I recently read and finished this book and in the beginning I hated it.

Hated it.

Hated it.

Hated it.

It was actually the same spot as you that I realized "hold on, I'm interested..." But then other things became evident as I read through.

As I went on I realized I didn't hate the book, I just absolutely hated the main character. (Rocky is a bro though.) At some point I was enjoying the story but what was getting me through was how I wanted Grace to fail and to die. So I guess in a way there is part of me that is very happy he never made it back to Earth, but still very happy to see that Earth was saved.

The one thing I found interesting about this novel though, and caused me to dislike it, was the lack of explicit language. I kept thinking that something was off in this adult novel and I couldn't figure out what it was.

Until one page somewhere in the 300s, I think, where it says "Darn it." and the next line is someone over a comm saying "Language!" I just couldn't believe it. I know Mark Watney and Ryland Grace aren't the same people, but Watney cursing up a storm made his predicament feel real, where this felt very safe and sanitized, and I think that really went a long way towards my dislike of the man character.

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This happens to me with fiction audibooks as well; I can't focus on what's going on in the story and focus on something else at the same time for some reason. I can't stand them; the Graphic Audio ones are even worse, with the sound effects and music and stuff it all just gets scrambled in my head the same way a loud crowd in a touristy area would.

I can do non-fiction audiobooks depending on the narrator or subject occasionally, and I don't mind podcasts either.

For most books, I almost exclusively read either physical print or ebooks.

My rule is 100, but I've broken it two books in a row. Still ditched and don't regret ditching. It's never too late to ditch a book.

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me and my little brain.

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Manga community still feels like this. Waiting for chapters each week and having discussions is a new element of fun reading.

I enjoyed reading it but after I finished it, I noticed there were a ton of plot holes that made no sense.

Despite it feeling like a slog while waiting at the time Robert Jordan’s release schedule was also pretty consistent with the Wheel of Time (until the last book—that became several eventually—where he really wanted it to be in one volume “even if you had to carry it in a wheelbarrow”) until he, uh, died.

There’s quite a few authors I trust with new series, and I’ve pulled the trigger on new authors a few times and usually have not been burned. For many authors who make it to publication they are really motivated to keep the dream going.

Sold.

Thank you this is a helpful start for sure!

This whole discussion made me find the book and get ready to reread my favorite passages again. The bookmark just happened to be at the part where he lined up the prostitute:

“Okay, I said. It was against my principles and all, but I was feeling so depressed I didn’t even think. That’s the whole trouble. When you’re feeling very depressed, you can’t even think.

“Hey, is she good looking?” I asked him. “I don’t want any old bag.”

Martin’s at least been working on stuff. The TV show, spin-off books in the same canon, and doing other projects.

I think his biggest issue has always been time management—and suddenly he was taken from a sci-fi/fantasy author with a niche audience to a global phenomenon with a household name. He basically got everything he’d ever dreamed of and then got pulled in too many directions. And at least as glacial as his pace is he has shown evidence of writing the next book, too.

At this point I can’t tell if Rothfuss is genuinely struggling and that’s manifesting as hostility or if he’s just enjoying trolling people.

It could be the book. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and occasionally I have issues remembering certain books. However this isn't a pervasive issue. I recommend reading some sort of plot summary every so often if you are having difficulties. I have read spark notes along with the book if it is a complex book and that has helped sparked more interest in a book I am struggling with.

I think it is better if you do, because I was in your position a two years ago and then I became fixated on this book that didn’t interest me and instead I picked up a book I knew would be intriguing to me and so after I read that, I felt I had my urges for reading back again. I figured if reading this would be more of a deterrent to my reading habit then it is better if I pause it momentarily then to deaden my reading urges.

So, I picked that book again knowing that I can read it because it has literary pleasure as a value for me and completed it without any problem.

So leave that book and read something that interests you and when you feel you have your reading habit back, pick it up again

If it's a book that you think normally you'd have liked maybe give a bit of time to thinking about why you pulled back from reading. Plus check eyesight, posture, general wellbeing, change of interests. Hope you find what helps.

Life is too short to force yourself to read a book, when there are so many out there you might actually enjoy.

I think they were probably confused with Mistborn for sure. I thought for some reason there were only 3 Stormlight books out, but you're right, there are 4 with the 5th next year.

I'm interested to see where he goes following a time skip etc, but I'll be sad to say goodbye to the current main characters.

you could try julian may

I read The Aeronaut’s Windlass shortly after it came out, looked at the number and frequency of Dresden books, and thought, “Butcher’s pretty prolific; I won’t have to wait long for the next one.” Taught me that you can never predict release schedules, even for authors that look “regular.” 😭

And to be fair to Butcher, from what I can tell, he took a break from publishing anything for about 5 years after Aeronaut’s Windlass.

Honestly, I loved that book so much, even if there’s never a sequel, I would never regret reading it. Plus it made me check out Dresden to fill the time, which while I don’t love it as much, has still (mostly) been a really fun time! I can’t wrap my head around all the books I’ve enjoyed that I’d be missing out on if I limited myself to only finished series or standalone books. Sure, unfulfilled anticipation is a bummer, but it doesn’t diminish the good times I had.

I miss it. Without new quality content to await, there just isn’t as much to chat about anymore.

Great list and, from what I've read, I'd agree with the way you listed them.