my recent dnfs | all the books i could not finish and the petty reasons why

[@MinaReads]

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[@o_o-lj1ym]

“I knew that...but I didn’t KNOW that” lmao 😂

[@MinaReads]

😂😂😂

[@GlitterCarnival]

Girl, the last one had me ROLLING

[@MinaReads]

😭

[@halebarely]

Not the Zootopia of it all at the end 😭

[@MinaReads]

Had to save the most traumatic for last

[@SM-fy4ij]

I will die a DNFer, I’ve DNF’d 34 books this year, I don’t know how people stand to read a book they’re not enjoying 🤷🏾‍♀️ Upgrade is the only book on your list that I’ve read and I think you’re fine passing on it. I gave it 3 stars so it was fine but there was A LOT of scientific explaining and Blake should know I don’t have the brain cells for that. Also that Zootopia thing took me out 😂 love your videos as always!

[@shaylaatiles]

Life is too short to read bad books! 👏 I’ve DNFed 36 books this year. I got pretty far into most of the books too. The book market is so over saturated right now, I know I’m bound to find a good/enjoyable book somewhere.

[@MinaReads]

so true bestie!

[@safirahh00]

I totally relate with feeling anxious when reading about characters I care for 😭 I have to finish the book tho or else I’ll constantly think about them, I need that closure for peace of mind

[@SantReads]

Hahahahahaha omg the amount i was actually laughing when you were talking about the last book is SHAMEFUL! 😂 But I have read Light From Uncommon Stars and I didn't like it for the same reasons you spoke of. The classical music/violin bit didn't work for me as I think it would for other people but also the rest of the plot is too convoluted and I came out of the book being like .... That's it? So yeah, didn't feel it myself. But I know a bunch of people who have. So 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@MinaReads]

exactly to each their own but it totally lost me

[@hannahollihan]

I DNF ALL THE TIME! I also DNF for all sorts of petty reasons... but there are too many good books out there to push through a story that I'm not vibing with! Love the vid! I would love to see all the books you've DNFed this year !!!

[@MinaReads]

good to know! I'd definitely be willing to make another video like this because i have many many dnfs 😂

[@amber.imagines]

The last book 🤣😭😱

[@lisajenny9]

That was too funny omg 🤣🤣

[@AlwaysInStock]

Girl, you got farther in For the Wolf than I did! I expected to care so much about this book and fall absolutely in love with it, but I just...didn't.

[@sophia_ebooks]

i am a girlie in STEM and upgrade was aggressively mediocre. it basically turns into a mission impossible movie lmao. the ending is also SO PREACHY. wish i'd dnf'd it tbh ...

[@themusicsnob]

I definitely would recommend picking up The Hacienda when you’re in the mood for gothic horror again because I think it’s awesome 😎

[@ohladysamantha]

Eidolon is stressful but it is okay in the end! I feel you because they are so precious but you get an HEA for sure.

[@MinaReads]

oof okay im glad to hear it, i got to a point that was talking about brishen needing to sacrifice himself for the people and i was like omg my heart can't take it

[@rachelpartington4667]

the scream i spiritually scrumpt at "and they were all animals" (but could not bc i was at work!!) Also I really liked light from uncommon stars (for the reasons u mentioned) but will agree that there was a lot of violin details (smth I liked but it's not for everyone).

[@kartik3719]

Omg i could not STAND Light from Uncommon Stars, the writing style felt so detached and cold, i read up till the 40% and had to put it down because it legitimately felt like my soul was being tortured 😭😭

[@malinasimp6182]

Yea, it’s pretty interesting but the writing made the entire book feel so slow and dragged on for way too long

[@kayri687]

i have been trying to dnf more books recently and not slog through books that aren't giving me joy so this vid is inspiring. I often find that I'm also like wow I don't care like a bit into a book and then im just like okay next

[@ava8510]

Lolol I didn’t like you had me at hola much either and hearing about adios it sounds so awk 😅 I love hearing the explanation tho hahaha hilarious

[@b2ksflyhoney]

I loved the hacienda, hope you end up liking it. Now “For the Wolf” 😐 I could NOT with that damn book!

[@MinaReads]

😭 so many people are saying this i'm so glad i ditched it

[@lmoney1999]

I finished both books from the For the Wolf duology…and I just remember being really confused???? It was like a fever dream, honestly, cause I can’t remember exactly what happened even though I read it, like, a month ago. The 2nd book was more palatable but it kept changing POVs to characters I didn’t care about…The world building felt incomplete /half-baked, the pacing was weird, and the characters were a little flat…although Neve was more compelling in the 2nd book. It could have been better which was sad cause I was drawn in by potential werewolf smut…idfk 😂

[@decraftylady]

I quit a book once because the heroine said she never heard bet used as slang.

[@MinaReads]

That’s a good reason 😂

[@janaedonim]

I never DNF but I loooove a good dnf roundup

[@TrenTehGreat]

A whole chapter on repairing a violin ...? Part of me wants to read that just for the hell of it, but I don't blame you for not vibing with the details of violin repair XD

[@ivysylvan]

I read Light From Uncommon Stars. I enjoyed it--know nothing about violins, but I love reading characters being passionate and knowledgeable about a thing. Call it a competency kink, I guess! The aliens were weird tho. Not quite sure they needed to be there.

[@SabrinaMSabrinasStories]

There are several books in this video that i returned to the library without finishing but with every intention to try again.... Maybe this is a sign not to bother 😅

[@stace_d]

This video has convinced me to pick up Upgrade, for the exact reasons you put it down, lol. I work in a genetics lab, so I love when sci-fi and real life start overlapping 😁

[@lifeandtabroad]

OMG, I was thinking the same. It sounds so cool. Im a neuroscientist.

[@allie9855]

I totally understand about Eidolon. I love them so much and every time I reread it, I have to take a break at the super angsty part. But I promise it works out!!!

[@MinaReads]

oh thank goodness

[@Allenro711]

I am a very liberal dnfer. If it's not working out for any reason, like I'm just bored, I'm moving on! No one got the time to stick around for a book that just isn't working out for whatever reason.

[@MrMugampi]

Mina ain’t no furry lol 😂

[@readingintothevoid2930]

I am a mood reader 100% so I DNF stuff all the time. Plus I read a ton of audiobooks and if the narrator isn’t right, I DNF fast so they don’t ruin for me what might otherwise be a book I really like lol

[@stpersimmons]

I only recently started DNF-ing books lol I use to power through them for whatever reason until I realize this shit is not fun in the slightest. I recently DNF'd Gideon the Ninth as the humor wasn't for me and I couldn't bring myself to care for Gideon after 150ish pages in. Though I see why people love the series, it's just not for me.

[@badreader__]

also dnf'd Upgrade! the main character went from inferiority to superiority complex so quick.

[@selwatchesyt]

I DNF if I just can’t see myself finishing a book.

[@ami5077y]

I have a ”a lot like adios on my coffee table”(borrowed it from a friend). I have been procrastinating on reading it. I could tell by the synopsis it wasn’t my vibe. 😂

[@candyisreading8813]

I read radiance on your recommendation, I absolutely love it! Eidolon was definitely stressful, so I totally understand ❤ you are right to Intuit that everything is good between them in the end, although not their world at large. (There is a spin off featuring another character)They have a lovely ending tho!

[@aluralorrell3297]

I dnf all the time I give books away to my book club girls the second i don't like something

[@PetuniaTurtle]

It took me FOREVER to finish Eidolon. For the same reasons. The stress. The anxiety. It definately drives more to the fantasy side in that one as opposed to the first one leaning more romance. Also, For the Wolf definitely has a bit of a slog in the middle, especially when it keeps switching to the sisters pov

[@BookedandBusy]

You definitely made the right choice dnfing Upgraded but I think you should give Light From Uncommon stars another shot! The monster vs animal discussion lmao 😂

[@Sarah_L_N]

I was so bored by Light From Uncommon Stars, all the way through. Felt like I was arms length from the characters and story the whole time. I usually dnf pretty easily, but I'd been looking forward to it for well over a year by the time I i finally bought it, so I persevered and wish I hadn't bothered! I'm still sad that I didn't love it, plus the cover is so pretty.

[@JemilaBeReadin]

You ain’t missing anything with For the Wolf lmao, wish I had dnf’d it. Also I loved Light From Uncommon Stars but I can def see how it won’t be for everyone! The violin stuff continues for the rest of the book lmao

[@Sofia-kh1xy]

this made me feel so better for DNFing some of my books this year (most recently mexican gothic oop-) also what do yall do with the books yall DNF?

[@Poshgirl99]

The Vicious Devotion part took me out 😂😂

[@heyimsasa]

omg i wonder if upgrade has a movie adaptation because there's a movie by the same name that came out before venom but it has similar vibes. also the actor did an incredible job with the absolutely inhuman body movements and robotic gestures. it's been a while since i watched it but i remember it being gory but fun.

[@Elientjepientje.]

I really loved light from uncommon stars, but it might not be for everyone. It might be worth a second try when you are in a different mood but it's also fine if it's not for you. I dnf a lot. But I also try them again quite often. Sometimes it's just not the right book for that moment. It depends so much on how i'm feeling and whats happening in my life. Its better to not force it and try again a year or months later

[@MinaReads]

I'm like that as well! Sometimes it's simply not the right time for a reading experience. I dnf'd some of my favorite books of all time and when I finally picked them up again they were immediately five stars that second time around.

[@OliviasCatastrophe]

You make me so nervous about trying you had me at hola as I have both those books now 💀 biggest joke is i got them from a friend's unhaul 😬 light from uncommon stars isn't one I have read but I do want to try it. I think I would be able to get behind the violin details though valid why it wasn't for you.

[@Alea_uncharted]

Ok so I loved Light From Uncommon Stars when I read it last year. I totally get not caring about the violin stuff, that all went over my head 😅 I just ended up not paying too much attention to the jargon and specifics bc they don’t really matter that much in the grand scheme of things - I kinda consider it a love letter to violin that is simply not for me. I think it would be worth trying again bc the character relationships and dynamics get sooo good, and the violin stuff is easy to skim through

[@PamNg]

Hmmm if the violin parts aren't your vibe, I will say that it doesn't get better.... I'm biased bc it's set in the SGV where I grew up, but I really loved it! It ends up being a very found family, wholesome, and strange book! But I totally get your perspective!

[@aliasalamandra]

I soft DNF a lot. For example I have stopped reading For the Wolf months ago but I think I'll finish it... one day. I found it okay but the sister's chapter annoyed me so much, I was like "use your brain". As for Eidolon I have yet to pick it up because I think I'll feel the same as you do, especially after having read The Bridge Kingdom which made me very anxious too. As a complete mood reader, I know that I shouldn't continue reading a book that I don't particularly like or I risk getting into a reading slump, so I DNF a lot until I'm in the right mood to pick them up again (and that can take years).

[@ericamarie0]

Upgrade: mediocre - I didn’t feel like the story ever climaxes and I wasn’t really invested in the brother/ sister dynamic

[@questionthat]

I will definitely DNF a book, show, or movie if I love the characters and start getting anxiety about where the story is taking them. I'd rather keep the good memories, lol.

[@itsmonteprice]

nothing about for the wolf gets better. you dodged a bullet.

[@itsmonteprice]

ANIMALS i'm weak

[@MinaReads]

@@itsmontepricechile me too

[@lua_ferraz]

This year I've made myself a rule that if by 30% I'm not into the book, I'll let it go. It's been working because my average rating for the year so far is 4.14, which is a HUGE improvement from last year. Life's too short to waste time on meh readings 😂 As for your DNFs, I read Light from Uncommon Stars and gave it 4 stars, but I have to say it doesn't get "better". The story keeps being very weird in a weird way (lol) and if you can't just get along with it (and the writing style) then it's gonna be hard to like it. I found it very unique though, both the story itself and the writing, and I'm curious to see what this author comes up with next!

[@_echointhevoid_]

i also dnfed light from uncommon stars. a lot was going on but also somehow it felt like nothing was going in idk. it was just kinda boring

[@JashanaC]

Hard same with For the Wolf -- I could not care any less blah.

[@ashtonreads]

I love seeing what other people DNF, because I've starting doing so with my own books more and more over the past years. No one has time for mediocre books when fantastic ones are out there waiting to be read. I did read Games with the Orc and it didn't hit the way I had hoped, which was disappointing. I never connected with the romance OR the smut (despite it having kinks I usually love). Faith and the Dead End Devils did feel slow at times, though I pushed through in case there's more in the series, since I didn't want to miss any plot lines that might be interconnected. And even a mediocre Why Choose romance from Kathryn Moon is a fantastic Why Choose compared to most other authors in the subgenre that I've attempted, so I'm still determined to read all of her books, even the ones that I don't love as much haha. I've only read one of Aveda's full length novels and keep thinking I need to try her other ones (though if I'm being honest, I think I prefer when she just writes smutty novellas).

[@allbookedbailey1029]

Light from Uncommon Stars is my all-time favorite book, I would recommend finishing it when you're in the mood for a queer sci-fi, however if you don't like the music aspect, unfortunately maybe pass on it. It's truly a love letter to music, as as a musician I loved that, but if you don't care about that aspect, the book probably isn't going to resonate with you.

[@blueowl07]

Everyone loved a light from uncommon stars but i felt tricked and DNF'd haha people were saying it was so cozy and uplifting and the beginning made me want to cry my eyes out. I felt so duped and was so mad 😂

[@MinaReads]

I was so heartbroken too the main character was in such a terrible situation omg

[@kaylanharper3048]

With the Light from uncommon stars I think the author plays violin so I think that might play into the violin jargon

[@MinaReads]

ah that makes sense!

[@michaelajoyreads]

my toxic trait is that i dnf every book i read (literally for no reason, i don’t know why i do this) with the intention of picking it back up eventually.

[@Sad.Purple.unicorn]

i had the last book on my TBR but now I’m like no tnx 😄

[@BookinItWithAhtiya]

Not Zootopia! Minaaa! 😫😂

[@MinaReads]

had to speak the truth 😭

[@Sad.Purple.unicorn]

I finished Upgrade but ended up unhauling it later. It was just an ok 3 star for me

[@cmeeki4]

I love this video, and I'm so glad that i didn't attempt to read any of these books, lol.

[@Maritinylibrary]

I really enjoyed Light From Uncommon Stars but I don't think it's for everyone. I feel like if you enjoy a more character-centered story with not a lot of plot explanation then this is the book for you. But personally, the ending of the book did kinda ruin my entire experience with it. I feel like the author was trying too hard with having all of these elements in the story and in the end she tried to kinda resolve it really quickly. I would say pick it up again if you want just vibes and if your suddenly in a classical music quick lol

[@myselfctrl]

Games with the orc was fun. If you’re in the mood for erotica, I think it’s worth the read. But it’s definitely my least favorite Kathryn moon that I’ve read. I think I just prefer when she does why choose

[@phenix4070]

omg i read for the wolf and really really disliked it, i found it uninteresting and not written very well?? but it's a bummer because i wanted to like it!

[@samanthaspringer6800]

hi mina

[@AlexA-xi3sk]

Not Zootopia 😂😂😂

[@TheEllie2707]

Not the reason for the video but where is your cute top from?

[@MinaReads]

it's actually a dress but it's from forever 21!

[@BritneyT.]

🧡

[@MinaReads]

❤️

[@aleshae3200]

No Fourth wing🤔?

[@brittneyreads]

Doooo not try The Hacienda! It was awful. It’s a terrible romance with zero spooky stuff and serious plot holes. The first chapter is so deceiving 👀😓

[@breanneccc]

Faith was definitely the worst book in the sweet omegaverse.

[@DinoReader]

I read all of For the Wolf and no. Absolutely not. DNF was the right move.

[@MinaReads]

😭 that bad huh?

[@gabbaray2013]

I have become a liberal DNF'er. It's a lot easier when they are library books.

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I need to get better at DNFing 🫠