Book Bloggers Dilemma: What Should You Do When You Can’t Finish Reading a Book You Are Supposed to Review?

Seriously, what should you do when you can’t finish reading a book you are supposed to review?

It is a dilemma that all of us reviewers have probably faced at least once in our lifetimes … but what do you do, when you are in the same situation? Curious minds need to know, so please be honest, and feel free to make up a fake name if you need to protect your identity. Have you ever written a review, without reading the entire book? (Hey, in one week, I saw 2 reviewers in major print publications do that. It happens.) Do you read other book reviews to help “inspire” you to write your own review? Do you write about the book–but never mention your feelings on it, therefore hiding the fact that you didn’t read it? (Trust me, I’ve seen plenty of those types of book reviews, and it doesn’t do anyone any good, because we don’t know if the book is worth our time if you don’t say it was worth yours.) Do you write a partial review, based on what you didn’t like about the book? (I think that is the worst thing of all to do, next to just flat-out stealing someone else’s book review, of course.) Or, if you can’t finish reading a book you are supposed to review, do you stay hopeful, like me, and keep the book(s) you just can’t finish reading next to your bed, like a guilty, shameless reminder of your failure(s) as a blogger? That’s what I’ve been doing, but how about you?

Why have I gotten myself into this sort of trouble in the first place?

I’m now going to list all the reasons that are getting in the way of my reading in general. Don’t laugh, I’m being totally honest here, and not just trying to come up with some lame excuses to feel better.

• Topic of book clashes with your reading preference. Sometimes, something in a book throws your reading appetite off. Like food poisoning.
• No good reason at all. One of the books I listed in my 20 Books That Should Be Movies post was one of the worst books I ever read … at first. My college professor begged me to keep reading it, and I ended up loving it. Would it make you feel any better to know that I’m also stuck on the fourth Harry Potter book, for no good reason? I read the first 3 books in 3 days, after waiting years to read them, then on that third day, I just set the book down and had no desire to pick it back up again.
• My ADHD. Even though I’ve been taking Vyvanse for 2 years, it needs to get under control. I’m either focused, or all over the place.
• Fibromyalgia/O.H./P.O.T.S./C.F.S. cognitive fog. When you throw in my Hypoxia, I get forgetful, which is a damn shame. I was the girl who memorized the periodic chart in middle school, never took chemistry in high school, yet I managed to place into A.P. Chemistry at Michigan State. I literally start reading, get distracted, end up doing something like weed my garden for 5 hours, then completely forget the book I was reading even exists. My life is one big, gigantic sticky note.
• Health problems. I have Lattice Degeneration, Sjogren’s Syndrome and E.D.S., a rare genetic connective tissue disease that left my dad & his parents blind before their deaths. Since 2008, I go through these blurry vision periods, where I can’t read for weeks or months at a time. I can’t tell you how fun that is! I can’t even watch tv if there is text on the screen, it makes me sick to my stomach. Not only have I started to get double vision this year, my new prescription is already outdated. If it wasn’t for my low-vision laptop, I wouldn’t even be able to use the internet at all.
• Putting a book in the wrong pile. I have 2 shelves of ARC’s from my years at BookExpo, and twice in my lifetime, I have found books there that should have been in my reviewers basket. I feel horrible about that, but this is why a reminder email is always welcome in my in-box.
• Unemployment and life stress. Between my job loss and my health, sometimes I get depressed, which of course slows down my desire to read.
• A mini drama behind the scenes with the publicist or marketer who sent me the book (late) in the first place. I can not tell you how unfair this is–but it does happen from time to time. Bad actions do bump good books down on my reading list. All I ask for is the book to be sent to me in the right format within 3-4 weeks, or when you said it would be shipped out. When a book is sent to me months after you said it would come, how do you expect me to read it, write a review, and post it in 3 days? Oh yes, that has happened … and I don’t like it at all, because it throws off my whole reading schedule. And I’m a girl who lives by her highly organized to-do lists.

Now, let me confess my guilty sins.

As I was raised by Catholics, I’m guilty as hell anytime I can’t finish reading a book quickly, let alone at all. My dream is to finish writing my own book, so I feel extra guilty when I don’t post a review in time, as if I am personally letting the author down by not sharing my review with my readers. When I review a book, I try to give it my all, so the fact that I have a few books I can’t finish reading is just about killing me, and I have to confess my sins to you all. I’m going to explain why I’m stuck on each of these books, and, in turn, give these poor books the shout-out they deserve!

To help me deal with my guilt, I recently decided to give away 2 books that I know I’ll never finish. I wanted to find them a good home, so I hosted an international book giveaway. Already, both books have gotten shout outs in social media. I suspect these books will be loved and appreciated by their new owners, and I feel just the tiniest bit less guilty because of this. There are also a few other books on my list–however, some of them aren’t even published yet.

• Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives by Josie Brown. I have tried to read this book 3 different times and failed. I have no other explanation other than the book is about motherhood (among other things), and since I can’t have children, I am extremely sensitive to reading about the joys and pitfalls of a mommy cliques I’ll never be able to belong to. (I’m the person who secretly cries in Meijer when I pass the baby clothes.) I didn’t know this until I said yes to the book, so this is all my fault–forgive me Josie!

• A Slender Thread by Katharine Davis. The book looked amazing, but I couldn’t get into it, no matter how hard I tried. No good reason, other than I think it was just a combination of putting it on the wrong reading pile, life stress and my current visual issues. I feel horrible that I never got to read it, but I feel better knowing the book is now in the hands of another book blogger. Actually, I’m not sure if I agreed to review this book or if it just showed up in my mailbox. There wasn’t a press sheet, and I couldn’t find an email about it. You would be amazed by the amount of books that just show up at my door. Sometimes I still review them, sometimes I don’t.

• Damned by Chuck Palahniuk. This book isn’t being published until October 18, but it has taken me 2 weeks to read 40 pages. I don’t know why–I own every other book Chuck has written and adore the hell out of his writing. This book is a cross between Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and The Breakfast Club, set in Hell. I like it so far, as it’s fun and flippant.

•  Another Bad-Dog Book: Tales of Life, Love, and Neurotic Human Behavior by Joni B. Cole. Even though the book isn’t out until next week, I haven’t finished reading it yet. My vision has sucked lately, I had to read 5 thick books before it, and I wrote down the wrong publishing date on my to-read list. Yikes, my bad! I think it has great potential, and I’m really looking forward to finishing it. I always like funny books and dogs. Who doesn’t?

• On Maggie’s Watch: A Novel by Ann Wertz Garvin. I read nearly 100 pages, but once I read about a female character’s reaction to finding out that a registered sex offender lived in her neighborhood, I had to put this book down. I have tried to finish it twice. It makes me anxious because I am terrified of sex offenders. Plus, I used to have 3 of them live on my block back in the hood as an adult, and probably as a kid, too. This book brought back memories of me always keeping the shades down, ignoring weird knocks on my door, getting grabbed in broad daylight and having to run to the police station, and hearing my peeping tom swing at the park around the block, trying to catch a peak of me as I showered. Oh, I have chills now, just from writing that last sentence! I think the book is interesting, but it isn’t something I can handle at this time.

• There Is No Year: A Novel by Blake Butler. I have never worked harder to try to finish reading a book, especially since I adore the marketer who sent it to me. I think my problem is that I can’t seem to figure out if the characters are dead, ala The Others, or, if they are just dead inside, or perhaps just warped, dark and twisty. The novel is really interesting, but since I’m part of the literary plot police, I can’t deal with my own personal frustration when I read this book–it makes me feel stupid. And, I already feel bad about not having a job, so for now, this book will remain in my to-read pile. Because I think it could be a great book.

• Loving The Tasmanian Devil: Reflections On Marriage And Asperger Syndrome by Maureen McCarthy Barlett. I have saved my biggest sin for last. I am HORRIFIED that I haven’t read and reviewed this book yet. I loved what I’ve read so far. The author is a friend of mine who is just a wonderful person and writer. The cover art was done by another friend of ours, who I also dearly love. Maureen is such an inspiration to me, as I don’t know how she juggles teaching, writing, dairy-farming, and being surrounded in a family of Aspie’s. I know how hard it is to deal with a stepson with Asperger’s, and I only have him 3 days a week–and I’m unemployed. Sadly, I have a lot of reasons as to why I haven’t finished it yet. One, I was sent an unbound galley, as in two-sided typed sheets of paper, which makes it impossible to read quickly. Between my heavy fan use, my Tendonitis/Carpal Tunnel hands, and my general clumsiness, I keep losing my place in the book, as I don’t have a binder clip or big rubber band to keep it together. The publicist never sent me a bound ARC like she promised. There was some drama, and I really over-reacted, mainly because I was mad my friend’s book wasn’t getting the treatment I thought it deserved. I was FURIOUS because I had also been dealing with 3 other mini dramas about getting the right books shipped to me from other people at the same time. Then, every time I checked for the publication date on Amazon, it kept getting pushed, and by the time the book got published, I was in physical therapy for my hand, and my vision was blurry and I couldn’t read. I am so glad that I can finally sit down and finish this book in peace (well, once my vision gets better), without having pages fly around or fall of the table. Please forgive me, Maureen, for I have sinned. I love you and I know I’ll love your book even more than I already do.