Reading Books You Didn't Finish

[@corporateread]

yessssssssss I love when I get on youtube and a kayla video is the first thing in my sub feed ☺

[@BooksandLala]

🤗🤗🤗

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

Same!!!

[@JanAgaton]

the way my heart stopped when you called me a horror girlie. top-tier compliment and i've never been more proud to be labeled in my entire life 😇 i would also like to thank past jan for making herself presentable during that All Hallows vlog clip lmao

[@JanAgaton]

I ALSO DNF'D KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE and it was def because of the audiobook. look at us agreeing on books more & more. i almost lost hope after A Certain Hunger lol

[@JanAgaton]

Babel is absolutely my most tabbed book ever

[@XOmangoXO]

You not being able to put the book down while getting ready was so cute

[@yam288]

girl i SKIPPED to the babel part bc it's one of my fave books ever (if not my fave!) and i was so nervous about what you'd think! i'm so glad that you enjoyed it and i totally agree with you that i loved the textbook-iness of it, and also loved how light the magic was bc my brain can't handle too much 😆

[@Thetrilingualreader]

I think the mistake is that it made it to the wrong side of booktok, where they are not used to politics in their books.

[@viihbelinot]

Reading while putting make-up you are an absolute queen

[@julibaro575]

Fun nerdy fact, as a linguistics students, I would argue that DNFed is actually (good) grammar at work. Acronyms can lead to coining new words (led, or radar, for example), and once they're accepted into the language, they are subjected to pluralization, -ed past endigns, etc. Only that if we are using it as a verb (and in booktube, we are!), using all lowercase letters would be "good grammar" (dnfed instead of DNFed). Btw, I loved this concept! You should totally turn it into a series. This month I dnfed the second book in the First Law Trilogy, and realized I just should have dnfed book one 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@ragdollrose2687]

As a French Canadian (Quebec), we do that aaaaall the time with English words that just make more sense to use in context. If I want to say that something is very weird or messed up, I'd say "c'est fucké" which is just an application of French conjugaison of f*cked up as an adjective. Language is meant to evolve and be used in an efficient way on the daily, so why not make up words and bend them to our will!

[@barbaralemon4170]

I understand why some people either had no interest in Babel or decided to DNF it. I've always had a particular interest in words, so, for me Babel is an all time favorite. If you gave up on it too early, you missed an exciting ending. Still, people like different books. That's fine.

[@sbayles5593]

I loved Babel. The history included was intriguing. There was a slow part 2/3 of the way through, but persevere. The end is fantastic.

[@Roro-vl3ny]

I reeally disliked it but still finished it (for some reason) 😂

[@josieb5469]

I finished it and still didn’t like it unfortunately

[@chelsey8737]

I have the opposite problem where I'm super intrigued by the language and academics included in the book but I am not at all interested in historical fiction or the grittyness I've heard it contains. Sometimes I'm inclined to read it because of the academics and language but then I know that I would hate the actual plot of it so I never will

[@jaycieashland4181]

Twice in my life I've reread books I had previously dnf'd. I ended up loving one of them. I think I just went into it with the wrong expectations the first time. The second one perplexes me to this day because I dnf'd it after not liking a specific thing that happened in the plot. And when I tried reading it again that thing just DIDN'T happen. Like it wasn't in the book. At all. So WHY did I dnf it? I will never know.

[@aardvarkbookclub]

Love this concept for a series so much! 🧠

[@Maddiereads8]

Love this idea! I have soft dnfed Babel, started it in March but kept getting distracted and now feel like it’s more of an autumn book and I want to read my summery books now!

[@elsielinstrom]

I'm LOVED with Yellowface. Top 2 of the year so far!!

[@theapenning8944]

I really liked Babel last year, but I just read Yellowface and I absolutely loved it! It was a 5 star read for me. I hope you enjoy it too when you get around to reading it :)

[@jayluvsminji]

Girl this is Lily’s Favourite book-tuber i would feel so honored!!

[@leilanibaby3975]

first of all: Liam is getting so big I can't handle it and im sure you can't either (I have a 5 year old and am in complete denial that she's starting kindergarten this year). Second, I am SO happy you liked Babel. it gets so many mixed reviews and it's one of my favorites.

[@human9460]

Out of curiosity: where do you live and when will your child start school? I'm from Germany and kids here can start Kindergarten at 2 and will leave when they start school from at ages of 5-7

[@taylorgayhart9497]

@@human9460in the US we have pre-school which is 3 and 4 year olds, and we have one year of kindergarten at age 5, and then you start first grade. It’s just a matter of language, we call it preschool and kindergarten and y’all just have the one term.

[@human9460]

@@taylorgayhart9497 thank you🥰

[@junipernin]

love when lala picks up an unhinged woman read! the moshfegh girls are here for it!

[@marykateprisco160]

For Babel it’s EXTREMELY light fantasy and it’s a lot. It really picks up toward the end. Tbh I considered DNFing about halfway through but I’m SO glad I finished it and ended up loving it.

[@christeascozycorner]

i was nervous for you to read babel, but i'm so glad you loved it!!! i can definitely see how the messaging is heavyhanded, but THE KICKER IS IT STILL WENT OVER SOME PEOPLE'S HEADS LOL. so like... it definitely needed to hammer its points home. i do also agree that i wasn't really emotionally invested in the story though because characterizations were definitely the weakest part of the book

[@lexchamp]

I really liked Episode Thirteen, and I really liked seeing your opinions on it! If you want a book that’s a similar style, The Appeal is also mixed media! There is also a mystery in there which is really fun to try and work out!

[@passmethatbook]

This is such an interesting concept! I may borrow this! Great video as always! ❤️

[@ragdollrose2687]

I love annotating books and finding annotations in books! Don't let the aesthetic get in the way of enjoying your book and writing your thoughts, you will absolutely not care next time you pick it up to look at your annotations, you'll just be glad to reminisce about your past self view on the book

[@Wuggas]

I really loved this video concept! I would love to see more like this too. I really appreciate how respectfully you handle the reasons behind a DNF. I have a lot of respect for your opinion because of this!

[@megwithbooks]

omg YES babel!!!! so so glad you loved it

[@emmajanereads]

Your Babel review verbalises EXACTLY how I felt about it too omg I’ve never felt more understood haha

[@HouseofHannah]

Love this concept ! My most recent DNFs have been: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, The City of Dr. Moreau, & Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. All very different books from each other, and DNFed for different reasons as well.

[@annajo6576]

i haven’t checked in in awhile and i am gobsmacked at how old liam looks! this is kind of the first time babel has really piqued my interest.

[@laurafinocchiarostudios]

I LOVED Babel!! I’m so glad you liked it too ❤

[@maebooks]

I’m obsessed with every vlog, every video, I’m hooked. Always.

[@CoffeeOverApples]

I love luster so much so you have convinced me to pick up big swiss. Babel is an absolute have of the year. So glad you liked it!

[@imaginepageant]

Kayla: I don’t know WHY people are DNFing Babel Also Kayla: I don’t know what the plot is That’s it. That’s why people are DNFing it. 😂

[@muddywatersbookshelf7758]

I enjoyed Episode Thirteen. Very unique approach. I also read Big Swiss, which was quite funny.

[@tiff7805]

Babel is one of my all time favorite books. I loved the pacing, the textbook-ness, the story it was driving home, the magic. I want another book that does this but haven’t found one.

[@TheAverageArtist]

I was so close to DNF Bable, I ended up finishing it and still think my thoughts on it are still confused whether I enjoyed it or not. However, if you liked it so much you would probably enjoy her series 'The Poppy War'. Which I also had mixed thoughts on so I'm hesitant to pick up Yellow Face.

[@emmawoodhousegf]

Oh wow, I also picked up Big Swiss on a whim at the library but I wound up really loving it! Only a few minutes into the video but I hope you enjoy 😳

[@robyn8221]

I stop whatever I am doing when Kayla posts a new video ❤

[@kathernandez28]

I’m even more excited to read Babel and Big Swiss now 👏🏼. This year I’ve dnf’d The Incendiaries, We can Never Leave this Place, and How to Sell a Haunted House 🥴

[@Financiallyfreeauthor]

I was a kid in Mass in the 80s! I never got into anything, though. My mom was protective.

[@BooksWithCarah]

everything you said about babel is SO SPOT ON. absolutely loved it but also felt like the characters lacked depth

[@bentersbookshelf]

My DNFs so far in 2023 - Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid - My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones (I know, I’m sorry!) - The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill - Passionate Thirst by Cameron Dean - The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

[@lalalauren2626]

Ooof 3 of those are on my tbr. I also dnf’d the girl who drank the moon.

[@vivik11]

You taking out your highlighter while starting babel yup I was like ‘she’s eating this up’ and I love that for me and you hahah

[@milkteamarwa]

this was such a fun video! would love for this to be a series you revisit. i had such a great time

[@mercurymorning1]

Omg your experience of Babel was EXACTLY how I feel about it! Loooved the first two thirds but the last third was wayy too rushed. I feel like maybe it could’ve had more impact as a series

[@tinadoesntreadthatmuch]

Oh and obviously babel. I picked it up solely because of the hype. I’m not a fantasy reader by any means, I hated the audiobook (that’s honestly the number one reason why I dnf these days 😅), and I couldn’t connect with the main character. And I’m a huge reader of character-driven books. I listened it for about 3 hours and it was a HUGE struggle

[@ellenlowe9013]

I agree with this comment 100%

[@audrey-pb9920]

5 minutes in and I already love the concept! I'm considering DNFing "The Doloriad" from Missouri Williams. Not what I was expecting and the writing is ... different.

[@vivalabee]

* hair looking soft and immaculate * “I’m going to go wash my hair now” girl CAN’T RELATE

[@crowchetcreations4888]

I loved this video! I would love to see more videos like this. It was really helpful to learn more about why someone might DNF a book and why it might be worth it (or not!) to keep going. Expectations make a big difference in how someone enjoys reading a book.

[@icedcoffeeandbookss]

I loved this video idea and it turned out amazing. Glad you didn’t hate any books!

[@Kinzeycat]

omg! you used my comment on killers of a certain age! that was super exciting for me! hehe loved the video 🫶🏻

[@BrebearMckae]

Such a fun video idea! I love that it was a mixed bag💕

[@emperorcupcake]

I DNFed Mongrels last month which makes me so sad. I love SGJ. 😥 If you read it and like it maybe I'll give it another try!

[@bookaholicbanter]

I really enjoyed and loved Babel. You are making me want to read it all over again.

[@delanieedmunds4513]

So glad you read Big Swiss. I keep forgetting that I put it down and haven't picked ot back up.

[@netogrof]

Based on the blurb for Babel I knew it wasn’t for me so I didn’t try and read it even though its super hyped. My husband tried to read it and DNF’ed after 20% he was bored and realized he was forcing himself to read it and he almost never DNFs books.

[@banannakis6723]

From how you talked about I would never read it, but I do really love the cover for All Hollows.

[@adrianwilfong4974]

Just DNfd under the whispering door, which was hard too caused I loved cerulean sea so much.

[@BRhymesss]

I should’ve DNFd it from like chapter 2. I couldn’t really make myself get over how much I didn’t like the main character…which was kinda like the whole point of the book

[@sarahbarden4135]

This was awesome! I would love to see more of this content. I read all of Babel. I wish I could have enjoyed it as much as you did. I did not dnf, but I did not enjoy it at the level you did. Although I did find a lot of it engaging for sure. I am now second-guessing picking All Hollows. I am very much also not interested in reading multitudes of mediocre books.

[@cookieboy-xu]

hi kayla! i read Yellowface and its pretty good. It makes you find the theif a horrible person but you also find yourself sympathizing for her.

[@noct505]

This is such a good video concept! My two most recent DNFs have been The Things We Do To Our Friends because I didn't like the writing style and Tampa by Alissa Nutting because the content made me want to crawl out of my own skin lol

[@BRhymesss]

I also gave Babel 4.5 while having kinda the opposite opinions as you, which I find funny. I found the parts that were supposed to be impactful VERY impactful, even though I completely agree that more could’ve been done with the characters to make you care about them. But I did struggle with how tedious the book is at points and the textbook like quality it had. I loved all the discussion had and the directions the book went so much though. I’m planning a reread without the footnotes and I think I’ll enjoy it even more the second time around.

[@madelyntumbleson]

excited to hear ur thoughts about Yellowface bc it has the same critique as Babel that it’s too heavy handed, but i loved that and think u will too!

[@2charlin]

I’m reading it for a book club. I’m having trouble because the main character is SOOO unlikeable. I think that’s on purpose but it’s tough! Lol

[@lulusinner]

This video reminded me to go back to a book I dnfed. The twisted ones, I was really enjoying it but reading it in the dead of winter when it gets dark at 4:30 wasn't a great idea cos I did get too spooked out

[@seffliddell8092]

The made me want to try Babel. I didn't want to go into it as I had already been disappointed with several overhyped books, but I think knowing better what it is will put me in the right frame of mind to give it a go. Thanks for your reviews!

[@VeraFran]

You made me interested in reading Babel. I read Thirteen and thought it was okay, just not what I was looking for at the time.

[@yinandyangmix]

I gave Babel a 5, but I definitely agree with everything you said about it. I love what it had to say, I loved learning with Robin, I loved the writing and the slower, meandering plot, but I also agree it was weak when it came to its characters, thus affecting moments that were meant to be impactful. Still, it's so funny when people rate it really low because "it wasn't what they expected." Like... the title is literally "Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History" lmao. That certainly sets the exact tone of the book!

[@BRhymesss]

You are so right! The title puts expectations EXACTLY where they should be

[@jaimeerindy4573]

I wanted to DNF Babel in the first 50ish pages, but because it was THE book to read I pushed through. I thought it was fine, it did accomplish what it set out to do, which I appreciate. My issue with it was mainly was that (for me) the tone was way too heavyhanded. I enjoyed everything it was talking about, I just wish it would have been presented more subtly and been more of journey that the characters experience rather than a discussion by the author of the book. I wanted more of a lit-fic vibe. But I think it was worth the read.

[@teresa.nguyen]

I also DNF episode thirteen earlier this year lol and I'm so happy that you read it so I can decide if I do want to revisit it!!! I read killers of a certain age and the funny thing is I did DNF it a couple times but then I decided to push through and ended up enjoying it!!

[@Lisa-vb3gn]

Me too! It took a couple of tries and ended up being good.

[@FourPawsandaBook]

I’m starting Babel next week and I’m so excited!!

[@andshereads]

I was torn between finishing Babel and dnfing it. I ended up finishing it and gave it a 4 but the there was a section in the middle that almost lost me. It helped that I had a 6 hour drive and I refuse to be on my phone an drive at the same time so I just didn't stop ergo I couldn't change the book. Honestly if I had stopped I probably would have changed it.

[@flipfloppoet4377]

I don't know why, but I find it highly interesting what books people DNF. Another (similar) idea for a video: Go through books that you wanted to DNF, but decided to push through and split them into a) worth pushing through & b) should've DNF'ed when you wanted to.

[@rebeccamontoya7712]

Absolutely incredible video and concept! Definitely interested in Babel but so intimidated by how long it is.

[@Punkersfictionreads]

Love this so much! I to dnfd Babel! I’ve also only dnfd two other books that I know you have read already lol. Our Wives Under The Sea and Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. Such a fun idea for a series though! Can’t wait to see more!

[@wickedbookwitch]

When Kayla says "I really thought this was going to be a really warm found family kind of story"... Oh Kayla, buckle up!

[@kristina_rr]

I laughed out loud when Kayla said this 😂 I read all of R.F. Kuang‘s books and „warm stories“ are not her thing 😂 she‘s more of a „let‘s inflict emotional damage“ kind of writer.

[@eileen2theleft189]

I love that you DNF Road of Bones because I really didn't like it. I was going to try All Hallows as a second attempt at Christopher Golden. Still going to try, but LOVE that you had this in your video. Also here for Episode 13. I didn't realize ppl didnt enjoy that one.

[@lealarue]

i love this video concept so much!! :D

[@ChloeFrizzle]

This is one of my goals this year too! I"ve definitely been DNFing more this year from it.

[@stace_d]

Big Swiss sounds like its in the same wheelhouse as Milk Fed, which I loved, but I know many people didn't enjoy.... So I guess I''m checking out Big Swiss from my library tomorrow, lol

[@tay_rolling]

Its always a good day when you post!! I DNFed Shutter by Ramona Emerson. I read the 1st chapter and couldn’t get into the writing style!!

[@cleg78]

Definitely keep this as an on going series

[@cleg78]

I dnf’d The Gleanings by Neal Schusterman, the book was absolutely dire and didn’t need to be added on to the end of a series especially after The Toll that was bad enough

[@cleg78]

The Gleanings put me in a right moody slump too, not good 😫

[@BookedandBusy]

I finished both killers and babel and I would have been better off dnfing

[@gabbyreads]

I’m not really a fantasy person but after hearing you talk about Babel I’m thinking maybe I should give it a shot 😍

[@kristina_rr]

Babel is really low fantasy, so don‘t worry

[@booksandtropes]

I love this idea so much!

[@katiee728]

ok i've been putting off Babel because i'm super intimidated by it but now i'm feeling like i have to pick it up this month... i've been in a huge slump though so i'm not sure a chunky book like that is the best choice atm 😂 loved this video concept and would be super interested to see more like this in the future!

[@girlsaint]

I am glad you read and reviewed Babel. I loved it. I did have to switch to the audio book at one point because the size of the book was overwhelming to me. Glad I am not alone in enjoying that book. (I rushed to watch some review videos after I read it and felt somewhat alone. lol)

[@justjay6388]

totally agree with everything you said about babel

[@FromtheDepthsofMel]

I enjoy this video concept. It's interesting to see if I'm "justified" in a DNF, or if it's really something worth continuing. Half of my DNFs are books that I keep off to the side because I'm convinced I'll come back to them and enjoy them more. Like maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset for them the first time around. My 2 biggest that I want to come back to that I had to DNF are The Lost Night by Andrea Bartz and The Leaving by Tara Altebrando. Andrea's book I can't leave on my DNFed pile because she is technically family and I want to give her books a fair shot. It's also why I haven't read her sister's book, The Writing Retreat, yet. The Leaving had a blurb that intrigued me and I had high hopes for it... and then it turned into something I wasn't expecting and didn't really enjoy. I'm not sure if I just didn't enjoy it because of the high hopes and expectations or because it isn't my cup of tea.

[@carlee3958]

I almost didn't finish Babel. I ended up giving it four stars, BUT just for enjoyment...it got a low three. It read like a textbook to me for almost half of the book, which I usually like, but this just wasn't done (to me) in a way that was interesting. I also felt like certain events took place out of order or without a point. I gave it four just because, like you said, it really hammered the point home. It did exactly what it was meant to do. I tried to read HEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt...heard so many positive reviews and the hype got me excited, and the synopsis was so interesting. I spent the first 30% of the book rolling my eyes before I put it down and didn't pick it back up. I almost didn't finish House of Hunger for similar reasons...I did manage to finish that one though. I got an ARC for The Malevolent Seven recently and did not finish it for the same reasons.

[@NakiasHideaway]

As someone who just DNF'D Episode Thirteen I thank you for finishing it and confirming for me that I don't want to pick it back up. 🙊 Another great video, Kayla! 🖤

[@racheltfisher]

I enjoyed the audiobook for this book, I feel like it added to creepiness 😊

[@NakiasHideaway]

@@racheltfisher Kayla did make the audiobook sound intriguing so maybe I'll give that a try.

[@oksnariel]

I read Episode Thirteen a few days ago, I read it physically, and boy it scared the shit out of me. I have never been scared reading horror and I couldn’t sleep after reading 250 pages of it in one sitting. I think that the book did a really good job of making me unsettled. I’ll leave my spoiler thought here so be careful reading ahead if you haven’t read it yet: That first scene where music started playing really loud and the humanoid figure of light was in that room, I did not see that coming at all and it CREEPED me out. There is something about alien like humanoid creatures that aren’t humans that give me the heebie jeebies. Then the next scene where the creepy music happens again and the hand comes out of the well… I had to put the book down. Once it started to get into the labrynth I was just like “okay now it’s house of leaves” and lost a little bit of interest. When Claire found those reports from the scientists evaluating all the characters I was so creeped out and excited, I was hoping that it would be some twist where we found out our main characters were being tested on the whole time… so I was disappointed in the ending because I had hyped it up to be something else in my head. Anyway I just needed to get all of that out of my brain! I haven’t stopped thinking about this book since I finished it

[@chelsikay13]

I did the audio but omg also creeped me the eff out😶😶😶😶 the bit where Claire found that stuff and that whole cult like element🫥🫥🫥

[@mathwhiz702]

I just realized I was doing my make up while you were doing yours in the beginning of the video 😆

[@imanbenouna1185]

I DNFed IQ84 by Haruki Murakami. Too much talk about boobs. Please let me know if it’s worth struggling through!

[@BooksandLala]

Oh goodness 😳 😂😂😂

[@Aninhasmrf]

I dnf'd We need to talk about Kevin years ago. Last month I tried again, with audiobook, and it was incredibly sad, moving... I liked it. Sometimes is good to try again.😊

[@emmal7510]

I soft DNFed Babel. I want to read it, but I realized I wasn't in quite the right mood for it when I started it.

[@moonbook12]

You might raight now put down for little bit

[@CherreePanda]

So happy to have a video! The only DNF so far was A Castle in the Clouds. 28% and I found it too annoying to go on. I would still like to see a video where you CAWPILE your rating and what happens.

[@shannieblue]

Let’s take a moment and talk about how gorgeous your hair looks!!! 🥰

[@XOmangoXO]

I need to DNF more, my only ones since I started reading again last year are: Get a Life, Chloe Brown (didn’t feel like realistic characters) The Hunting Wives (the premise is middle age women hooking up w high school boys..ew) The Family Remains (too much going on)

[@rachel43274]

I also decided to finally read Babel before starting Yellowface lol, halfway through and I LOVE it so far so fingers crossed i like the second half too

[@skrodlada]

I LOVED episode thirteen

[@charliescozycorner]

I love this because I’m currently reading Babel and enjoying after previously Soft dnfying, but my reason was issues with the quality of the arc (audiobook) I couldn’t get through it because it was distorted and now I’m liking it ;which is crazy because It’s not likely to be a book I would understand / and there are things I don’t but I’m liking it!! ❤️

[@TheeKookyWildflower]

I'm so glad you continued with Big Swiss. That book's pretty good, and yeah, it requires liking the "Unhinged Woman" trope.

[@sbayles5593]

I absolutely loved Babel and bought it for a friend after I read it. It is Robin centered but the relationships are there and very human with all the human faults. Sometimes the good guys are also the bad guys. I thought “Book 4” was a little slow and thought the ending was amazing. Definitely more dark academia than fantasy to me.

[@Ms.SpookyNerd]

Great vog 📚🥤😎🌈🌞🌻🍨🪁🍉💐🍓🫐