Unfortunately, it’s impossible to read nothing but amazing books. Occasionally you’re going to read one that you dislike or that you just don’t get. Here are the books I’ve read this year that are like that for me.
A quick disclaimer: If you love a book that I dislike, no worries! Everyone has different tastes, and I don’t judge anyone for liking a book that I don’t. I’m also not attacking any of the authors of these books – they simply weren’t great books for me.
People of the Sun by Jason Parent
I really wanted to like this book since some of the main characters are aliens and I always find it interesting when a story is told from the perspective of a non-human. However, I was let down while reading the story when I realized that the alien characters were incredibly human. If there hadn’t been frequent references to their being aliens, it would have been difficult to tell the difference.
The main problem I had with People of the Sun is that its premise is ridiculous. Aliens living inside the sun? Nope.
The ending of the book is what ultimately ended up with me giving it such a bad rating on Goodreads. I don’t want to share any spoilers, but the ending felt lazy to me.
Flora and the Shooting Stars by Chantal van den Heuvel
I feel like this book was one of those that was just meant for a different audience. The main character in this graphic novel was a 40-something divorcee looking for romance, and that wasn’t something I could identify with. I also found Flora and her friends to be incredibly superficial and vain, which put me off immediately. That said, I did enjoy the art by Daphne Collignon, and felt that it was incredibly appropriate for this sort of graphic novel. I just wish I had been able to identify with a single character in the story.
Invincible Living by Guru Jagat
I love books on wellness, yoga, and health, so I picked this book up at the library because it seemed like something that would be right up my alley.
It wasn’t.
I had a ton of issues with this book. Guru Jagat made a lot of outlandish statements throughout the book with absolutely no proof to back anything up. The book is about Kundalini yoga, and she also never explains exactly what that is. A lot of the book felt like it was just empty buzzwords that mean nothing. I DNFed it on page 154 of 263 because it was making me want to pull my own hair out.
The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
The review will be forthcoming
I just finished what I was going to read of this book on December 31, so expect a review within the next week.
I made it to page 238 of 385 before I just absolutely could not go any further. This book had no redeeming qualities for me. The main character, Holly Chase, was easy to hate and, even after being a “Scrooge” and dying, was still arrogant and annoying. I did not like the romance, the writing style, or the plot.
I’m usually a fan of retellings, but this one was not a great one for me. I love the original Christmas Carol story by Charles Dickens, and I’d recommend that over this one any day of the week.
Heavenward by Olga Gibbs
This is another book that I think was meant for a different audience than myself, probably someone much younger.
I was excited to be invited to do a blog tour, which I hadn’t participated in before, so I jumped into it without really considering if this book would be a great pick for me.
While there were a few things I enjoyed about the book, such as Olga Gibbs doing a wonderful job of describing the landscape and the diverse settings that the story takes place in, for most of the story I found that I was forcing myself to finish it.
Again, if you love any of these books please do not take this personally. Everyone has different tastes in books, and most of these would be great for a different audience.
What is the worst book you read in 2018?
Read Yourself Happy 
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