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After writing my previous blog post of the same nature, more books either popped up on my TikTok FYP or I remembered and was like “Oh, yeah, I’m probably not going to read those either.” So, today we’re doing another round of popular books I will probably never end up reading. I still haven’t decided on a name for this as I have a feeling there are going to be several of these in the future as more books are released or I’m made aware of more books. Anti-Read while it has the hints of Anti-Haul, doesn’t sound quite right to me. As I’m not trying to discourage anyone from reading these books or say anything bad about those who do enjoy these books. They just aren’t things I’m going to read personally (most likely).
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
I have heard this book described as Kylo Ren and Rey from the Star Wars sequels if they were set in our world/time. From what I’ve heard it was based off a Reylo (Kylo Ren and Rey) fanfiction, especially based off the book description. But instead of it happening in space, this takes place on Earth. With Olive (Rey) being a Ph.D. canditate and Adam (Kylo Ren) being her professor.
Now, I love Star Wars and unpopular opinion I liked the sequels. But I’m not about to read a fanfiction of the two. I didn’t really care or ship their relationship in the movies. I thought there was an interesting dynamic between the two, sure… but I was pretty ‘meh’ about the whole romance. I love an enemy-to-lover troupe, but these two just weren’t it for me. Not to mention, the book description doesn’t sound too exciting to me.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
I’m not a massive fan of historical fiction and while this book is not classified in that genre, it was based on Canada’s Sixties Scoop. As the author put it:
It remained fuzzy until I stumbled across the Sixties Scoop, something I’d never heard of before, something I’d never been taught in school (I’m American, by the way). In Canada, beginning in the 1950s and continuing through the 1980s, indigenous children were taken from their homes and families and placed into government-sanctioned facilities, such as residential schools. The goal was for primarily white, middle-class families across Canada, the US, and even Europe—to adopt these children. It’s estimated that over 20,000 indigenous children were taken, and it wasn’t until 2017 that the families of those affected reached a financial settlement with the Canadian government totaling over eight hundred million dollars.
…
I’m a cis white dude, so I can’t ever really go through something like what those children had to go through.
So I sat down and I was like, I’m just going to write this as a fantasy.
TJ Klune
However, I heard it does that history an injustice by having it all figured out after a settlement. Children were foricbly removed from their families in a cultural genocide. And the way this book handles that situation is disrespectful. I haven’t read it, so I can’t speak to that but the way the author referred to how he took this history and used it in the book is enough to get me not to even give it a chance.
Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James
When I need a mental break from fantasy, I enjoy a romance (erotica) book to turn my brain off to. And while I loved Twilight when I was in high school, Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James is not something I’m ever going to read. My mom read it for book club once when all the moms in that year were over the moon about it. I haven’t seen the movies either, and I’m not interested in seeing it either.
From what I’ve heard, and briefly seen from my mother when she read the book the descriptions were things were terrible. It was poorly written and not to mention it does BDSM in a bad light. I don’t mind reading about that, but the way this book handles it (from what I’ve heard) is not it. Also, the character talks about her inner goddess way too much or her inner monologue goes ‘Oh my’ way too many times.
Example of this: “He began kissing a trail down my belly, oh my.”
Yeah, no. Absolutely not. Glad I never read this and I’m never planning on reading it. Pretty sure it would get DNF’d by me if I ever did pick this up for the inner monologue alone.
Circe by Madeline Miller
Ok, technically I have read the first two or three chapters of this book and I could not get into it. I didn’t really know what this book was going to be about and honestly I forgot about the Greek mythology of Circe. So, I thought it was going to be an interesting take on the gods and goddesses.
Then I read the first few chapters and got enough of a sense that this was going to be a character-driven book. Meaning, the book was just going to focus on one character and share their life, but doesn’t necessarily follow a plot. Like they have to beat so-and-so or accomplish blank. It’s just they are living and we’re along for the ride. Those books aren’t something I’m a fan of. There’s no real goal and I very quickly become bored of them. And from what I’ve seen of the reviews I was correct in my assumption of this.
Also, it does more telling then showing of those experiences with too many unnecessary details.
So, I probably will never finish this book or pick it back up. Also, I couldn’t tell you a single detail beyond a general impression I got of those first two or three chapters. And that was I was bored.
After by Anna Todd
I will not lie and say I never had a One Direction phase. I did my freshman year of college. I loved listening to their music, watching their livestreams, etc. But I wasn’t one of those individuals that wrote fanfiction about them and coming up with random personalities and situations like Anna Todd did with After.
I have seen the movies that were released and it is beyond a toxic relationship (also the movies cut so much out from what I’ve heard that they aren’t even that great, like I was bored most the time watching them). Not to mention, there’s never any growth between the characters or relationship. The characters are constantly in a cycle of Harden’s “Tessa is my emotional punching bag” and Tessa going back to him for some god-only-knows-why reason. And from what I’ve heard it’s even worse in the books.
Harden is supposed to be based off Harry Styles… I just… what? How?
It’s safe to say while I may have watched the movies once, I’m not going to be picking up the books anytime soon. I don’t need that kind of toxicity in my life.
Love ya,
Mae Polzine
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