Seems I give up easily!
I really tried with the one on the left 'The Crooked Cross' by Sally Carson until it got too depressing. It's a 2025 Persephone publication originally published in 1934 by an English author who spent a lot of time in Germany pre war. The story is an account of the fictional Kluger family, including daughter Lexa, who at Christmas 1932 is engaged to be married to a young doctor with a Jewish name - Moritz Weissman and how their lives are changed during the rise of the Nazis.
Persephone have now published the follow up to this story 'The Prisoner'. I won't be reading it.
Then I tried the middle book, which is 2013 crime fiction by a American author but set in the UK despite misgivings, as sometimes US authors have not bothered to use our English words for various things that have different names across the pond. This story is the 13th in a long series featuring American Dorothy Martin who lives in the UK with her retired British Chief Constable Alan. I was getting on OK with it and then the author starts to mention several times that Dorothy hasn't had time to floss her teeth! For goodness sake - talk about padding the word count!
Having abandoned two books quarter of the way in, I hoped to actually finish the book on the right 'The Weather Watcher ' by Claire Anders. It turned out to be a lighter than I thought read, a coming of age story about a young Scottish girl, who, when her mother decides she ought to marry the son of a family friend just before the War starts, decides instead to join the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and train as a Meteorology Assistant. I might have given up as it's leaning towards being a romance but persevered as the details about a 'Weather Watcher' were interesting and hopefully researched and accurate. There was information of something I'd never heard of despite it happening in Felixstowe - Operation Outward. I've read so many books about WWII but never heard of this.
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| Picture from Wikipedia of balloons being released on the east coast for Operation Outward |
I've still got 6 other library books to try before the library van is round again at the end of the month and only one of those I definitely know to be readable, so there may well be another post about trying and failing to finish!
Back Tomorrow
Life's too short to finish reading books we are really not enjoying
ReplyDeleteDefinitely!
Delete“Flossing teeth”, that did make me smile Sue. I had a text from the library last week informing me that reservations will now have a £1.10 charge! As most of the books I read are usually reservations I’m… well I won’t say what I am I’m sure you can guess. Will the next thing be a charge when you take out a book off the library shelf? Our large, airy library was sold off to make way for flats, then transferred to a shop previously a bank How much longer we will have that who knows? The Barbarians are at the door! I’ll stop ranting now Sue🤣. June
ReplyDeleteAll of the books I borrow are reservations so I'm dreading the day this happens here. Local Government reorganisation will cause all sorts of upheavals and they'll need money to finance it-worrying
DeleteI agree, life is too short to carry on with unsatisfying/annoying books. Far too many good ones out there to read instead.
ReplyDeleteThe Wartime Weather Watcher book sounded different. Clearly something that never got highlighted at the time or since.
I don't remember hearing of Operation Outward even though Felixstowe had other important happenings during the war - like seaplanes.
DeleteI eyed up 'the crooked cross' and decided to walk on by. I've three heavyweight books on the go, which all require pausing to think about what I've read, so I've started and Angela Thirkell reread for light relief! I've at last thrown off the nun's rule at school that we had to finish a book if we started it - only took me about 60 years!
ReplyDeleteI really wanted to read Crooked Cross but it was very depressing
DeleteI used to feel guilty if I gave up reading a book part way through, but now I just feel relieved that I can move on and read another book that I will enjoy.
ReplyDeleteExactly right
DeleteI agree, some books are not worth reading and some are just nasty. I use Borrowbox to access library books on my iPad, and Open Library for free older books. We are lucky to have a small library staffed by volunteers in the village, and a good library in town.
ReplyDeleteI've not used ebooks yet - maybe one day if my eyesight fails- so far all is OK
DeleteNever feel guilty about abandoning any book you are not enjoying, there are far too many good books to be read to waste time on a book you struggle to read.
ReplyDeleteNo guilt but I would have like to have enjoyed Crooked Cross
DeleteInteresting about the Persephone book, I am working my way through them, although this one is low down on my list to read, I seem to remember they featured it recently in their pamphlet or newsletter, so I will make sure to have a look at that before buying it.
ReplyDeleteSome Persephone books I've loved, some I know I wouldn't, sometimes Persephone are a bit posh for a common person like me who didn't go to University!
DeleteHa ha, I never thought of them as posh! I love the social history aspectsof a lot of them and the stories that mirror real life. My favourites being 'A Fortnight in September' and 'Greengates'. I am not a crime reader, I prefer to watch it on TV. At the moment I have just got my head in gardening books!
DeleteThis happens to me fairly often with books I get from the library, I tend to choose fairly quickly and sometimes on impulse - good thing it’s free 😀
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
It's irritating to give up part-way through a book, but sometimes you just have to.
ReplyDeleteI now abandon books part way through if they don't reel me in, there are too many books to read and not enough time!
ReplyDeletePenny
I now abandon books if they don’t appeal to me-too many books still to be read to bother with ones which don’t appeal. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI used to force myself to finish any book I started but I don't do that anymore. I also try to avoid books that are too many pages long. :)
ReplyDeleteWell, that's a shame. I generally finish a book unless I really hate it, but I'd have been annoyed at the failing-to-floss mentions as well! (Unless the fact that she's not flossing somehow relates to the plot later in the book? Does someone get killed with her spare dental floss? LOL!)
ReplyDeleteOh! Hadn't thought of that, maybe I'd better finish it and find out!
DeleteLife is too short to continue reading books you don’t enjoy. I picked up 2 British Library Crime Classics at a car boot. £1 each. Hope they make good reading. Xx
ReplyDeleteTwo disappointing books. At least, more often than not, the books you select are pretty good or outstanding.
ReplyDeleteYour mention of the dental floss and word counts makes me laugh. I guess it was a last resort!
I don't know what it is but once I start a book I will finish it no matter how bad I find it. I always hope it will get better.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I try not to give up on books because when I do I find my brain keeps bringing the characters back in my mind and then the plot fills my spare time even when I think I have cleared it out. I’ve been know to re request a book I have not enjoyed just to settle my brain.
ReplyDeleteIt’s bad news about the charges those costs will be quite high for people like you who have around 8 books at a time and yet another charge for the disabled.
I hear you on Dorothy Martin! I liked this one much better than her earlier ones, though. At least she didn't plow in unattended and get into terrible scrapes. But yes, they are a little over the top. Still, decent atmosphere!
ReplyDeleteI really need to follow your lead and give up on a book if I can't get through it. I tend to just procrastinate - end up not reading anything else because I want to finish the book I've started and then regret every moment I spent on it!
ReplyDelete