Jaded reader

I think I read too much.
Lately I've read so many books that I can't believe got published. The publishing industry is supposed to be in such turmoil and being even more selective about the titles it publishes. But it seems to have the time and space for drivel.

I've stopped reading several books that I can't bring myself to finish because they have lost my interest. I have not finished Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James, Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs, Necromancer by Michael Scott and The Broker by John Grisham. I listened to each on audiobook and stopped and started. I am especially disappointed in the Reichs book.  I've read most of her books and been at least entertained. My issue might be with the audiobook, but every single character sounds the same in tone, language and attitude. The story isn't even very interesting which makes it easy to stop reading.

I'm in the midst of reading Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks and last week finished Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I read a lot of books via audiobooks because I commute two hours a day and I like to listen to books while I run. I have a large selection of podcasts I also follow but I do need a lot of audio reading material to fill my day.

I do listen to NPR but sometimes the content is repetitive and contains nothing new.

Back to books: Life As We Knew It was one of those empty books. It starts with an interesting yet improbable premise that an asteroid hits the moon and brings it very close to earth. The gravitational field is messed with throwing mother nature into a tizzy. There are tsunamis on all the U.S. coasts, earthquakes and volcanoes where none existed before. This would be an interesting story especially if the characters in the book had a bigger challenge than making dinner every night.
While the characters fight a lot, probably due to living in cramped living quarters, nothing much happens as they slowly run out of food. The brother chops a lot of wood, while the main character skates, swims and generally moans about a restricted life of no friends and a limited diet. I give this book five big yawns.

Safe Haven isn't as bad as the other books and I'm still reading it but holy predictable. Nobody has a personality that is unexpected. Everyone seems to be cardboard cutouts of typical people. I'm three-quarters done and sort of wanting to ditch it. I know the husband is going to find her and try and kill her and the boyfriend. How is this interesting when I already know what will happen?

Arrrr. My time is precious. I at least feel the stories I write, while not smooth or masterful, are not predictable. I prefer a creative story over super smooth writing any day.