Top Ten Tuesday | Books I DNFed

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is Ten Bookish Things I Want to Quit Or Have Quit, so I thought I'd talk about some of the books I've DNFed over the years. I don't tend to DNF books that often anymore because I'm a lot better now at picking up books I'm going to enjoy, but when I first started out blogging I felt as though there were certain books I had to read that I just couldn't force my way through, and there were some books I had to read for uni that I couldn't make myself finish either.

On with my list!

Divergent by Veronica Roth: I love The Hunger Games trilogy, and dystopian YA was the craze. Everyone who loved The Hunger Games seemed to love Divergent, and even though I wasn't completely sold on the idea of the world I found a copy in my local library and thought I might as well give it a try. I gave it a really fair shot, guys. It was a fast read - if I'd pushed myself I probably could have finished it - but I just didn't care. The world building made no sense to me whatsoever, and I thought Tris was so dull. I couldn't do it.

Kim by Rudyard Kipling: I had to read this one for my Victorian Popular Fiction module at uni and it was brutal. In the end I couldn't force my way through it, it was boring me to death. Thankfully I still came out with a first in that module because I wrote about two other books on the course, The Moonstone and The Secret Garden, which I loved!

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen: Another one I had to read for university and another one I hated. I was so bored. So in the end I gave up, and I have no intention of going near it again any time soon.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini: I always get such strong reactions when I tell people I didn't like this book. I really didn't like it. I managed to force my way through 2/3s of it and then I had to give up for the sake of my sanity; I could feel myself falling into a reading slump.

Matched by Ally Condie: Gave up after the second chapter. Rubbish world building, irritating main character, and a love triangle that consisted of the best friend and the 'bad boy'. Nope, not for me.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld: Another irritating character, this time described with pretty rubbish writing. The concept of this world was fascinating, but I can still remember reading three paragraphs describing a sneeze. A sneeze. I gladly gave up.

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse: I forced my way through half of this book, desperate to like it, but half way through nothing had happened and I just couldn't do it anymore. Like Eragon, I could feel this book leading me towards a reading slump.

The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory: This was the second time I gave Philippa Gregory a try, but her writing and I just don't get along. I only read the first couple of chapters before I gave up.

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin: This was another one I'd really hoped to like, and the one book on this list I'm most likely to give a second chance. I love historical crime, and I love it even better when the protagonist is a lady, but I couldn't get into this novel. What irritated me most was that parts of it were far too modern; this book is set during the reign of Henry II, and yet the protagonist was warning people about obesity. I may give it another chance in future, though!

The Running Man by Richard Bachman: Otherwise known as Stephen King. I read a lot of dystopian fiction during my third year of university because I ended up talking about dystopia for my dissertation, so I thought I'd give this one a try. Unfortunately I didn't like it enough to finish it, and I ended up giving my copy away. In fact I've given the majority of the books on this list away.

What did you talk about this week?

What's Up Wednesday! | 05/11/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

Remember, remember, the fifth of November. Gunpower, treason, and plot. There is no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot...

What I'm Reading

I'm slowly making my way through The Count of Monte Cristo (you can still join in with my Count of Monte Cristo Read-a-Long here!) and this morning I started reading Marie Brennan's A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir of Lady Trent which I'm really enjoying so far. I'm not much of a dragon person; I don't dislike them, but I've never gotten into dragon stories like a lot of my friends have. I tried reading Eragon and really didn't like it, so it's nice to find a dragon story I'm enjoying!

What I'm Writing

Well NaNoWriMo is here and, as per usual, I'm behind. Very, very behind. Mainly because I changed my idea at the last minute. I was totally prepared to write about Medieval dragons (ironic given what I just said about dragons), but then a new idea popped into my head and wouldn't go away so I'm working on that instead. As much as I'd love to write 50,000 words in one month one day, I'm not going to kick myself if I don't do it this year because frankly it's stress I don't need, and NaNoWriMo should be a fun experience as well as a tricky one!

What Works For Me

Saving/jotting down ideas. Very recently I've rediscovered an old notebook and a load of old files on my laptop full of the beginnings of stories or just little bullet points, and I'd forgotten about a lot of them. I love rediscovering old ideas, especially when I rediscover them and realise I still like them despite having forgotten about them in the first place!

What Else Is New

Honestly not much. I've just been reading and trying to kick my arse into gear for NaNoWriMo. Although I am also taking part in Sci-Fi Month throughout November, which is very exciting! You can read my introductory post here.

What's new with you?

Top Ten Tuesday | Books That Were Hard to Read!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books That Were Hard For Me To Read'. So, without further ado, here are my ten!

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë: I love the Brontës, always have and always will, but when it comes to their novels it's Emily's I've always struggled with. I think the main reason I struggle with Wuthering Heights (and often find the book a little boring!) is because of the narration; first we're told the story through Heathcliff's lodger and then it's Nelly. Personally I'd have found the book a lot more enjoyable if I could read from Cathy or Heathcliff's POV.

The Withered Root by Rhys Davies: To be fair I didn't read this book properly. I had to proof-read an edition of it in the summer during my publishing internship and I despised it. If I hadn't had the enjoyment of correcting all the little mistakes (yep - that's how boring the actual story was) then there's no way I would have read it to the end.

Green Rider by Kristen Britain: I tried reading this book earlier this year and I'd like to give it another try in the future. I bought it a few years ago because it had a pretty cover, and while I enjoyed it when I initially began to read it, it quickly began to drag. Maybe one day I'll try again!

Eragon by Christopher Paolini: I'm sorry Eragon fans, but I hated this book. I managed to get through about two thirds of it before I had to put it down and I have no intention of picking it up again. It was so boring. And before anyone tells me 'the second book is when it gets really good', I shouldn't have to wait until the second book in a series to enjoy the story.

Kim by Rudyard Kipling: This book was on the reading list for my Victorian Popular Fiction module at university. I tried to read it - I really did - but I had to give up after a few chapters. I found the writing style so difficult to read and I wasn't all that interested by the story either.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: I liked this book a lot and I did finish it, but gosh it was a challenge. It's not even a very big book, but it's so description heavy, even though the description is beautiful, that reading a couple of pages felt like reading a chapter. Finishing this book felt like an accomplishment, and while I did enjoy and I do think it's gorgeously written, I think it's pretty over-hyped.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: I tried reading The Count of Monte Cristo at the start of the year, but it's one of the few books I own that intimidates me with its size. I really want to read it, though - I've heard great things about it and I think it could become a favourite of mine if I could just get into it. If any of you are interested in reading The Count of Monte Cristo with me I'm going to host a read-a-long starting November 1st - there's a group that you can check out here if you're interested!

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin: This is another book I'd like to try reading again one day. I tried reading it last year and I was very excited by the premise; I love historical fiction and historical crime is a lot of fun, so the prospect of reading a historical crime novel with a female lead sounded fantastic to me. Unfortunately I found the book pretty disappointing; for a book set during the reign of Henry II there were a lot of modern ideas and terms being thrown about which threw me off a bit, so I felt more like I was reading a book about people in historical costumes rather than people in Medieval England.

Dante's Inferno: I enjoyed this read and I'm glad I can say I've read it, but it was hard work! It wasn't so much the language I found a problem (though it wasn't easy!) but the inclusion of people from Dante's life; I had to look at the footnotes a lot to understand the significance of various scenes, but it was worth it!

Persuasion by Jane Austen: This is another book I'd like to try reading again some day, but I first had to read this book when I was in sixth form and I really, really didn't like it. I had to force myself to finish it so that I could use it in my English coursework, and since then I've disliked Austen's novels. Now that I'm older, however, I'd like to give her another try - it's just hard to talk myself into reading the an author whose books I associate with boredom!

Which books made your top ten?

Top 5 | Worst Book Adaptations

From Harry Potter to The Great Gatsby, over the past few years book adaptations have been absolutely everywhere. I've already done two previous posts in which I talk about my ten favourite adaptations, so now I think it's time that we address those adaptations that we wish had never been made in the first place.

This post isn't meant to be cruel or to make fun of anyone's tastes, these are just my five worst book adaptations!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

dir. Chris Columbus

Based on The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

First up we have Chris Columbus's adaptation of the first book in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.

Now I have to admit I haven't actually read any of the Percy Jackson books. Yet. I actually started The Lightning Thief some time last year and I really enjoyed the chapters I read, but then my dissertation got in the way and I just haven't returned to it. While I have yet to really read the series, the chapters I did read were enough to tell me that the film isn't a very faithful adaptation.

That being said, I do actually like this film! If I watch it and forget it was a book first it's a lot of fun - something easy to watch on the nights when I just want to relax and not think. Even so, as much as it might be a fun film, it's not a good adaptation.

Inkheart (2008)

dir. Iain Softley

Based on Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

In many ways this adaptation of the first book in Cornelia Funke's Inkworld trilogy is the same as the Percy Jackson adaptations. If you forget about the books entirely and just watch this film then it's an enjoyable film; I remember seeing the film advertised in the cinema before I'd even heard of the books and I thought it looked really cool, but thankfully I read the trilogy before I watched it.

The main reason this book has made my list is because I love the Inkworld trilogy. I discovered it during my teens and I absolutely adored it; Funke's worldbuilding is fantastic and her characters are beautifully written (though I have to admit Meggie becomes less and less of a main protagonist after the first book). So when the film adaptation was relatively weak in comparison and the ending ruined the possibility of them making adaptations of the second and third books, I was so disappointed.

There's so much in this trilogy that I actually think it would make a brilliant TV series instead!

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

dir. Mel Stuart

Based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Whenever I tell someone I prefer Tim Burton's adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory I'm usually met with gaping mouths and cries of: 'but the 70's adaptation is a classic!'

I, however, really cannot stand this adaptation. Why? Because rather than telling the story of a little boy whose luck finally changes when he finds the last golden ticket, this film is basically 'The Gene Wilder Show'. The fact that the name in the title has been changed is proof enough of that.

For me the 2005 adaptation is a lot more bizarre, fun and true to the original story. Obviously I don't expect an exact replica of a book when I sit down to watch an adaptation, but this film really takes the biscuit. It's also worth mentioning that Roald Dahl himself disowned this film, claiming that he was disappointed with the lack of emphasis on Charlie.

Eragon (2006)

dir. Stefen Fangmeier

Based on Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Do I really need to say anything?

I'm not a fan of Eragon. I tried reading the book a few years ago and I managed to get about three quarters of the way through before I just had to put it down. Whenever I've told fans of the Inheritance Cycle this they've often told me that the series gets especially good from the second book onwards, but I'm not the kind of reader who appreciates having to 'just get through' the first book before I can start to enjoy the story. I could be reading something else!

Having said that, even though I've never finished the book even I can recognise that this adaptation is just appalling. Like Percy Jackson and Inkheart, if you forget that this is an adaptation you can sit down and enjoy it on a lazy Sunday afternoon, but even then it's still a pretty bad film.

I really do feel sorry for fans of the Inheritance Cycle.

Birdsong (2012)

dir. Philip Martin

Based on Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

Unlike the other adaptations on this list, this adaptation of Birdsong is a two-part BBC drama. And it's terrible.

If you haven't read Birdsong then I can't recommend it highly enough, and now that we're honouring the 100 year anniversary of WW1 it's the perfect time to read it. It's a story that takes place both in France during WW1 and in England during the 70's. In France we follow a soldier called Stephen Wraysford through his harrowing experiences, and in the 70's we follow Elizabeth, his granddaughter, who is trying to learn more about the war.

It's one of those stories that will haunt you forever. Every now and then it creeps back into your mind and it's just stunning.

So when I discovered the BBC were doing an adaptation I was both excited and extremely nervous. Then I watched it, and was devastatingly disappointed. So much so that I didn't bother watching the second part. Honestly, the majority of the first part was just Eddie Redmayne and Clemence Poesy staring at each other in what I think was supposed to be sexual frustration, but looked more like constipation. I wasn't a fan of the casting either; Redmayne looks nothing like the Stephen I imagined while I was reading.

Out of all the adaptations on this list this one is definitely my least favourite - just seeing the cover makes me grumpy.

So those are my least favourite book adaptations, what are yours?

J.