Whether it’s my new career eating up brain data or a spate of unworthy books, there were several texts on my Books of Fall post that I did not finish. Some were added to fill the gap of a book I didn’t finish and so do not appear on the list. Here’s a rundown on what happened.
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace: One of the most forced novels in this genre I’ve ever read. A college is so good at putting out figure skaters who go to the Olympics and hockey players who get drafted by the NFL that they have two ice rinks. But after an underclassman on the hockey team hokey player angers their rival, that team messes up the rink. Now, figuring skating and hockey must share one rink. The leading female is vying for a spot in the Olympics, so she is furious with the captain of the hockey team? Which makes no sense? And then the book goes in a pretty sexually explicit direction, which I found boring given there was no believable plot to sandwich all the sauce.
Quiet Neighbors by Catriona McPherson: I’m just bored, and I can’t stand how “ah, um, my dear” one of the main characters is. I also feel rather ripped off by the cover. I mean, aren’t the quiet neighbors the deceased? No, the quiet neighbors are books, but the book isn’t about books? And it plods along… Zzzzzzzzz
Bizarre Phenomena (Quest for the Unknown), a Reader’s Digest book: This book was quite old, something I got from a garage sale. While I’ve enjoyed the older science books from this publisher—storms and volcanoes—the Bizarre Phenomena book was more speculating on odd stories folks have heard about spontaneous combustion, etc. I wasn’t terribly interested.
Nothing Left to Lose: Studies of Street People by Jeffrey D. Blum, with Judith E. Smith: This book was published in 1972 by some folks who worked at a church (which I didn’t realize when I bought it–they’re called a “hostel and counseling center” on the back of the book) who worked with “street people” over one summer. There was something about the writing that I just could not get through. It was like reading almost-English. I don’t know. Perhaps that means it was simply poorly written. Honestly, I didn’t get past the introduction to the Sanctuary, so ehhhh.
Ask Elizabeth: Real Answers to Everything You Secretly Wanted to Ask about Love, Friends, Your Body– and Life in General by Elizabeth Berkley: Oh, Elizabeth! I had such high hopes for you. To be fair, it’s weird to have a beautiful woman telling teen and tween girls they just have to believe they’re pretty, because those negative comments sure do stick! I was totally over the positivity, because that’s not helpful. If we could all just tell ourselves we’re awesome, we would. I can appreciate that she cares about her young fans, though.
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter: Have you ever read a fairy tale, but someone tried to make it…..WEEEEIRD? Well, that just didn’t work for me. Really turn that fairy tale on its head, if that’s what you’re going to do. Don’t spend most of the time just telling me the fairy tale I already know and then add something a little extra.
Grab the Lapels 
The ice bracket cover looked to me more like a young adult novel but even a young adult novel needs some meat and meaning and logic. You’re coming and quiet neighbours made me laugh. I love how you get to the knob why you don’t like a book so quickly.
As for the Ask Elizabeth book why do young girls have to need to feel pretty? That’s the thing that gets me. Some of us just aren’t pretty but we can be attractive if we exude a friendly personality. For me, attractiveness comes from expression more than features and expression comes from an inner self which involves developing confidence in who you are as a human being and developing good attitudes towards others.
LikeLike
I have always heard that The Bloody Chamber is a classic of horror literature (and thus have, of course, never read it), so it’s refreshing to hear a different take – though I’m definitely still not planning to pick it up! Your post made me laugh, especially the comments about Quiet Neighbours.
LikeLike
British people CAN’T be like the dude in Quiet Neighbors, can they?? The author is Scottish, and maybe they guy was supposed to be Scottish, but still…
LikeLike
It’s interesting to see what brings you to DNF a novel. The only one I might have been tempted to read is the Angela Carter whose works are generally worth trying. I must say in relation to Bizarre Phenomena that I have spent my whole life avoiding Readers Digest books, which I abhor because they are generally abridged.
LikeLike
After I created and scheduled this post, I thought more about why I would DNF a book. I thought perhaps now that I’m using so much more brain power at work that could be it, but it’s not. I realized I need to be intrigued in some way, any way.
LikeLike
Quiet neighbors are books? wtf? Totally bogus cover on that one! Heh, Bizarre Phenomena sounds like a book version of the old TV program Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, which I loved as a kid, but only as a TV program. Pretty sure I’d be bored silly by a book version.
LikeLike
Yes! Bizarre Phenomena WAS like Ripley. Just a very old version. I used to watch the show with Dean Cain in the 90s. I saw him recently at a local convention. Most people knew him as Superman, which I’d never seen. People also came to see Denise Crosby because she was in Star Trek, though I knew her only from Pet Sematary and Dolly Dearest 🤣
LikeLiked by 1 person
the ice skating one makes no sense at all to me
LikeLike
That makes two of us, yet apparently, it was a sensation on Tik Tok. I won it at a book exchange and started reading it for a book bingo card slot for books on the NTY bestseller list of 2024.
LikeLike
Why would I need those questions answered by Jessie from Saved by the Bell?
LikeLike
I think because she was supposed to be the studious one who wasn’t just hot and that’s all, maybe girls felt like they related to her? It’s a good question, though. I think in the intro she said something about touring the country, and girls would ask her all these questions. I guess my question is why was she touring the country?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right, that seems like a classic 90s media movie to tell us that this person is not attractive simply because they don’t fit certain conventions. Was there a Saved by the Bell tour?
LikeLike
Not that I know of.
LikeLike
Do you feel like the Tik Tok phenomenon books are just crazy popular because people who don’t really read like them? Because that’s how I feel. I’m not on Tik Tok BTW, but just being judge-y, LOL.
LikeLike
I’m not on Tik Tok. My understanding is it’s just very short videos? I’m not sure what makes Tik Tok popular with readers because I don’t know the platform in general. I think if I were college-age, the Icebreaker book might have appealed to me more.
LikeLike
LOL, I am not on it either. I just have ideas I’ve gleaned from the podcasters at Book Riot about the kinds of books that go viral on TikTok. 😅
LikeLike
Ohhhh, my goodness, I totally forgot about Book Riot 🤣
LikeLike
I’m curious about the Homing book – was that a did not even start? A rustbelt feminist is an appealing topic, that’s for sure! I’ve certainly heard of Icebreaker, but I can tell by the cover that I would already hate it LOL
LikeLike
I read several of the essays from Homing, actually. It just felt like each one started with an idea and then wandered around. Maybe I’m too much the English professor still, but I feel like there has to be a point to the essay. If we’re just going to wander around, why not write a full memoir instead of essays? You know what’s interesting about that cover for Icebreaker? It seems like loads of books right now have that same stupid art style, and I hate it so much. Is it better than the photo realistic covers that never included a woman’s head? Maybe. Is it better than the time when we would include something like a shoe or a lipstick on the cover? Possibly. But I still think we can do better.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think that’s too professory-of you, I also like my essays to have a point haha
LikeLiked by 1 person