DNF: the fateful acronym that sometimes ends up as the single tag for a book. In 2018, I probably DNF'd more books than I ever have before, so today I've selected five books to tell you why I didn't finish them and what I'm going to do next with them, because just tossing them in the DNF pile just isn't enough for unsatisfied me. So who's ready for another bookish post?



Some tidbits about this book: This is a WWII story about a blind French girl growing up during WWII and a German boy who has been inducted into the Nazi political group. The story follows their lives through the German occupation of France. The entire time, there is this mysterious stone that is rumored to bring tragedy to whomever is in possession of it. It is the girl's father, a museum curator, who is trying to keep the stone away from the Nazis.

Why I DNF: This book is huge—it looks like I could finish in maybe a couple of weeks, but no. It's one of those books where there's a lot more on the inside than anticipated. So I ended up returning it several times to the library because one loan period just wasn't enough and then someone else checked it out and...well, I kind of forgot about it because I discovered Heist Society. #obsessed

So now what?: I've really wanted to read a good historical novel, so I re-checked it out. Hopefully one loan is enough to finish it since I got a school library loan which almost never expires, ha ha.



Some tidbits about this book: This is a fantasy about a girl who is one of the very few people in her world that can read and write. Reading is forbidden, and so the people pass down stories and histories through verbal storytelling. She is in possession of a very precious book, supposedly the last in existence, that holds all the secrets of her world's magic. But she's being hunted, and so she's on the run with her friend who can't speak and they're wrapped up in a complicated, intriguing plot.

This book is really interesting because there are little words on the bottom of the page by the page number, and as you read, you can keep track of them and they spell out a message that I assume will be important later in the story. All the mystery and codes are very engaging.

Why I DNF: Um, well, I actually don't have a great excuse for this one. I mostly didn't finish it because I didn't read it in one sitting and I own it. So I can read it any time, right? (Library books are majorly distracting.) For a more substantial reason, I liked the plot but I didn't feel as if I was getting enough answers soon enough. I like getting fed answers throughout the story that lead to more questions, but I feel like this was all questions and not many answers.

So now what?: I plan on finishing it. I loved the world-building and the little intricacies. It really came alive to me and I'm eager to find out where this plot is going.

via unsplash.com

Some tidbits about this book: This is a story about a girl named Natasha from Jamaica. She was brought to the United States as a child. It also stars an Asian boy named Daniel who's lived in New York his whole life and has some angst issue with his brother. I didn't get very far in it, but basically the two of them meet and then he tries to get her to fall in love with him in a day--the day she's supposed to be deported.

 Why I DNF: I really liked the concept, and the characters weren't bad either. But there was waaaay too much rough language for me to keep reading. I probably got to chapter ten (they're short chapters) and at that point I was pretty uncomfortable, so I started skipping David's chapters because he was the one who said all the bad words, and then Natasha said something really crude and I was not okay with that so I was done. :|

So now what?: I'm not planning on finishing this one. Maybe if the movie is better I'll see that, but for now this one isn't making a comeback.



Some tidbits about this book: This is the fourth and final book in the Jackaby series, a story about a supernatural detective and his assistant in the early 1900's. Abigail Rook is finally at the end of the line with her employer, Jackaby, and they have to hunt down the Dire king. Fun stuff. I'm not sure where it went after that, but the previous books were very mysterious and adventurous.

Why I DNF: I started reading it—very exciting—and then I just put it down. I'm not sure what happened, but I just lost interest and didn't feel like finishing it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So now what?: I might finish it in the future, but I'm not burning to know how things turned out. I assume it was a good ending, and either Charlie or Jackaby died, but I highly doubt it was Jackaby. Maybe I'll be in a mood for supernatural come September. Right now I'm really craving a historical novel or a cute contemporary... ;) (If you have any suggestions please tell me! I have no idea where to begin. XD)



Some tidbits about this book: The first book in the Harry Potter series, it follows Harry on his adventures in his first year at Hogwarts. He fights monsters, discovers a secret precious rock, and faces down Voldemort for the first time, all while discovering his immense powers as the Chosen One.

Why I DNF: I read this series when I was twelve, and I loved it. So I thought I'd give it a re-read, but it was. so. freaking. boring. I got to chapter fourteen and Harry hadn't even gone to school yet.

So now what?: Frankly right now is not the time for me to give this series a re-read. The next time I read it will probably be to my children. In like, ten years. But sooner resurrection is not an impossibility! XD