Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by the wonderful Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm. I have to admit that it is very rare for me to DNF books. I often push through even if I am not enjoying the book, and some times that pays off! These are just five books that made me think “Maybe I should start DNFing books” but in the end I really loved them!
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
I went in to this book thinking that is was about a young girl in a conversion program of some kind, and it is that, but that does not happen until over halfway through this almost 500 page book. I really appreciated that we received Cameron’s backstory because it did make feel more connected to her, but it did feel slow at times and was way too long. There was a point where I really got in to it though and I am really glad that I stuck with it. It is a book that stays with you.
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
The Wonder is very atmospheric and slow-building, but trust me it is worth reading. There were times where I thought not much was happening and was not sure what the point was, but it all comes together and ended up being one of my favourite books ever!
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
It took me awhile to get used to the way this story is told. It is very original in the way it is written and it does takes some time to figure out exactly what is going on. I have seen many people DNF it early on, and I completely get it. I personally think that it is worth pushing through because the story is surprisingly moving and powerful.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
I actually did DNF The Hobbit many years ago because I think I was too young and a lot of it went over my head. I am really glad that I decided to give it another try because I thought it was pretty epic. There is something really nostalgic about it.
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
This was a complete cover buy for me and when I started reading it I thought that I wrongly judged a book by its cover and that this book was going to be boring for me. I was so wrong! Yes it is very descriptive, atmospheric, and slowwww but it really worked for me in the end. I loved the depth of the characters and the Gothic feel. I can not wait to read Melmoth by Sarah Perry, which just came out!
The Hobbit was the first ‘grown up’ book that I read. I really must go back to it and read a second time.
It was one of the first adult books I tried to read! It is really amazing!
I haven’t picked up The Wonder but I LOVE Emma Donoghue so maybe I’ll have to pick that one up!!
Thanks for participating – added you to the list 🙂
Thank you! You really should!
The Essex Serpent’s cover is beautiful!!! I bought it for that and for the Gothic part of it! I am glad to see that it is worth reading!
It is in my top 5 favourite covers that is for sure! I definitely think it is worth reading even if it can be slow at times!
I am trying to get into that kind of “mature” books! Hehe so I will try to give it a try! :3 thank you! And yes the cover!!!
I had a hard time with The Wonder but eventually it gripped me and I liked it! Glad to see I wasn’t the only one.
I do think it takes awhile to get in to and understand what is going on!
The Wonder, The essex serpent and Lincoln in the bardo are all on my wishlist! The Hobbit is wonderful, I read it just before watching the movies!
Awesome! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
I loved The Hobbit! We read it in Grade 7 and I just fell in love with the story. I definitely need to reread it.
I think it will hold up! It is really wonderful!
… I don’t know why I thought it was funny that almost all the books you almost DNF had someone’s name in the title… Maybe you should know to give those ones more of a chance! 😉😂
really interesting!
Thank you!
This is a great post! It’s interesting to think about books that started off slow for me but I ended up loving. I, unfortunately, haven’t read any of these yet.
Thank you! There are probably many others that I could have added to this list!
The Miseducation of Cameron Post is one of my favorite books! Even though I read it years ago… I didn’t really know anything about it before starting the read, so I feel like that helped me because the book is indeed quite slow. I have Lincoln in the Bardo on my to-read list, so I’m glad you ended up loving it. Now I also know I might struggle at the start, but should push through 😀
It really is a beautiful book! I hope you end up loving Lincoln in the Bardo as much as I did! I think it is worth the effort!
Great post! I’m glad to hear that about The Wonder; I’ve had it sitting on my shelves for ages, and have seen a lot of mixed reviews.
If you go in to it expecting it to be a little bit slow and odd I really think you will enjoy it!
I thought The Wonder was excellent. It’s slow moving but very thoughtful. I think some readers were expecting something like Room but her books are all pretty different.
So did I! That is a great way to describe it. I picked it up because I loved Room but I think I ended up loving The Wonder even more!
I have to admit that I haven’t read any of these novels.
I almost didn’t finish Lincoln in the Bardo but I got through it in the end. It’s not my favourite ever book but I admired it for it’s originality. I’m curious to read The Wonder.
It is definitely not a book for everyone but it is nothing if not original!
I was exactly the same with The Hobbit! I didn’t appreciate it at all as a child but now it’s one of my favourite books!
It is such a great book! So many people connect to it when they are young. I have no idea why we didn’t!
Better late than never, eh?! 😀
So glad to see that you love the Hobbit! I adore LOTR, but shockingly have never finished the hobbit. I need to get to it some time!
You should try again! It took me a couple tries to really get it!
So glad you ended up loving hobbit!!
So amazing!
The first 100 pages of The Essex Serpent were really slow, but I ended up loving it. The characters really do have so much depth to them and you’re left with so many questions to think about at the end. So worth it when you figure out that Clara (I think that was her name) represents the Essex serpent!
That was my experience exactly! It truly was all about the characters. I was intrigued by them all and thought the end was pretty brilliant!