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The Book We Really Don’t Want to Finish: #DNFTrump

The book community over on Twitter has created a wonderfully bookish hashtag on the current state of American politics.

Jen Sherman

Staff Writer

Jen is an urban and cultural geographer who did a PhD on public libraries and reading. As a researcher, her interests are focused on libraries, reading, book retailing and the book industry more broadly. As a reader, she reads a lot of crime fiction, non-fiction, and chicklit. And board books. All the board books. You can also find her writing about books for children and babies at babylibrarians.com. Instagram: shittyhousewife / babylibrarians Twitter: @jennnigan

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Reading the news about American politics in the past week has felt like I’m reading a horrible dystopian novel. One where every time I think it can’t get more ludicrous or horrific, it does. There are villains in every sub-plot, plot twists, and a main character doing and saying things that leave me shaking my head in disbelief and wondering, “Can he really do that? Really?”

There is no shame in not finishing books. I was born with a reading list I will never complete, and life is too short to read bad books or books you aren’t enjoying. This is one book that I don’t want to finish, and if given the choice I would have put it down a few chapters ago. DNF all the way, baby.

Fellow readers and book geeks over on Twitter share similar sentiments, and a wonderful and hilarious hashtag sprung up recently: #DNFTrump. Some common themes and criticisms: poor character development, badly written dialogue, and the fact that we’re only a few chapters in and ready to give up on the book. Below are some of my favourites.

Books in the two genres I read the most, chicklit and crime fiction, always have happy endings. The characters get their happily ever afters, and the bad guys are caught and brought to justice. The good guys always win. I’ve got my fingers crossed for this particular book. Come on, happy ending.