Books on My Bitin’ List (Books I Dislike)

“To put it plain, I just don’t like you
Not a thing about the way you is
And if there ever come a time, I got rabies
You’re high on my bitin’ list” -Tyler Childers

I usually try to lean on the more positive sides of things. I try to read things I like and dnf the things I don’t. But this year has been weird because I’ve read a few that I really liked up until the end and it all falls apart. And then I’ve also dnfed more than normal this year. So, I want to take a minute to talk about the books that I’ve disliked recently. I think this will be cathartic.

And let’s talk about the title. I love, love, love Tyler Childers’ new song Bitin’ List. Honestly, it will probably be the soundtrack of 2025. My reading year and my year in general. If you haven’t heard it, I really suggest that you check it out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Now on to the books on my bitin’ list.

The Devils

I enjoyed The Devils right up until the end. I liked the setting and the characters (for the most part). My main issue with this book was the heavy-handed humor and the ending. It was slow, so slow. I kept waiting for the big ending or plot twist and it never really came. It felt like I wasted all of that time for nothing.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter was weird. The writing was strange. The characters were icky. I just was not a fan. I mean just read this passage:

“Through the whole of my sermon, I longed to lob a pebble to his isolated pew at the back, to see if he would snatch that pebble from the air at the last moment and then hold it in his lap for the rest of the service, worrying it between his fingers. And I would follow that pebble’s journey further as well, to see if he let it fall alongside his right leg as he exited. Or maybe I would even follow him to wherever he’s found or made lodging, to see if he examines that pebble by firelight, and perhaps slips it into the medicine pouch all of his breed carry on their person, close to their skin.”

It doesn’t make sense in context or out and it made me question my reading comprehension. I only made it about twenty pages in before I bailed on it.

With a Vengeance

I’m mad at this book because it was my most anticipated book of the year. Riley Sager is an auto buy author for me but With a Vengeance just did not hit. The characters were awful, there were a ton of plot holes, and he tried so hard to build tension and it just didn’t work.

The Book of Witching

I don’t know that I reviewed The Book of the Witching. I was reading it right around the time my daughter was born. Anyhow, I enjoyed it well enough but the more that I sit with it the less I liked it. The characters were a little flat and the setting wasn’t great. I just didn’t like it.

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon

I loved the setting of A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon. It felt like a combination of Stars Hollow and Halloweentown. But the romance was supposed to be hate to love but instead it leaned more insta-love. There was no tension or chemistry. And I enjoyed the environmental issue, but it really felt like an afterthought.

Best of Luck

I still just can’t believe how unbelievably bad Best of Luck was. The ending was unexpected but that was the only thing going for it. Otherwise, it felt rushed, the dialogue was off, and the motives were weird.

So that was the books on my bitin’ list? Tell me about the books on yours in the comments.