Unidentified Book by Unmentioned Author

I stopped reading Unidentified Book thirty pages before the end. I was almost there, but it was just...so...tedious.

I wasn’t sure how to blog about this, and considered skipping it altogether. I wouldn’t want a book to suffer publicly denigration because I didn't happen to like it. There's a good possibility I don't know anything. But Bryan suggested I blog about this very issue, choosing not to finish a book, so here it is.

The voice--extravagant, sarcastic--was great. But Unmentioned Author didn't do much with scenes. Actually, there were none. Monologue broken up by occasional chapter changes. Which isn't a style I object to; Gilead was terrific. But this one...I don't know, it felt directionless. A bit all over the place.

Even if I don’t like a book, and am at least halfway through, I always push on to the finish. If you leave one book partially read, it'll be easier to do the same for other lackluster stories. Sort of like not quitting a marathon, because it makes it so much easier to quit the next time the miles get tough.

But, really, it’s just a book. And I’m not in school anymore. I won't be graded on my ability to form words into a cogent argument about the story. I am my only instructor. And after some thought, I decided I'm okay with not finishing Unidentified Book.

So I’ll donate it to the library's resale store. I’ve already moved on, to Rock Springs by Richard Ford.