“Don’t judge a book by its cover”.
Ok but, like, I’m still going to. The first DNF of the year was partially my own fault. I take responsibility for being an idiot, but let me paint you a picture of what happened.
I was looking for specific books in the non-fiction section at the library when this book caught my eye. Spooky Southwest. Take a look at the cover and tell me it doesn’t look like a book that is all about haunted places, cryptids, experiences of the unexplained.
And yet, imagine my disappointment when I go to read the first story based in Arizona – I was determined to read all of the AZ based ones first, because of reasons – and it read like fiction. I had to do a double take of the front and back cover, got through the first story and just couldn’t get into the rest. Then I went to the goodreads reviews and found very similar opinions as my own.
My problem with this isn’t that it’s poorly written, it was just poorly presented. Finding it in the non-fiction section had me so excited to read about spooky places in the state I currently live, and potentially finding places to explore. I couldn’t wait to crack it open and read about real places, but the writing style was not giving the impression of what I was hoping for.
I could have gone on goodreads first, I could have read a couple pages prior to checking it out, but I’m an impulsive little Aries, ok? I don’t think before I do, I dive headfirst and think later. Therefore, I hold some responsibility for this disappointment, but I’m relieved to find similar sentiments.
With that said, my current read is Revelations by Cassandra L. Thompson, which blends ancient mythology with vampires, werewolves, and witchy-types. It’s the last book in the trilogy and as soon as I finish it, I’ll have a review of all three up. That might be as early as next month.
Stay tuned for more of my favorites and my disappointments.
Raine August 