It's Unfortunately Time for a "Books Not Worth Reading" Post. . .

Now you might feel differently, but I read a lot of books and I just couldn't get into these. . . 

That's my disclaimer, take it for what it's worth. Sometimes I read a really good book and then I start a new one and see where they it take me. I try to read only one book at a time. I read a diverse library, reading fiction, fantasy, horror, love stories, etc. I make a commitment and try to see it through but these last few just didn't do it. So rather than go on and on and make a few different posts, I'm doing it all at once here.

An Evening of Long Goodbyes

Paul Murray

I gave this book a whole 78 pages to begin to sympathize with the main character but it never came to pass. Charles lives in isolation in an Irish manor after his father dies and his mother goes to a facility to deal with her own issues. Charles visualizes himself as a traditional Lord of the Manor, building a follie (some kind of tower based on Middle Eastern design?) and drinking cocktails as he watches vintage black and white movies. He feels a patronizing sense of obligation to his younger sister Bel and does not like her new boyfriend Frank who he compares to a Golem. I got so far as to figure out Charles' life of leisure is about to end. They are out of money. The live in servant who is a refugee may have her relatives living in the follie and she's stealing their heirlooms. I think this book is attempting to find humor in Charle's outlandish statements and thoughts but I found him to be a cad I just couldn't sympathize with so I'm moving on.

A Spot of Bother

Mark Hadden

I made to Chapter 3 (they are short chapters) but decided that George just rubbed me the wrong way. I think he made me mad when he described his wife this way when we meet Jean for the first time, "Some morning he would look at her and be mildly repulsed by this plump, aging woman with witch hair and the wattles". I also found the writing style decidely British and hard to get past.  Plasters for Band Aids, and "ruddles" referring to his colleagues (I looked it up but it was a red ochre dye?). . . I felt like I was missing something. I also found George to be a little neurotic so I moved on.

The Long Earth

Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

Apparently this is science fiction and Baxter is a famous author. I gave this book a few pages but could not get drawn into this story where a soldier wakes up and finds himself in a new place, far away from the battle in France. There are trees when he wakes up and he can't figure out where he is. He's thirsty. I'm bored.

An Invisible Sign of My Own

Aimee Bender

This book is supposed to be "witty and engaging" according to the cover. I found it too disturbing and maybe it is because I work in the mental health field and this is just too raw . . . The main character narrates this story in first person. I learned that Mona perceives herself as a quitter and relishes that she has that kind of control where I saw it as disturbing. When she finds herself attracted to a man, she starts eating soap and uses the recollection of that experience to become nauseous when he touches her rather than aroused.  At seventeen when she bakes a cake she puts bug poison in it so she just smells it rather than eating it. I had had enough.