It's Not You, It's Me (9)

"It's not you, it's me."  Some books just don't work for me, whereas other readers may have really enjoyed them.  This feature will be showcasing books that I never finished or reviewed; you know…...the dreaded DNF.

Ruth's Journey by Donald McCaig 

Goodreads says, "Her story began with a miracle.” On the Caribbean island of Saint Domingue, an island consumed by the flames of revolution, a senseless attack leaves only one survivor—an infant girl. She falls into the hands of two French émigrés, Henri and Solange Fournier, who take the beautiful child they call Ruth to the bustling American city of Savannah. What follows is the sweeping tale of Ruth’s life as shaped by her strong-willed mistress and other larger-than-life personalities she encounters in the South: Jehu Glen, a free black man with whom Ruth falls madly in love; the shabbily genteel family that first hires Ruth as Mammy; Solange’s daughter Ellen and the rough Irishman, Gerald O’Hara, whom Ellen chooses to marry; the Butler family of Charleston and their shocking connection to Mammy Ruth; and finally Scarlett O’Hara—the irrepressible Southern belle Mammy raises from birth. As we witness the difficult coming of age felt by three generations of women, gifted storyteller Donald McCaig reveals a portrait of Mammy that is both nuanced and poignant, at once a proud woman and a captive, and a strict disciplinarian who has never experienced freedom herself. But despite the cruelties of a world that has decreed her a slave, Mammy endures, a rock in the river of time. She loves with a ferocity that would astonish those around her if they knew it. And she holds tight even to those who have been lost in the ravages of her days.

My Thoughts:
Mammy from Gone with the Wind is one of my favorite characters. Who doesn't love Mammy? So when I saw that this book was her story, I thought for sure I would love it. I got about 20% into it and realized it just lacked that something special for me.  I wanted to love it, but we weren't a match. 



Finding Mr. Brightside by Jay Clark 

Goodreads says, "Abram and Juliette know each other. They’ve lived down the street from each other their whole lives. But they don’t really know each other—at least, not until Juliette’s mom and Abram’s dad have a torrid affair that culminates in a deadly car crash. Sharing the same subdivision is uncomfortable, to say the least. They don’t speak. Fast-forward to the neighborhood pharmacy, a few months later. Abram decides to say hello. Then he decides to invite her to Taco Bell. To her surprise as well as his, she agrees. And the real love story begins."

My Thoughts:
This book has had some pretty decent reviews, but I couldn't finish it. I wasn't connecting with the teenagers in the book and they felt a little too quirky for my taste. I also wasn't in the mood for anymore books that focus on death. I have read my fair share this winter, so I knew that I needed to put this book aside.

Have you guys read these books? Have you DNF any books recently? What makes you not able to finish a book? Let me know your thoughts.