, but reading for me is supposed to be enjoyable. There is a 30 percent chance of picking it up again. I’m sorry to all intellectuals for letting you down :).
A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo
I was pumped when I heard the news about this book. I even sent a mail to its publishers to receive and early copy of it. Of course, they did not reply so I had to wait until the book was released like every other ordinary reader.
I love Ayobami Adebayo and I have read her other book, Stay With Me three times. Every single time I read that book from start to finish, I find new themes and new reasons to love her even more.
But. Yes, but.
But I can’t seem to get past chapter two of A Spell of Good Things. It is a good book from what I have read so far but I just don’t know why I drop it. I am guessing because it contains long paragraphs. There is a 80 percent chance I am picking this up again. I simply can not give up on it.
The Happiest People on Earth by Wole Soyinka
I understand Wole Soyinka is a great writer. I also understand that he has his audience so I have come to terms with the fact that I am not a part of it.
I picked up this book in my quest to go back in time. To you know, read the Nigerian Classics. Sadly, I am not in the right mental state to decode Wole Soyinka’s works.
Honourable mentions : The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma. Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Carl Jung, A Man of the People by Chinua Achebe, Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor, The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
So there you have it.
What do you do to get out of a reading slump?
Alsoooo! Even though I have a ton of unread books in my library, please recommend fiction books!
If you enjoyed reading this please Like, Share, and Comment ❤️
Just glad A Man of the People didn't make the final cut. Nice seeing you again, Coke buddy.