Should you finish every book you start?
So I've just finished a terrible book called Meat Your Maker (I know, the title should have set off red flashing warning lights). I won it in a Goodreads giveaway and it was by an indie author, so I hated having to give it a bad review (you can read it here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), but I really didn't have a choice. I don't mind if a book isn't perfectly crafted, if it has a few errors, or if it's a great book but not just for me, but 'Meat your Maker' did not tick any of these categories. In fact it ticked the box which reads 'The worst book I have ever read' (I'm not even exaggerating); it repeatedly spelt "though" as "tho" and "through" as "thru". Seriously.
The problem is that I never stop reading books before I finish them. And although I seriously considered just giving up on 'Meat your Maker', I couldn't quite bring myself to do it.
Why you should finish every book you start:
1. It might get better. Just because a book has a slow start doesn't mean that you shouldn't give it chance to develop; it might just surprise you.
2. You might miss something. If you stop reading before the end, you might miss something really interesting or important.
3. Because then you will have read it. It might sound like an obvious point to make, but it's another book to cross off your list (or add to your list, depending on what your list is) and if you haven't finished it, you can't really say that you've read it.
4. Otherwise you can't really form any opinions on the book. At least not as a whole. This is especially important if you're reading the book with an aim to write a review.
Why you shouldn't finish every book you start:
1. When you know, you know. If a book's just not working for you then chances are you'll get to a certain point when you just know that it's not working for you. So why read any further?
2. Patience has a limit. There's a difference between giving a book a fair chance, and forcing yourself to finish a book you can't stand.
3. So many books, so little time. There are so many more amazing books you could be reading instead.
4. You should be reading for yourself. You shouldn't care that you can't tell people that you've read a certain book; you should read purely for yourself, and what do you gain from finishing a book you're not enjoying?
(5. This gif is awesome.)
So what do you think? Should you finish every book you start?
The problem is that I never stop reading books before I finish them. And although I seriously considered just giving up on 'Meat your Maker', I couldn't quite bring myself to do it.
Why you should finish every book you start:
1. It might get better. Just because a book has a slow start doesn't mean that you shouldn't give it chance to develop; it might just surprise you.
2. You might miss something. If you stop reading before the end, you might miss something really interesting or important.
3. Because then you will have read it. It might sound like an obvious point to make, but it's another book to cross off your list (or add to your list, depending on what your list is) and if you haven't finished it, you can't really say that you've read it.
4. Otherwise you can't really form any opinions on the book. At least not as a whole. This is especially important if you're reading the book with an aim to write a review.
Why you shouldn't finish every book you start:
1. When you know, you know. If a book's just not working for you then chances are you'll get to a certain point when you just know that it's not working for you. So why read any further?
2. Patience has a limit. There's a difference between giving a book a fair chance, and forcing yourself to finish a book you can't stand.
3. So many books, so little time. There are so many more amazing books you could be reading instead.
4. You should be reading for yourself. You shouldn't care that you can't tell people that you've read a certain book; you should read purely for yourself, and what do you gain from finishing a book you're not enjoying?
(5. This gif is awesome.)
So what do you think? Should you finish every book you start?
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