I have an affiliate relationship with Bookshop.org and Malaprop's Bookstore in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site. Read more on my affiliate page.
Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share a “spring cleaning freebie” this week. She explains, “For example, books you’re planning to get rid of for whatever reason, books you’d like to clean off your TBR by either reading them or deciding you’re not interested, books that feel fresh and clean to you after winter is over, etc.” I’m sharing ten books I gave away in the past because I really didn’t care for them. Links go to my review, if I’ve written one, or to the Malaprop’s bookstore website.
Walden; or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau–I love a good Thoreau quote as much as the next reader but I thought the actual book was dry and dense and Thoreau’s attitude was too holier-than-thou.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy–I didn’t write a review of this book so I don’t remember why I didn’t care for it when so many others love it.
The Host by Stephenie Meyer–I have complicated feelings about the Twilight Saga (I haven’t even bothered to read Breaking Dawn), but I decided to give The Host a try. It wasn’t for me for a lot of the same reasons that Twilight ultimately disappointed me.
A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire–I enjoyed Wicked (and loved the musical), still liked Son of a Witch well enough, and then this came along and completely ruined the series for me.
Dracula in Love by Karen Essex–I disliked this book so much, I feel myself making an “Ick” face every time I think about it.
Stealing Athena by Karen Essex–After giving up on Dracula in Love, I gave this book (by the same author) to the library book sale without even attempting to read it.
Little, Big by John Crowley–Charles de Lint was one of my favorite authors as a teenager. I bought every book of his that I could find in bookstores. He lists this book as one of his biggest influences. You can imagine how excited I was when I finally got my hands on a copy. I could see the influence but de Lint took the ideas of faerie in an urban setting and wrote infinitely better books, in my opinion. I gave this one away in disappointment.
The Once and Future King by T. H. White–So many people love this classic, and I do love the Disney movie, The Sword in the Stone. But I thought this book was a slog and I kept falling asleep while I read it.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver–I’ve enjoyed every other book I’ve read by this author, but this one, perhaps her most well-regarded, turned me right off. I’m a very character-driven reader and I don’t think I actually liked anyone in the central family, so that probably explains it.
Don’t Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer–This was an experiment in trying to write an action-filled rom-com that failed miserably. The female author wrote the female character’s story for female readers and the male author wrote the male character’s story for male readers. Which somehow probably just irritated both genders to no end. Well, it irritated me, anyway as I kept reading about men ogling the heroine’s chest and legs.
That’s my list! Which books have you given away? Link up every Tuesday at That Artsy Reader Girl!
I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site.
5 Comments
I echo your sentiments about Walden, haha. For The Host, have you tried the movie version? Some people liked the movie better than the book. And it’s a pity that Stealing Athena turned out to be a downer – it has such a great cover 😦
Hmm. The Poisonwood Bible is on my TBR, and I generally prefer books where I like the characters. I’m not sure I’ll have much better luck with that one…
I was interested in Thoreau in high school but never did go on to read much of his stuff.
I’ve only read one book by de Lint but i love how he handled the fae.
Oh, wow. I loved The Poisonwood Bible! I know several readers who didn’t though, so you are definitely not in the minority. I plan to reread it later this year and wonder if I’ll have a different opinion of it the second time around. Hmmm.
I am so glad to hear that there is another reader out there for whom the Poisonwood Bible didn’t work. Like you, I’ve loved her other books, but just couldn’t do this one.