No Gos

It's time for another edition of Why I Started This Book But Could Not Finish It. I figured "No Gos" was a catchier title, though, so I used that instead.

No Time To Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses
Peter Piot
Political/Health/Memoir

Interesting title, right? Sadly, boring book. I actually managed to get through half before giving up, which is a rarity for me. Once I'm halfway in, I figure I might as well finish. Not this time. Despite the fact that reading about blood makes me light-headed, the parts I was most intrigued by (details about the viruses) were mostly left to the wayside as the author described his efforts to get funding and moving around the world with different job titles. Who wants to read about that? Not I.

This Bright River
Patrick Somerville
Fiction

I wish I could explain why this book didn't draw me in, but I can't. The plot seems like something I would've, and have, enjoyed in the past. Boy comes home to deal with past demons and find peace. But I didn't find Ben to be all that likeable of a character, and I certainly couldn't bring myself to care about him possibly reconnecting with his messed-up high school friend Lauren. Also, there were too many subplots that didn't seem to be going anywhere, so once again, halfway through a book, I gave up.

When In Doubt, Add Butter
Beth Harbison
Fiction

I just love that cover. Makes me want a cupcake. Makes me want to make cupcakes. If only all books were as good as their covers. This one was not. I've never read Beth Harbison before, and I don't plan on reading any of her other books. The main character, Gemma, is boring. I only got five chapters in, but as far as I could tell, there didn't seem to be any sort of plot. Gemma works as a private chef and gets fired by one of her clients. Gemma goes out for a wild night on the town and picks up a handsome stranger. They make hot, passionate love and then...well, by that point I didn't really care so I put the book down.