The First Challenge: Finishing the Book

So I am going to deviate a bit from the normal today and focus on a problem that has been plaguing me as of late. I'd say as of this summer, I have on a couple of occasions started books and just been so completely turned off I couldn't finish. Now there have been a few times in my past where I have come across a few that I just couldn't get through, but I don't know if recently I've just been in a mood for a particular type of book, but there have been a couple that I could just not get into. I did give each one my 30 pages and out test, and some I think I will revisit when I am not in such a picky mood. But anyway, this is a list of books I picked up recently that I just could not get into.

First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh
I've heard so many good things about this book, and actually started reading it twice within a 3 months before I realized I had attempted this one quite recently. I started off really well, graveyard scene, avenging death, things like that. Then we are at a party in the country and I pretty much wanted to die. More garden party. More party. Nothing interesting. So I stopped. It's gotten so many good reviews from people, that I will give it another go. Just not right now.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
This one was my fault. I went into this book thinking that it was going to be fast paced and thriller like. But when you think about it, hostage situations (which this book is about) are not like that at all. They are the waiting game, where in this case backstories abound. Again, I think this was mindset. It may do good as a fall or winter read, but it just didn't have the bounce I usually look for in the summer.

Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning
This one kind of made me sad. I really wanted to read a good time travel romance. But the cliches were beating me over the head and I was only 10 pages in. At the 30 page mark, I set it aside. Again, this one was highly recommended. But the hero and heroine from the glimpse I had of them, were ones I had read over and over again.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
Because I was listening to the audiobook, I gave this one longer that I would if I were reading it. The first chapter pissed me off. The reader was horrid. I was spoiled with the other audiobooks I've had, but this woman. punctuated. the last. three. words. For dramatic effect maybe, I'm not sure. But I got over that and pressed on, but with that pressing I found out that King cannot write little girls well. It was just awkward. I did enjoy the occasional references to things from the late 90s (Surge, walkmans), but after I realized there were 3 more disks of the girl being lost in the woods, I just couldn't do it anymore.

So those are the ones that I just couldn't do right now. Have you read any of these? Did I misjudge them? I don't know for sure, but right now these just weren't right for me.