.jpg)
I can tell you, right now, that at any point in the book, if I am not absolutely loving it, I will give myself permission to abandon it. With no compunction, no regret, no self-doubt that maybe I am missing out on a good thing.
Oh sure, there was a possibility that if I’d just kept at it, I might be swept away with delight, and tell myself I’m so lucky and wise to have persevered. I’m willing to risk it.
And when you abandon a book, it doesn’t disappear from the universe, right? If there’s ever a day where I would think, hey, I’m really missing that book about the thing, I can always go back and start it again. Maybe I’m a different person at that point, or i wasn’t the right time for me to have read it in the first place. And that has certainly happened.
I also have no compunction about just flipping to the end to see what happens. Here’s my TEDx talk about that.
My husband, on the other hand, looks at a book choice as a contract with the author. He says that when he chooses to read a book, it’s as if he’s made a deal with the writer to stick with it to the end. Some days I’ll ask him “How’s that book?” and he says “it’s terrible, I’m really not enjoying it.”
And I say: then why are you reading it? And he says I have to.
I will confess to you, Reds and Readers, that from time to time, I’ll just take his book and hide it. When Jonathan says “Where’s my book?” I say : “It went away. You have to start a new one.”
.jpg)
(This is our little personal routine, and I don’t recommend it to someone who’s not in on the running joke. But he always thanks me. And I don’t destroy the book. Of course, if he feels like he wants to read it, he can. But I will tell you– he never has.)
Do you know about Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50? That you have to give a book 50 pages before you bail? (She's fabulous. And there's even an action figure of her!)
Oh sure, there was a possibility that if I’d just kept at it, I might be swept away with delight, and tell myself I’m so lucky and wise to have persevered. I’m willing to risk it.
And when you abandon a book, it doesn’t disappear from the universe, right? If there’s ever a day where I would think, hey, I’m really missing that book about the thing, I can always go back and start it again. Maybe I’m a different person at that point, or i wasn’t the right time for me to have read it in the first place. And that has certainly happened.
I also have no compunction about just flipping to the end to see what happens. Here’s my TEDx talk about that.
My husband, on the other hand, looks at a book choice as a contract with the author. He says that when he chooses to read a book, it’s as if he’s made a deal with the writer to stick with it to the end. Some days I’ll ask him “How’s that book?” and he says “it’s terrible, I’m really not enjoying it.”
And I say: then why are you reading it? And he says I have to.
I will confess to you, Reds and Readers, that from time to time, I’ll just take his book and hide it. When Jonathan says “Where’s my book?” I say : “It went away. You have to start a new one.”
.jpg)
(This is our little personal routine, and I don’t recommend it to someone who’s not in on the running joke. But he always thanks me. And I don’t destroy the book. Of course, if he feels like he wants to read it, he can. But I will tell you– he never has.)
Do you know about Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50? That you have to give a book 50 pages before you bail? (She's fabulous. And there's even an action figure of her!)
Or, she says, you can start with your age, then subtract that number from 100, and that’s the number of pages that’s fair to give the book a chance. ( If you’re 70, then you have to give the book 30 pages. See?)
So how about you, Reds and Readers? When you make that magic choice to begin a book--when you choose the one out of all the other ones you might have chosen– are you in it for the long haul? Or is life too short to read a book you are not enjoying?
LUCY BURDETTE: Oh Hank, Jonathan and John are exactly alike. He will plug through anything, no matter how tedious. I will not even start something that sounds tedious. And I am perfectly willing to skim, or sometimes skip to the end. Especially if I’m finding it terrifying or gory, which is not my thing at all. I like the subtraction method, as there are so many books out there and not all the time in the world to finish them. Plus, they keep coming, which is a good thing, right?
.jpg)
RHYS BOWEN: I also have a husband who will keep reading, complaining loudly all the time! I don’t get it. Life is too short for books I don’t enjoy. I do give those 50 pages and flip through to the end but when I find a good book I want to savor it, every word. And when I find an exciting book I want to relish the anticipation of turning every page. I don’t know about the rest of you Reds but I find it hard to read in my genre when I’m writing. I tend to pick up an author’s style! This means I haven’t been reading as much as I want recently. With my enforced rest after knee surgery maybe I’ll catch up!
So how about you, Reds and Readers? When you make that magic choice to begin a book--when you choose the one out of all the other ones you might have chosen– are you in it for the long haul? Or is life too short to read a book you are not enjoying?
LUCY BURDETTE: Oh Hank, Jonathan and John are exactly alike. He will plug through anything, no matter how tedious. I will not even start something that sounds tedious. And I am perfectly willing to skim, or sometimes skip to the end. Especially if I’m finding it terrifying or gory, which is not my thing at all. I like the subtraction method, as there are so many books out there and not all the time in the world to finish them. Plus, they keep coming, which is a good thing, right?
.jpg)
RHYS BOWEN: I also have a husband who will keep reading, complaining loudly all the time! I don’t get it. Life is too short for books I don’t enjoy. I do give those 50 pages and flip through to the end but when I find a good book I want to savor it, every word. And when I find an exciting book I want to relish the anticipation of turning every page. I don’t know about the rest of you Reds but I find it hard to read in my genre when I’m writing. I tend to pick up an author’s style! This means I haven’t been reading as much as I want recently. With my enforced rest after knee surgery maybe I’ll catch up!
HALLIE EPHRON: I confess I start many more books than I finish. I bail for so many reasons. Most often it’s because I can’t keep the characters straight. Or the other day I closed a book in chapter 1 because the elderly characters were such clownish cliches (jokes about false teeth, etc.) I stopped reading another one because one of the protagonists was nasty and over-the-top dislikeable.
If I make it past the midpoint, then usually I’m in for the kill. And might listen to the end of an audio book because the narrators can be so good.
.jpg)
JENN McKINLAY: I am a Nancy Pearl fan and I agree 100%. Sometimes, I quit after the first chapter and sometimes I go back when I’m more in the mood for a book. Right now, on my nightstand, I have a romcom, a mystery, and a science fiction book. I never know which one I’m going to pick up when I go to bed. I don’t usually read three books at a time but my brain is all over the place lately so here we are. We’ll see if I make it to the end of them all.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I don’t care if you live into your nineties, life is too short to stick with a book you’re not enjoying. (I include the pleasure of feeling intellectually stretched as enjoyment.) I hadn’t heard of Nancy Pearl’s formula, but unless I’m captivated, I’m not going fifty or even thirty pages.
I write for people who read like me, and what I want is to be sucked into a story in the first 2-3 paragraphs. And this isn’t a modern twist, with the idea that n the old days when people appreciated real lit’ri’chur they would give writers loads of time to make the argument. Look how Daniel Defoe teases the reader at the end of the third paragraph of Robinson Crusoe, one of the very first novels in English:
"I would be satisfied with nothing but go to Sea, and my inclination to this led me so strongly against the Will, nay the Commands of my Father, and against all the Entreaties and Perswasions of my Mother and other Friends, that there seem'd to be something fatal in Propension of Nature tending directly to the Life of Misery which was to befall me."
What life of misery coming from going to sea? I’ve got to keep turning pages to find out! (BTW, this is technically from the third sentence of the book; Defoe wrote loooong sentences.)
.jpg)
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Hank, what a perfect topic. I am struggling with a book by an author whose previous books I have loved, but I am 170 (170!) pages into this one and still not enjoying it. I wouldn't have kept at it except for the feeling of obligation.
I will now skip to the end and then move on to something I really want to read. NOT reading this book has taken up so much of my time when I could have been reading other things.
Usually, I am better at sticking to the 50 page rule–sooo many books, so little time…
HANK: What do you think, Reds and Readers?
Usually, I am better at sticking to the 50 page rule–sooo many books, so little time…
HANK: What do you think, Reds and Readers?
I’m giving away an arc of a book (which I hope you will LOVE) today on our Reds and Readers Facebook page–make sure you join so you can enter to win!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/6835060499909032
And right here, let’s talk about YOUR required reading rules. Is life too short to read something you don't love? Or will you persevere?
This is really hard for me, Hank . . . when I choose a book to read, I feel as if I owe it to the author to finish it. After all, someone thought it was a good book, good enough to be published and put out in the world for readers to read. And so, I endeavor to finish the book. However . . .
ReplyDeleteI find it extremely difficult to keep reading a book that, for whatever reason, I really dislike. Lately, I have given myself permission to skim through to the end and set it aside in favor of something I’d rather read so I don't feel as if I am being held captive by a book I am not enjoying . . . .
SO wise! You are trying--but in the end, every book isn't for everyone!
DeleteI haven't quit reading many books, but there are several best sellers I should have thrown across the room after 30 pages, not after reading the whole book. As you all know how my reading has been severely affected over last 7 months, I haven't been able to read fiction, and mystery/crime might be hard to go back to (but I'm sure going to try). I have read grief books and some other non-fiction books (or started them). Most of the grief books, I pick and choose what parts I want to read. I did read a non-fiction book from beginning to end (it only took me 5 months). It was Susan Orleans' On Animals. This is a great book to pick up and read a chapter before bed because each chapter is about a different animal. Another advantage to that is my fuzzy mind these days isn't retaining the written world very well. I did just read a book on the 1961 U.S. Skating team that were all killed in a plane crash on their way to Prague. That one I did skip and wander reading. I read the first third, then skipped a bunch, then went back and picked that bunch up and then skipped over to the end. I am so hoping to start reading some fiction this week, but I know that I no longer have any tolerance in reading something I start that I don't like. My obligation these days is to my time. Oh, and I thought it was hilarious that the Johns and the Jonathan were all read to the end no matter what readers.
ReplyDelete"wander reading"--that is such a brilliant concept. And SO valuable!
DeleteI will quit books I'm not enjoying, but it is very rare. I feel an obligation to keep going until the end to see if it gets better. Sometimes, it's more like a trainwreck, and I can't look away.
ReplyDeleteIf it is a new to me author, that was their shot. I won't pick up anything by them again. Occasionally, this happens with authors I usually love. I will go back and read them again, but if it gets to be a pattern with them, I'll stop reading them, too.
One good thing about reading Netgalley ARCs is that I am reading so many new authors. But my approach is similar to yours, Mark. If you don't win me over with 1 book, I stop reading. As for a "meh" book in a long-running series, I usually read the next one to see if it was an anomaly.
DeleteYes, being a debut is SO difficult! Because debuts know it's make or break.
DeleteMy husband says he rarely has ever bailed on a book, too!
ReplyDeleteI have tried the 50-ish page rule, usually with success, though I have bailed on some. I read a book that was very popular about 13 years ago ago and was having trouble getting into it. At least three of my friends told me to get to 80 pages and it would improve. I did and it did.
Another book I toughed it out to the bitter end, but when asked, I always say I didn’t like it. I couldn’t stand one of the main characters so I cursed him all the way through. Why didn’t I quit? The book had been a gift from my sister and I felt an obligation. However, in keeping with the decluttering discussion and “sticky books”, I gave that one to the library as soon as I finished it! — Pat S
ANd your sister would not have wanted t you to be struggling, right? And by giving it away, it may turn out ot be someone else's favorite book!
DeleteI hope so. I have spoken with people who read and loved it. — Pat S
DeleteI try to keep reading a book, but If a book doesn't grab me immediately, I put the book away. I will skip to the last pages to see how it ends.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, absolutely! Very wise.
DeleteI have rarely quit reading a book and that is because I only read books that I am pretty sure that I will enjoy. Only once that I can think of, my daughter in law lent me a book that she loved and I barely got through the first chapter. She said her mother was the same way. She is in psychology and I think she was trying out an experiment on us as we are both the same age. Hank I know I would love your book as I have already read a few of yours. Thank you so much for this chance at your giveaway. pgenest57 at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteHa! An experiment! That's pretty funny...
DeleteI always have a fiction and non-fiction book going, so each time I settle down to read, I decide which mood I'm in. But if the fiction isn't holding me, if I am not tempted each time to skip the non-fiction and dive right back into my novel and re-engage with my people, then I'm probably going to ditch that book pretty soon. I wasn't always that way, but now I am aware that there are so many books I want to read and I don't want to waste my time. I read to increase my happiness, especially in fiction. Trudging through a novel is not increasing my happiness. I will give trusted authors more time because I live in hope that we will get somewhere together, because we have before. But I won't hang in forever.
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY! No trudging!
Delete“I read to increase my happiness. “ Yes!
DeleteIf I'm not hooked in the first two pages, I move on. As many have said, life is too short and there is too much out there to read for me to stick with a dud. It may sing to a different reader, of course, and that's the beauty of books. For someone out there, it's perfect, but not for me. So. Moving on...
ReplyDeleteYes, that is so reassuring, right? Every book is not for eveyrone, and we're all experts in finding our bookmates!
DeleteSO true...and that's such a terrific thing right? We can all find our true bookmates..
DeleteLife is absolutely too short to read a book I don't like, or that's not well-written. And there are SO many books I want to read. As one of you said, new ones keep coming.
ReplyDeleteI will say reading on the Kindle makes it easier to stop, and sometimes not because I don't want to finish. I am halfway through a book I was enjoying when two library books came in. They sit there on the coffee table AND have a due date, so I move to the physical book. I hope I get back to the half-finished one (and all the others that await on that slim black reader).
To answer the actual question, I don't have a page count rule for stopping. Sometimes it's two pages in and the writing is awful or amateurish or I hate the character. Sometimes it's after several chapters and I realize my attention is wandering. I don't think I have ever skipped to the end, though!
DeleteHmmm, I also did not answer the actual question in my post. After listening to more than 300 chapters in First Chapter Fun over the past 4 years, I definitely read beyond the first chapter. Probably read more than 100 pages before I DNF now. And I still never skip to the end!
DeleteI so agre, reading on a Kindle is a different experience. I find I read MUCH faster on a kindle. And they are a huge asset when I am doing the treadmill!
DeleteI CHANGED. For most of my reading life, I was like Jonathan, reading until the gritty end. I was a fast reader my whole life. When I was working, I could finish reading a book in 2 days. On weekends I read 3 books in a day. Once I retired in 2016, I could spend daytime hours reading, usually reading 1-1.5 books per day. Since I was mostly reading Netgalley ARCs, I also felt I had a "contract" with the publisher & author to finish the book, rate it and write a review.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened? Two bouts of LONG COVID in 2020/2021 & 2022 zapped my reading mojo. I was plagued by brain fog & crushing fatigue for several months. I could barely read 1/2 a chapter before needing to stop. It could take me 2-3 weeks to read one book during that time. Switching to audiobooks helped, but it still took me several days to finish a book.
Fortunately, my reading mojo has kinda returned. Now I read a book in 1.5-2 days. And I still enjoy listening to audiobooks. And if I am not enjoying a book, I stop and mark it as DNF.
P.S. I got my 2023 Audible stats in an email. I listened for 19,283 minutes (translates to 321.4 hours), an all-time high.
DeleteWow, a super listener! I'm so glad you're feeling good now.
DeleteSame, same, Grace: super fast reader my whole life, grinding to a screeching halt thanks to long COVID. I used to read ~300 books a year, same as my grandmother used to. She would get 10-12 books a week from the library and read most of them.
DeleteI am way behind that record these days, too, but audiobooks also helped me, as well.
Same here, Grace. I was like Jonathan for most of my reading life. I would struggle on to finish a book even if I did not like it. Even if it is NetGalley, I can DNF the book if I cannot get into the story.
DeleteDiana
Ohk, we are so glad you're better---so frustrating! ANd remember, it's not about speed, right? It's enjoyment. And I am so happy you got that back..
DeleteHANK: You're right, but get my reading speed also was a sign that I could concentrate & enjoy reading again, too.
DeleteOh, yes, it must have been SO fabulous and comforting to know you were BACK! xxx
DeleteWhen I pick up a book, it's a contract between the book and my heart, not myself and the author or anyone else. Reading is the private world I discovered at age six... I get to choose those allowed in. If a book does not appeal to my heart, I give up on it without a qualm. The only books I force myself to read (or listen to) are those long ago for school assignments and these days for book group. I have listened with gritted teeth to a number of books whose pages I would never have plowed through, on behalf of my book group friends. And then I have made myself find one positive thing to say during the discussion. But in normal circumstances, I will give up after one chapter. Sometimes less. (Selden)
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly why I don't belong to a book group right now. I don't have that much reading time, and I don't want to use it reading what someone else chose. Maybe when I retire:)
DeleteI have never joined a book club. Being forced to read a book I would not normally pick & discuss it with a group is just not my jam.
DeleteOn the other hand a Book Club book may force you to try something that you previously would not have chosen. I also find the discussion is always enlightening to see what others did or did not pick up according to their life events. No book is ever the same even if (rarely) we all did or did not like it.
DeleteMargo, this is exactly right. I would avoid all science fiction. I'm not keen on fantasy either. I have been surprised to enjoy books in both genres that I would NEVER have chosen for myself. The books that are hardest for me to listen to are bad historical fiction OR poor writing/poor narrators.
DeleteOops, that was me again. (Selden)
DeleteYes, the only thing I finish grudgingly is for book club. And I almost look forward to those discussions more to find out what on earth someone liked about the book. You’re right, reading is a very personal experience based on our lived experiences.
DeleteAt one of the first book club meetings I went to, someone did not like the book and spent 10 minutes reading bad reviews of it from Amazon! Happily, we haven’t had a repeat of that.
I've found authors I would not ordinarily have read via book club choices. I would have missed some wonderful books without my friends' picks, like Matt Haig's The Midnight Library, or Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, both such original stories. And I hope I've done the same for my fellow members.
DeleteYes, book clubs make such a difference. I have certainly read books I never would have chosen--and sometimes--been happy about that! ANd I think my brain works differently reading a book club book--it's more like a school assignment.
DeleteI belong to two book clubs and I find that often books that some like and others don’t like end up producing the most interesting discussions. So I always try to finish books for the book clubs even if I am not enjoying them. By the way, my license plate frame says So Many Books, So Little Time!
DeleteMy required reading time is as long as it takes, which in some cases is years. I try to give the author the benefit of the doubt and respect the effort made in producing the book. Often, when I stall on a book it's my fault -- the book and I are both in the wrong place at the wrong time. I also read and try to recognize truly bad, awfully written books because I'm interested in learning how th writing can go wrong. There are some books I have started more than half a dozen times (I'm looking at you Sheridan le Fanu's UNCLE SILAS) in which outside circumstances interrupt my reading; it's as though the reading gods want to mess with me over and over. (When I do finally get to read UNCLE SILAS all the way through, I know I'll enjoy it, just as I have everything else that I've read by that author.)
ReplyDeleteIn about 1975, when I was about 25, my aunt was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and not given a long time to live. She set about to read War and Peace, hated it, and dragged her way through the book. All I could think, was if it was me, and I had so little time that I would want it to be pleasurable not a dirge. To each his own...
DeleteGood luck with UNCLE SILAS. I bounced off A TALE OF TWO CITIES twice, the first time in 8th grade. My senior year it was assigned to us and once I pushed past the previous stopping points, I loved it! Right time for both of us.
DeleteAt one point in my mid-20's I decided to start reading and rereading the classics--either ones I'd missed, or ones I'd read in high school and hadn't understood. I found that my perspective had changed so much that it was an entirely different reading experience. Part of it was knowing it was my own choice to take up some of the books, but it was also largely a matter of maturity and life experience changing my personal outlook.
DeleteThe reading gods! They do indeed exist...
DeleteI am a pretty fickle reader. I pick up a lot and I put down a lot, especially when I'm in a bit of a reading slump. I (partially) read a lot of duds, but I also find a lot of gems in genres and styles I don't often read. Stuff in sci-fi, and fantasy, current events, and occasionally even horror that I would usually never read.
ReplyDeleteI do sometimes come back to books I thought I'd given up on. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE took me 3 tries. I started reading it in junior high to try to impress the adults around me. Yes, I was that annoying type of child. It didn't click with me until I was about 15 and I suspect it was b/c it was b/c my hormones had kicked in. All of the sudden I could understand how you could be attracted to someone and find them extremely annoying at the same time. ;-) THE GAME OF KINGS by Dorothy Dunnett took 3 tries too b/c the language was so rich and strange. I'm glad I got through it. Just the first book, then I was hooked. Definitely one of the strangest and most memorable series I've ever read.
I think it's interesting people say they tend to not pick up something unless they're sure they'll like it. My mother-in-law and my husband are like that. Maybe it's genetic. But then again, my husband reads the same books over and over and over again. It's not hard to read a book you like if you mostly rotate between about 20 or so books!
I don't know what I'll like until I read it. I find I can pick up something that sounds perfect - in one of my favorite genres, well-reviewed, maybe even by an author I already like and I *still* don't like it. Maybe even a great first chapter and then it all goes sideways. There are no guarantees for me, I'm afraid.
Sometimes all it takes is one sentence where the narrator says/does something cruel (particularly about someone else's appearance or something shallow) and I'm out of there. That's if the narrator is supposed to be sympathetic. For a villain it's fine! I find a lot of male authors write about women in a way I don't care for even when they think they're being "one of the good guys."
I've heard the 100 pages minus your age rule and I use that sometimes. Instead of 'give it 50 pages' my mother would always say 'give it 100 pages' but I guess time is precious these days and a lot of books are shorter. The other guideline I liked from her is if she felt her interest was flagging in a book, she'd sit down and give her it her full attention for an hour and read. If it hadn't grabbed her by then, she lets it go, guilt free. I know an hour of reading sounds like a lot to some people, but she really likes to read and me too of course. And lots of times if the author is good, it does work and you're hooked.
I can think of a few books that I really didn't care for and somehow I stuck it out and it had an amazing ending that made it somehow worthwhile. But on the other hand, there's the ones where you love it and then the ending spoils it for you as well! I can think of a few . . .
*I* do too instead of me do too. I try not to be too pedantic about my own writing, but the other way is just confusing ;-)
DeleteThat's fascinating--give it your full attention for an hour. That would certainly make the decision feel more--what, fair? That's such an interesting idea!
DeleteI agree that life is too short. There are too many books out there that I will love but might never get to if I keep reading a book that doesn't draw me in by 50 pages. I have set books aside and come back to them months or even years later at which point I got hooked.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that will keep me reading is if certain trusted friends recommend the book. And, yes, I've been known to check out the ending if I'm uncertain by page 50.
With you, sister. xx
DeleteThe topic of DNF is prevalent in one FB book group I’m in. And based on the comments there, it seems a lot, if not many, feel compelled to complete whatever they start. I’m NOT one of those people. Nor do I have criteria of when to give up (and I’ve heard a variety of thresholds). I’m not one who has to immediately be pulled into a book/story, recognizing some books/stories meander. I find myself a little more patient with non-fiction. Usually it’s “dry” writing that makes me consider not finishing. But as long as the topic is of particular interest and/or I’m learning, I continue. Being deliberate in choosing what to read, could be the reason why it is extremely rare for me to give up on a book. 🙂
ReplyDeleteI mean, we KNOW, pretty uickly, if we're not going to enjoy it. For better or for worse, we all have some reading skills or tendencies...or quirks. But that's FINE , right? No one is keeping score.
DeleteA DNF is a very rare thing for me. I have had a handful of books that I wished I hadn’t finished afterward. I don’t feel like it is a contract with the author so much as I just like finishing things and I usually want to find out what happens in the end.
ReplyDeleteOh, another great topic--the dreaded terrible ending!
DeleteI only time I've finished a book I didn't want to read was on an airplane. Otherwise, I read until I have no interest in reading another page and return it to the library.
ReplyDeleteOh, well, when it's "this book or nothing..." xoxo
DeleteI don’t have reading rules but I won’t continue or finish reading a book that doesn’t grab me for any reason like bad writing, characters that make no sense to me, a book in which nothing seems to happen or too much graphic or psychological violence . Too many books out there waiting to be read.
ReplyDeleteDanielle
Graphic violence will put me right off, I agree.
DeleteI don't have any reading rules, but if it's a book that i can't get into by the third chapter, I'll stop reading that book. it's frustrating when it's a book that's a classic or a recent best seller--it's not for everyone.
ReplyDeleteABSOLUTELY. We don't have to like everything. There are so many big books I have never read because they just don't sound good. There, I confessed. :-)
DeleteI used to be a "read it until you're done" kind of reader. No more. As other have said, life is too short. Now I give a book three chapters, much like I give a new TV show three episodes. If you don't have me by then, well, sorry.
ReplyDeleteThe exception is if a book comes highly recommended by a trusted source. Then I will stick with it. I made one exception when a protagonist did something I thought was so stupid and dangerous that I just couldn't hang with her any longer. I was already suspending my disbelief and it became too much.
And yes, I'll page to the end to see if it's worth continuing if my interest starts to wane.
It's fascinating, isn't it, to see the end? Sometimes it lures me to try again.
DeleteThe book I can’t “go on with”, but feel I must, has been sitting in my book basket for about two years. A gift from someone dear to me and one of those “best books of year” and one I always meant to read…Where the Crawdads Sing. Right from Chapter One when Ma didn’t stop to wave. Just no to victimized children. But because of my affection for the giver…who loved it…I keep it at hand. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteFAscinating that you remember that scene so vividly--with her good shoes and the suitcase? I had to read that book as a contest judge--and I'm really glad I did. But I might not have, otherwise.
DeleteI've only stopped reading a book a couple times. I listen to a lot of audio books ( I can knit while "reading") Once I stopped listening because I couldn't tolerate the reader. But that is a rarity. Most narrators are so good!!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, we need to do a whole blog on that!
DeleteI like the subtraction rule! As I get older and my patience gets less, I can now guiltlessly quit earlier. The only time (usually) I finish reading a book under duress is if it is a Book Club book. I always hope that the reason this book was chosen is that somewhere in there, there must be some redeemable something. I do not feel obliged to candy coat my review if necessary.
ReplyDeleteThe only book that I can say that due to pressure I started again was The Book Thief. I just could not get into the book and abandoned it early on. There was more than 1 reader whose opinion I liked who said it was so good that I reread it. This time I absolutely loved it, and put it on the top of the list of one of my favourite books. I have another book (Suite Francais) that I absolutely loved – gave it a 13/10 for my review. Because I liked it so much, I am afraid to reread it, so will just leave it on the pedestal.
Now I have to add in another variable to those already suggested, and that is when the book just might be good, but the audio reader is terrible. Do you tough it out and hope that the terribleness can be overcome, or quit – new author will probably not make the cut, but an old favourite author who now has a new voice? Tough choice there.
We are halfway through January and I have read 9 audio and 1 ebook. One was a reread – Debs was up, saving Julia for next week, and I am going to reread Alan Bradley series. Four I finished only to write “that was a waste of time, or don’t read this author again”, one I dropped after an hour, and one was a new author to me who I quite enjoyed – will get another of hers.
He who harrumphs just got a book about WW2 and Canadians written by a should-have-been-good person, and his comment was “too boring to read”. It is going back to the library on Wednesday.
TBTR! We'll take that as a new abbreviation!
DeleteMargo, I won't go on with an audiobook performer I don't like. And I've had the opposite experience - I tried several times to read COLD MOUNTAIN when it was THE big book of the summer, and I just couldn't get into it. Then I took out the audiobook for a long road trip and was captivated by the author's gorgeous North Carolinian voice. I finally got enough into the story to see what everyone was raving about.
DeleteJulia, sorry to be so late, but what if the author is someone whose books you really enjoy. If I can name names here, we both loved Ralph Cosham, but when he died we had a hard time getting used to the new reader. However we loved Louise Penny, so we muddled though 2 books before we acclimatized. Now reader or not (he is getting a better French accent) we still love her books in audio form.
DeleteTook me years and years to give myself permission to put down a book I wasn't enjoying. I usually give it 100 pages. As several people have said, life is too short to force myself to read a book I don't like especially when there are so many books to read.
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteI used to make myself finish any book I started. Then as I got older I decided that I didn’t have to give my time to something I wasn’t enjoying. This also goes for food. I’m no longer obligated to take a food “to be polite”, if it’s not something I’m going to enjoy eating I don’t want the wasted calories. And if I’m reading a mystery and know immediately when the murderer appears I don’t finish the book.
ReplyDeleteOH, I love comparison. ANd when it comes to books, who are we being "polite" to?
DeleteLife is definitely too short! If a book isn't working for me I do not continue. I've been known to stop after only a couple of pages. On the other hand, sometimes I will "give it a chance to get better." (It seldom does.) Then I will skip to the end to see how it all worked out I can remember only one book, where after reading the end, I went back to read the entire thing, just to see how the author got us there.
ReplyDeleteSometimes a particular book isn't right for me, right now. I'm not sure how I know, or at least have a good idea, that it might be better for me at another time. There have been a few times when trying again, maybe even years later, turned out for the best. But mostly if a book is dead to me, it stays dead.
Yes, I agree. "It seldom does." SO funny. But it's just us, and we're only talking about ourselves, it's NOT the author!
DeleteLife is short and there are many books, but it's hard for me to quit a book. There aren't many books that I really dislike, and I feel an obligation to keep going. Some of the books I've disliked have been for book group. It's necessary to plow through those so we can discuss them. Often, other members have disliked them as well. Plus, there's the Goodreads annual challenge-- starting a book and not finishing might put me behind.There are books that are just blah, but I finish them. I get almost all my books these days from the library, and that adds another level of commitment for me.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's fascinating, to be in the GOodreads challenge. A lot of psychology going on there..xxx
DeleteMost of my books now come from the library too, Gillian. (Last year, they tell me, I saved more than $3000! But for that reason it is easier for me to not finish the book. Instead I congratulate myself for not actually spending good money on a book I disliked.
DeleteI'll also tell myself that returning a library book I can't get into means someone else has a chance to read it.
DeleteWhen I was younger, I would always read to the end of a book, no matter how I felt about it. I got wiser as I got older and now If I am not pulled into the story in the first chapter, out it goes. It's such a freeing feeling and there are so many good books out there that I would rather be giving my time too.
ReplyDeleteYes, the freedom not to be bound to a book--in order to get on to something you love! It's all about enjoyment, right?
DeleteI have no compunction about abandoning a book if I find it boring, annoying, poorly written, or too bleak. Usually it takes 50-75 pages for me to make that decision, but once I make it, I have no desire to skip to the end, as I just don't care what happens. I agree with those who say that life's just too short, and there are too many terrific books to waste time on one I don't like.
ReplyDeleteI make an exception for an ARC I receive from NetGalley, as if I don't finish it, it will negatively affect my feedback ratio (forever!). However, I may do some skimming to get to the end sooner rather than later. That doesn't mean I won't give it an honest review, although I think I have only given two 2-star ratings so far. Fortunately, I am selective about what I request, so it isn't often that I want to DNF a NetGalley book.
MARGIE: Oh yeah, my Netgalley ratio rapidly dropped from over 90% to 63% when I could not keep up to my normal reading schedule in 2020-2021. I feared that future ARC requests would get denied, but so far it hasn't happened.
DeleteI agree, Margie - if I’m stopping, I don’t care how the book ends.
DeleteOh, I can never resist reading the ending. :-) And I did not know that about NetGalley!
DeleteHANK: Yes, Netgalley clearly states on its website that maintaining a minimum feedback ratio of 80% is optimal to get approved for future ARC requests. A denial email from Netgalley often uses this feedback ratio as a factor for refusing a request for a new Netgalley ARC.
DeleteI have the Nancy Pearl action figures! They were quite fascinating to my elementary students. I spread the heresy that it was ok to not finish a book. I grew up with the 50 page rule. Every now and then I find myself slogging through a book and then come to my senses and read the last chapter. Becca
ReplyDeleteOh, lucky you! That's so great...I remember when those came out. Fabulous!
DeleteBecca, I have one of the Nancy Pearl action figures, too. I would show it to the kids when they came in the library, but didn’t leave it out where they could play with it. I know, mean librarian! — Pat S
DeleteI lost my reading mojo some time ago and find that it encourages me to drop a book that doesn't pique my interest in the first few sentences, paragraphs, pages. I'll skim some books, check the ending and see if it makes me want to go back and start again, but really, too many books. New ones all the time and I'd rather reread an old favorite rather than force myself to slog through a new book. Nonfiction is easier in some ways--if a topic interests me and I'm learning something as I go or gaining a deeper understanding of something, I can stick with it.
ReplyDeleteI will, however, give an author a second chance with another book. When I read the first Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael book, it left me with a meh feeling. Tried the second one--loved it. Eventually reread the first book and loved it. Same thing with Louise Penny. Sometimes it's just me, I admit.
IIRC, it was the second Brother Cadfael, not the first, that made the list of “100 Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century, Picked by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Ass'n.” So you aren’t alone.
DeleteYes, so much of it is about timing!
DeleteBrain injury? I am so sorry!
DeleteAnonymous, no brain injury!! But thank you!
DeleteAll my reading is for the love of reading. I'm not required to read books for work. I'm no longer in school with book reports due on one the following... remember those? I don't sign up to provide reviews on books, I am a slow reader, will most likely never make a deadline. I do go to the end if I feel like I'm ploughing through mud while reading but generally it will for a book by an author I like. I have stopped books but usually it is for a feeling of being lost, not able to track the story. Sometimes I'll try again sometimes, I won't.
ReplyDeleteDeana
That's so perfect--it's about the love for reading. And so..if you are not loving it, what's the point?
DeleteI will happily put down a book I don't enjoy. My husband will generally stop reading a book he doesn't like, but he typically he said he likes most of the books he starts. Probably because he is pretty picky and for the most part only reads Navy sea battles like the Winds of War by Hermon Wok type books.
ReplyDeleteI belonged to a book club for close to 20 years and I was pretty honest - if the book was really bad, I'd skim through it and read the ending. In some cases, if the book was really bad, I wouldn't even make a effort. A few others did the same. We seemed to pick a lot of books no one really liked. That's why I stuck I finally gave up - twenty years is a long time to hand in there. The people were fun to be around so I continued on far too long.
Oh, we need to have a whole blog on book clubs. COming soon!
DeleteI usually use the Rhys Bowen method 😊. I find it hard if it is an author I have read in the past to not read all the way through.
ReplyDeleteTo each her own! xx
DeleteI used to force myself to finish even horrible books. But a few years back, right around when I turned 50, I decided life was just too short and if I hate a book I will stop reading it. I am still very generous with my time, giving the author a lot of opportunity to reel me in, so I still finish books that I'm not thrilled with. But if I really hate it, I'm done - the last time was about a year ago - the book had wonderful reviews and was a little quirky, and the idea was clever, all things that made me expect to like it. But I lasted through 50% of the book and I decided I hated the protagonist - he was a waste of space, a whiner and a liar so I closed it and put it on a bookcase in my guest quarters. I like a flawed protagonist, but this character was all flaws and no redeeming qualities; when you reach the point where you want the protagonist to fail, it's time to close the book and move on. (I didn't even skip to the end to see how it turned out, I really didn't care!)
ReplyDeleteI love hearing your decision-making process!
DeleteHi Hank,
ReplyDeleteI almost always finish a book. Sometimes, I realize I am not in the mood and put a book aside then pick it up again later. For instance, since the October 7 attack on Southern Israel and the very disturbing information that I have heard, seen, learned, I have been reading practically all rom coms. That does not mean that I won't return to mysteries, but a couple of mysteries that I had begun to read, are now in a pike waiting for me to come back to them.
Occasionally, I won't finish a book. I have begun a couple of audiobooks that were so difficult to follow, or so unpleasant to listen to, that I stopped. But it is rare.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi, Judy! Audiobooks can be tricky to follow--if the writer has not written them with audio in mind. Oooh, another blog topic for the future! xx
DeleteI am with you on the rom coms as an antidote when things seem particularly grim, Judy.
DeleteMore often than not, I am going to finish a book. If I don’t finish one, it’s usually because of the language. If every other line (or more) involves unnecessary swearing, it gets distracting and hard to read through. If I don’t a book because of the story or writing, I will probably finish it, but am not likely to give the author a second chance
ReplyDeleteYes, we all have our preferences--I will instantly stop at gratuitous violence, because why put that image in my head?
DeleteIvy, my mom was the same way. I was amazed to learn that Lee Child uses no strong swear words in his Jack Reacher books! They're so, well, thrilling, I had never noticed, which goes to show you don't need four-letter words to make hard-edged fiction.
DeleteI just quit now. I am older and feel like times 'a wastin', so if it doesn't capture me (or the writing is not good), or too much graphic sex, violence, I either skip those parts or skip to the end. The only series I kept at (and I have no idea why) is the No 1 ladies detective agency. I put it down about 3 times and then the fourth time, it took. I enjoy all his series and marvel how they are so different!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting experience! Yes, it can definitely be about the timing!
DeleteI need at least one character to cheer for. If I can't figure out whose side I'm on and feel involved within that 50 pages, or the first chapter if it's divided into chapters, I get very tempted to leave it aside for later or just take it back to the library. As for the things I own (through hand-me-down or inheritance), my Not Right Now tote bag is a wonderful container and reminder at once. (Thanks, Hank, for the expression as well as the bag.) If I feel like giving up, I tend to just put it aside for a while. If it leaves me thinking "But what about" anything, then I'm not giving up after all, just taking a rest. But if it's feeling like a bad influence on my own writing, then I'll give up anyway!
ReplyDeleteHA! Yes, the First Chapter Fun "Not RIght Now" tote bag always makes me laugh!
DeleteHank, what a wonderful topic today!
ReplyDeleteWhen I started bookstagram in 2017, I often signed up for reading challenges or virtual book club where we would read the same books and participate in discussion questions. I often found myself reading books that I did not like. Now my bookstagram has shifted to focus on books that I read and liked/loved.
A book has to grab my attention. If my family and friends love the book, then I want to find out why they liked /loved the book when it cannot hold my attention. Sometimes I'm not in the mood.
Right now I am reading Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries because that is what interests me at this present moment.
Diana
Diana
Ohhh...what a great idea! LOVE those books, (And I had a huge crush on him...)
DeleteDidn't we all, Hank!
DeleteMt. TBR is now infinitely high, and good writers are adding to it daily, so I'm inclined to move on. I will persevere a bit more if I have an ARC, but even then, if it's not working, they don't really want the review I'd be compelled to write. I occasionally find that reading the end, sparks a desire to read the rest.
ReplyDeleteFor required reading, there are lovely speed reading tips to help get through it. One student told me that she only got through GREAT EXPECTATIONS by using the "white card method" I'd taught her. (Hold the card by one corner and bring it down the page at your preferred speed, covering lines and forcing yourself to keep going forward). ;-)
Mary, I wish I had heard of that method when my son was assigned GREAT EXPECTATIONS! I wound up reading the book to him, a little bit every night. I suspect I enjoyed it a great deal more than he did - I'm a Dickens fan. Why don't school introduce him to kids with something funny, like the Pickwick Papers?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWhen I was a senior in high school, a teacher assigned Nicholas NIckleby at the end of the semester--just to drive us crazy. My pals and I divided it up, and we all read different parts, and then discussed. Well, we thought we were so clever to avoid a 500 page book, but we all wound up loving it! So the teacher won again.
DeleteANd yes, the white card method--we had it with a machine. OH, another blog topic!
I can't remember the title of the book, but it jumped back and forth between three or four characters. I just couldn't keep up. I do Ike the 30 or 50 page idea. I am a retired middle school librarian. Sometimes students would check out a book and bring it back thw same or next day, saying they didn't like it. I asked how much they had read and found that it was only a few pages. Since most books were chapter books I would tell them they had to read at least 2 chapters and then tell me a little bit about the book and why they didn't like it. I would then help them find a book that interested them. That usually worked.
ReplyDeleteYou are so kind--and so life-changing!
DeleteThere are several ebooks in my library that I have had to set aside for various reasons. It makes me so anxious, though. I hate wasting money on things I can't pass along, in particular.
ReplyDeleteThe only time I keep plugging along on a book that fails to capture my interest is when it's a book club choice. Unless I am not planning to attend that meeting I feel obligated to hold up my end of the conversation about the book. And if everyone else likes it but me, I need to be ready to defend my own opinion. That rarely happens, but still.
Great tips, Karen in Ohio.
DeleteThank you. I have bookstagram friends who tactfully explain why they did not like a book. They make it clear it is not for them and someone else could love the book. I have disliked books that other people loved. As I recall someone saying "There is a book for everyone". A friend says she does not read books. However, she loves certain books and would read them when she has time.
Diana
Would like to join
ReplyDeleteYAY! Just go to @RedsAndReaders on facebook! (OR https://www.facebook.com/groups/6835060499909032
Deleteand ask to join! We are screening for bots, of course! SO it will take a minute to approve...
I used to feel obligated to finish what I started, but haven’t thought that way for quite a while.
ReplyDeleteIf I really decide I’m not going to continue I never go to the end-if I don’t want to read from the beginning I certainly don’t care about the end.
One book I stopped reading was because the author made a major error in her historical novel by having a person who actually existed appear in the story five years after he died in real life. After that
I couldn’t continue with an author who made such a major mistake. The person was a world known figure so for me it was something she should have been aware or someone else along the pre-publication line should have caught it
One author I gave both a. second and a third chance to was Richard Osman and his first book The Thursday Murder Club. I couldn’t get into it the first two times I tried, but I’m glad I gave it one more chance and now I’ve recommended it to other people.
Oh, yes, that would be very distressing. Yikes. ANd another confession--I have not read the Osman books, ANd he seems like such a cool smart guy! Should I try them?
DeleteYes, Hank! I just finished the second book and was chuckling aloud so often that my husband asked what I was reading. Again, personal tastes differ, but I think they’re enjoyable. — Pat S
DeleteFabulous! I will start! xx
DeleteI find the Oman books unreadable. More for a beginning reader, the humor is not funny to me.
DeleteMaybe I'm just lucky but it is rare for me to give up on a book. I feel I'm obligated to read if it is an ARC. So far my choices have been good. However, there were two ARCs in the early years that I just couldn't get into. I regretfully marked them as "will not review" as I ditched them for something better. Occasionally I'll finish a story and wonder what the heck was that all about? It gets iffy though if the book is a gift or a prize. I've plodded through some that ordinarily I wouldn't have picked to read. At worst they were just "meh."
ReplyDeleteAnd the authors are grateful, I can tell you that! xxx
DeleteWhen a particular self-help book invited the reader to adhere to the proffered advice or close the book, I chose to close. Contrary? Me? or weary and leary of the gospel according to...
ReplyDeleteHA! Brilliant!
DeleteI need to be drawn in pretty quickly. There are just so very many books and, as you have said, so little time. I honestly felt like the only person in the state of Wisconsin - no, maybe in the entire US - who just could not get into a huge bestseller that all my friends enjoyed. I tried a second time, but guess it just wasn’t for me. If I’m buying an ebook, I read the sample. I can tell right away if I’ll enjoy the author’s writing style, so I don’t end up with too many clunkers any more.
ReplyDeleteThe samples are SO wonderful. LOVE them.
DeleteToo many wonderful books to waste time on one I'm not enjoying. Used to give it 50 pages but the older I get, the less time to be wasted...have quit on page 1 with some. Thank you to all you writers that keep the choices coming!
ReplyDeleteWhen you know you know, right? ANd, thank you so much-- we are writing as fast as we can! xxx
DeleteBlogger is trying to block me from commenting… So I am trying on my phone! Will this work? If I don’t come back until later this afternoon, that’s why!
ReplyDeleteI have given myself permission, as I have gotten older, to leave a book if I can’t get into it. I’m always glad I did when I switch to something I enjoy reading, like something from the Jungle Red Writers!
ReplyDeleteAww...thank you! xx
DeletePersonally, if I'm not loving a book, I put it aside. I MAY try reading it another day, but I have so many books, and more coming, that I rarely get back to it. When I have a PILE of them, I usually donate them so someone else can have a go.
ReplyDeleteYes, someone will love EVERY book, maybe....but maybe it's not us! xx And you are so generous!
DeleteIf the author can’t grab me in 50 pages, it’s probably not for me. I’ve wasted hours on books I dislike, but no longer. The To Be Read pile is always growing with tempting titles… My mystery book club agrees with the 50 pgs rule. And I’ve even thrown away two books in my life! They were so awful I didn’t think anyone should read them, & I didn’t want to donate them. Glad that’s been a rare circumstance. Whew.
ReplyDeleteIf after three chapters I’m not into the book I pick up another book.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree— that’s a perfect measure!
DeleteI absolutely, TOTALLY agree with the idea that life is too short...and there are too many wonderful books to read ...to invest a lot of time in a book I don't like! In fact I am baffled by readers ( and we all are, after all) who feel an obligation to do do that. It's up to the writer to keep us reading. Of course there are exceptions- I'll put more time in a book if I liked others by the writer. And sometimes I see that the book is excellent but not the right one for me at this time. . I put it aside for later. And sometimes it is a bit of a slog but I want to know more about the topic. But I spent many years in business research. A lot of it was reading trade publications. A lot. I knew then that on my own time, I would read what I like. (But the only book I ever threw across a room was Mailer's Prisoner of Sex! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh! That must have been quite the moment! :-)
DeleteHe was so aggravating! (I didn't break anything when I threw it)
DeleteIt's rare for me to not finish a book. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood for that particular genre so I'll put it away and read it at another time. So, I do finish it eventually.
ReplyDeleteYou are so wise! It’s all about timing… xxx
DeleteI read/listen to up to 12 books at once. Usually 3-5. I don’t finish all open books right away but I very rarely DNF a book. Since 2019 I’ve completed 383 titles. I DNF’d just one. The story was trite, the romance was uninteresting and the narration was awful. I may not finish a given title for 15-18 months or I might finish it in a week. I resume reading/listening to almost every single book I begin.
ReplyDeleteI do a lot of research on books on my TBR/L and few books descend below expectations. I go to author events, I add books from Notes or Bibliographies, and seek recommendations from trusted sources. I put time into evaluating in advance if a title is for me. I do give myself permission to DNF an awful book but I average 1-2 DNF every 5 years. Most of the books I read/listen to are books I like or love. The question of whether to DNF doesn’t come up often.
It is incredibly inspirational to hear how careful you are… I am in awe. This is so why we all do what we do! Thank you!
DeleteA book really needs to grab my attention for me to keep/finish reading it…BUT, I have come back to finish some of them. I recently started ‘The Orphans of Race Point’ by Patry Francis - really great story!! The story took a turn that really made me mad for the character so I decided to take a breath (and remember it’s a story, not a biography!).
ReplyDeleteI started again after about a week and finished without another hissy fit!
Oh! Patry is such a gem! So glad you brought this up! Thank you!
DeleteIndeed, far too short. Sometimes, though, I am ashamed of myself.
ReplyDeleteSo I got a book for Christmas from my sweetie (the same guy who tells me not to listen to the news so frequently, since it depresses me). It's the latest book by a highly intelligent, highly regarded Canadian writer of astute and meticulously researched books about important 21st century issues. Even as I started it, I felt it might just bring me down. Very well written, very interesting. But yes, so so gloomy in her observations about those who are intent on destroying social life as we know it, I finally called a halt ONE THIRD OF THE WAY THROUGH. I was surprised to see it was still in pristine condition--no wine spills, no tearstains, no angry marginal notes--that I was able to return it to the store (with Sweetie's permission) for a full credit. Yes, that's why I am ashamed. I lied at the bookshop and said, "I'm sorry, I'm never going to read it...."
That’s a perfect story!
DeleteI've always felt guilty that I give up pretty often. Or jump to the end. Nice to know I'm not alone. I'm more likely to come BACK to nonfiction work. Sometimes my idea of what a book was going to be about (from word of mouth? reviews??) doesn't mesh with how it feels, which really isn't fair to the book. But there you are.
ReplyDeleteYes, it’s very complicated. I so agree. And as authors, we have a special perspective.
DeleteI never give up entirely, but I do skim fast when the author loses me. Writing is hard; finishing a book darn near impossible, and I feel anyone who's done it and gotten me to read it deserves to have it finished. (There's one thriller writer who invariably includes a twist that is so absolutely ridiculous I think, "That's it, I'm done," and put it down...but then I pick it up and skim the rest. I'm like Charlie Brown when Lucy entices him with the football, I guess.)
ReplyDeleteI just burst out laughing! Thank you!
DeleteI formerly read cover to cover every book I picked as I wanted to be fair to every author. When I retired and realized that I needed to plan how I would use my time differently, I was able to give myself permission to put down a book. I usually have several books going at the same time in different rooms in the house and in the car. Karen J Massey
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea – – we should do another blog about how many books we are reading at the same time!
DeleteI don't know if these relate, but I'm a rule follower, and I feel obligated to finish. But I will look at the first couple of paragraphs to make sure writing is not so bad it would make me crazy. I dnf'd Stephen King. Could not live in dread!
ReplyDeleteSometimes the suspense is just so overwhelming!
DeleteAs a former English teacher who insisted that students find the gems of a book without giving up on it, I try to practice what I preached. The only times I can think of when I didn't push myself to finish a book are recently, when two authors asked me to read ARCs. In both cases, there were too many characters and too much backstory to keep me turning pages.
ReplyDeleteThat is brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. And I predict your students are so grateful… You are a treasure.
DeleteI love reading about how different everyone is with their internal do I or don't I finish a book. Fascinating!
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
DeleteI follow the subtract my age from 100 rule. I read fewer than 30 pages these days and if the book hasn’t grabbed me, then I mark it DNF. Vickie Watts
ReplyDeletePerfect! Xxx
DeleteI belong to a book club at my local public library and I always read the assigned book. So, "The Annotated Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austin somehow flew into the agenda one month last year. I was surprised as it was nothing that any of us had ever alluded to as the type of book that we'd be interested in reading. So, I bought the book and tried to start it. It was just so much work that I gave up and did not go to the meeting that month. On the other side of the issue, I have books like Glenn Beck's "Arguing with Socialists" that I will pick up and read here and there when I need a good dose of his writing! Otherwise, I keep reprioritizing what I will read next as new titles are published. Yet, once I start a book, I finish it as the anticipation has really been building!
ReplyDeleteSo fascinating!
DeleteI admit I used to force myself to slog through - I got one of my best similes from one of the worst books I've ever read so it's not always a total loss. These days I don't have that kind of patience. How long I stick with it depends on why I don't care for it. Typos? Bad editing? Bad wordcraft? Just meh? It all depends. Violence or cruelty to children or animals - deep six at once - no second chances.
ReplyDeleteOh, typos! Not the author’s fault, I know you understand that! But gore and violence… So agree! Yes, that makes me stop instantly. Xxxx
DeleteSometimes though I stop reading a book that is so good I have to stop. I am so in love with it for a few chapters that I have to step away and then I don't go back as I don't want to be disappointed. A month or a year later I might think I want to give it another go but I never have.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful experience! That is to be treasured… xx
DeleteI am not sure whether I have asked to join or have joined but I like it either way!
DeleteI'll make sure, Mary! xx
DeleteI usually finish the books I start 90% of the time. If a book is really bad and I have a lot of good books in my tbr pile, I will give it a DNF and move on.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of reading the ending! I feel it’s a waste of my time to read a book I dislike. I’ll often read to the midway point to give it a real chance, but can’t bring myself to finish. Rhys, good luck with your knee surgery! I couldn’t read for 2 weeks after mine. I just couldn’t concentrate!
ReplyDeleteThe above written by me, Dorothea Miller.
DeleteI have not read a lot of the library I see on the new book shelf. A lot of the books they offer, bestseller or not, aren’t to my taste. Thank goodness for Interlibrary loan and MO Libraries to Go!
ReplyDelete