12 Reasons to DNF a Book.

At what point do you DNF (did not finish) a book, and what makes you decide to DNF? There's a handy rule I read once: subtract your age from 100, and that's the page you DNF a book if it's not working for you. So, if you're 35, you would DNF the book at p.65; if you're 65, you DNF at p.35. 

A bit arbitrary, especially as some books can start off with a slow burn and then build up to a bonfire. So, I try to give the book 50 pages. Within the first 10 pages, though, I can usually tell if it's for me or not. Am I dying to get to my hour of early morning reading? If the answer is nope, I might call it quits at page 10 or 20. Sometimes, I hang in there because the slightest thing can fire it all up - the author starts to bring plot threads together, or the character that seemed a little one dimensional is suddenly quite appealing. 

What makes me DNF a book is any of the following:

too many adverbs - unnecessary and distracting - and too many cliches.I find myself skimming paragraphs.wondering where the heck the story is going. I want to be immersed in a world, not be confused by it. not engaging with the main character if I check Goodreads before I hit page 20. Normally, I never look at reviews until after I've finished, but if I'm considering a DNF, I'll snoop to see if other readers may have felt the same way about the book.anything too far-fetched, unbelievable, outlandish, ridiculous.the writing style doesn't leave me thinking, 'damn, wish I could write like that.'if I'm not asking myself, 'what is going to happen next?'life is ugly enough, so I don't want to read about rapes, serial killers, immoral characters, dominating males, pointless or excessive violence, animal cruelty.if the author hasn't done the research, and it's obvious. If the author doesn't care, I don't either.bedroom scenes that go on and on and then start again pages later.simpering female characters or stereotypical macho males. 

How about you? What makes you DNF a book?

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