Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Thought About DNFing, But Didn't

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Hello my book loving friends! Today we're talking about Books I Thought About DNFing. I mentioned this several times in my long blogging years, but it doesn't take me long to DNF. Since today's topic is mostly geared towards the readers who DNFed too quickly, who might not do it often, I decided to put my own spin on it. So without further ado, here are

TOP TEN BOOKS I THOUGHT ABOUT DNFing BUT DIDN'T 

(and thank god for that!)

1. Brownie Fix by Ellen Cardona - my review here

When I read this book many, many years ago, I struggled with the subject. I was on a "happy books only for this gal" kick, and when I signed up for the blog tour I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was a story I will treasure forever, and I'll forever be happy and proud for going against my initial reaction of DNFing.

2. And I Darken by Kiersten White - my review here

As a Romanian born and raised person, I'm always, ALWAYS weary of people tackling Vlad the Impaler's story. Why? Because most people get it wrong, they make him be this mythical monster and forget about the military genius he was. And I don't mean they make him into a vampire. The guy was messed up if you are to believe some of the stories from that time, while we view him as a national hero. Does White's version of the story have mistakes? Yes. Is it a perfect rendition of Vlad's life? No. It's full or tiny errors, and they almost made me DNF the book. But the reason why I didn't and the reason why I ultimately gave it 5 cups/stars despite them, was that it made me curious. I never really felt the curiosity to go beyond what I knew of that era, but this book prompted me to do so, and I discovered some pretty curious, interesting things.

3. The Silver Swan by Elena Deblanco - my review here

This book was such a departure from what I normally read. I was tempted at one point to put it aside, not because it's not my normal genre, but because, as I said in my review, I was a little put off by all the flashbacks. I am very glad I pushed through and read it, because it was a truly great story. And, believe it or not, despite the rating, it's one of those books that have stuck in my memory.

4. The First Night by Marc Levy

It's no secret that I love Marc Levy's books. It's rare that I feel disconnected from his stories, but The First Night, the second book of a duology, was not an easy read for me. I don't know exactly why that is, but at one point I was kind of ready to put it down and never pick it up again. I'm glad I kept reading though, because towards the end of the book I got to understand what exactly was this duology all about.

5. Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy

Nights of Rain and Stars was, like The Silver Swan, something completely new to me. At the time I read it I was used to Anne Rice's horror stories, full of action, drama and sexual tones. So when I read Binchy's book, I was completely shocked by the slower pace, so much so that I wanted to give up reading it. However, there was something in Binchy's words that kept me reading, and it is, by far, one of my favorite books ever.

6. The Shakespeare Curse by Jennifer Lee Carrell

Shakespeare is another of my favorite subjects. Since it is one of the literary mysteries that probably will never be solved, a lot of authors have tried to figure out who was Shakespeare, if it was one person or a group of people. Jennifer Lee Carrell is one of these authors and her The Shakespeare Secret is one of my favorite novels ever. Unfortunately, The Shakespeare Curse suffers from the "second book syndrome" and doesn't quite reach its predecesor's brilliance for me, and I thought about DNFing it quite a few times. However Kate, the heroine, is awesome, and I enjoyed the chance to read more about her and to find out more about Shakespeare's plays.

7. The Hunchback by Paul Feval

One of my favorite books from my childhood, and yet it was in danger of me enver finishing it. As with Nights of Rain and Stars, there was something about this book that kept me reading, especially when I got to the part where Aurore tells her side of the story of how she grew up. Reading about her childhood is actually the hook that got me to finish the book and what, ultimately, made me love this book as much as I do.

 8. Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward

The Black Dagger Brotherhood was one of my favorite paranormal series ever. I may not be currently reading it, but at the time I read it it was a great joy. I remember waiting impatiently for the newest book to come out, while rereading the previous ones. That would not have happened had I DNFed the second book in the series. I won’t lie, the first two books aren’t as great as I wanted, but the ending of book 2 is what really hooked me to the series. Even though I have parted ways with this series, I will forever be glad that I didn’t give in to the urge to DNF this book.

9. Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris

Although not my favorite way to tell any Charlaine Harris story, the good thing that came out of me reading this comic book was that I remembered how much I really loved her storytelling. I want to read the books this comic book was based on, and I owe that to this rendition of the story.

10. Originally Human by Eileen Wilks

This was my first completed audiobook experience ever. I don’t have a great relationship with audiobooks, especially when there is just one narrator, mostly because the lack of different voice actors takes me out of the story faster than anything else. Add to that the fact that I am a pretty fast reader, and most audiobooks are not progressing as fast as I’d want, and it’s pretty easy to understand why I don’t really get along well with audiobooks. However... Originally Human is a fantastic audiobook. It’s almost like the old theater plays I used to listen to on vinyl growing up. I’m glad I gave it a chance, because it was an amazing experience. Keep in mind this is an adult story if you want to try it out.

Let’s discuss. What are some books that you almost DNFed but you are glad you didn’t?