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Aslan🤎
Aslan🤎

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A collage of various book covers with the orange text overlay "5 books on my DNF". Visible titles include "The Bluest Eye", "Homegoing", "Honey & Spice", and "The Black Queen", indicating a list of books the user did not finish.
A digital display of the book cover for "Honey & Spice" by Bolu Babalola, featuring a woman's face. Below, it shows a 3.90 rating from 48,944 ratings and 7,906 reviews, with a checked box indicating "Did Not Finish".
A digital display of the book cover for "Crazy Rich Asians" by Kevin Kwan, showing a couple embracing. Below, it displays a 3.91 rating from 555,729 ratings and 42,429 reviews, with a checked box indicating "Did Not Finish".
A digital display of the book cover for "Bitter" by Akwaeke Emezi, featuring a person holding a paintbrush. Below, it shows a 4.10 rating from 7,199 ratings and 1,335 reviews, with a checked box indicating "Did Not Finish".
A digital display of the book cover for "Oona Out of Order" by Margarita Montimore, depicting a fragmented woman's face. Below, it shows a 3.86 rating from 102,134 ratings and 13,302 reviews, with a checked box indicating "Did Not Finish".
A digital display of the book cover for "Black Girls Must Die Exhausted" by Jayne Allen, featuring a woman's silhouette with tropical foliage. Below, it shows a 3.89 rating from 19,670 ratings and 2,542 reviews, with a checked box indicating "Did Not Finish".
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DNF list

1. Honey & Spice: I am NOT into romance books at all. So I tried to get into it and I just couldn’t. It’s so cheesy and the annoyingly amount of details in this book bored me.

2. Crazy Rich Asians: I heard the movie was good (never watched) so I tried to read the book. Honestly, I felt I wouldn’t say racist.., but trying to read a book that has a different language throughout it and trying to pronounce the words just felt wrong. I don’t know, I kind of got in my head about it.

3. Bitter: This book was different, weird, confusing. I tried to understand the plot but maybe my mind just wouldn’t let me.

4. Oona Out of Order: Chaotic. I hated the switching back in forth between chapters. It was too much going on.

5. Black Girls Must Die Exhausted: A lot of black readers have said that this is one of the best books they’ve ever read. We must’ve been reading something different because I didn’t even get halfway through the book. I think it was just about the struggles a black woman goes through but I think the storytelling could’ve been better..? Idk.

#blackgirlsthatread #blackgirlbookclub #lemon8bookclub #Lemon8Diary #unfiltered

5/30 Edited to

... Read moreAs someone who enjoys reading but often finds myself unable to finish certain books, I wanted to share some personal thoughts on the challenges of sticking with popular titles that just don’t click. For instance, with "Honey & Spice" by Bolu Babalola, although it’s classified as romance and has an international audience, I found the cheesy romance elements and overly detailed scenes quite exhausting. If you usually prefer thrillers or fantasy, this can really test your patience. Similarly, trying to read "Crazy Rich Asians" was a struggle for me due to its frequent usage of different languages and unfamiliar cultural references. While the movie version has received rave reviews, reading the original text felt like a barrier, as I got caught up trying to pronounce names and understand cultural nuances, which distracted from my overall experience. It’s a common challenge for readers venturing into books heavily embedded in a culture different from their own, and it’s okay to set such books aside if they don’t resonate. "Bitter" by Akwaeke Emezi is praised for its uniqueness, but its complex, sometimes confusing narrative style wasn’t an easy read for me. Books that employ non-linear or abstract storytelling require a lot of mental investment, and if your mind is not in the right space, it can make finishing the book difficult. "Oona Out of Order" stood out for its chaotic timeline jumping between different chapters. For some readers, this back-and-forth can make following the story feel frustrating rather than engaging. If you prefer linear stories, this read is likely to challenge your patience. Finally, "Black Girls Must Die Exhausted" by Jayne Allen comes highly recommended by many Black readers for its portrayal of black women’s struggles. However, I found the storytelling less compelling, and despite its importance, the narrative style didn't grip me enough to finish. This highlights how even critically acclaimed books might not connect equally with every reader. Ultimately, a DNF list is a reminder that reading is deeply personal. Just because a book is popular or critically acclaimed doesn’t mean it will suit your taste or mindset. It’s okay to stop reading something that doesn’t inspire or engage you. Share your own DNF experiences and discover others who’ve struggled with similar books. This honest conversation helps normalize why some books just aren’t binding for every reader.