To Quit Or Not Quit a Book? Our Readers Weigh In...

Reading is a bit like dating. Sometimes a book ignites a spark, and other times it fizzles. So we asked our followers on Twitter and Facebook: Do you stick with it or do you move on? Check out some of the most popular comments below and let us know which camp you fall into.
1."99% of the time I will finish the book. I feel I owe it to the author," says Todd.
2. "I usually stick it out. There's been many times that I've ended up loving something that wasn't initially drawing me in," says Andrew.
3."Move on. Reading should be a pleasure. If it’s not the book for you, it’s not the book for you," says Barbara.
4."I give it the 100 page limit. If I am still not into the book by that page, I put it down and get another book to read. Life is too short to suffer through a book you are not enjoying," says Luci.
5. "I used to stick with it, but I have decided that I only have so many years in my life and it is not worth it! There are so many good books out there to discover," says Tamara.
6. "I always finish them off. I sometimes put them down and pick another book but always come back," says Carola.
7. "It depends on the level of not pulling me in. If I'm not loving it, but still want to know how it ends, I'll stick with it. But if reading it feels like a chore, I'll stop reading it," says Chelsey.
8. "If it’s a book I really want to read, I try the audio before giving up completely," says Dana.
9. "Put it away and try much later on. Tastes and style change over the years," says Brad.
10."Depends on why I'm reading it. For review? For my private students? For research? For pleasure? For the first 3, I stick to it. For the last, I move on," says Elizabeth.
11. "If it's unrecommended I'll give it 2-3 chapters. If it's an author I like or has come with a respected recommendation I'll give it more time," says Danielle.
12. "I always try to stick with it. I feel like there is something to learn in the struggle of getting through a book. I’ve only put down a couple of books, but that was because I developed a strong dislike for the material," says Kira.
13. "I usually move on. For every page I force myself to read that I'm not enjoying, that's time I could be reading pages that I love," says Nicole.
14. "Some books take more time than others to learn the flow of the prose, but more often than not it pays to keep reading until you get there," says Carole.
15. "I leave it alone for a couple days and if the desire to read it doesn't come back then I just don't bother," says Teresa.
16."So much of my reading is for book clubs that I pretty much always stick with it—at least I’ll have people to complain to!" says Megan.
Which responses do you relate to? Share your two cents in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
Monogamous vs. Polygamous Reading: Which 'Type' Do You Prefer?
24 of the Season's Highest-Rated Debuts
Tomi Adeyemi's Diverse Must-Reads to Rock Your World
Check out more recent blogs:
Monogamous vs. Polygamous Reading: Which 'Type' Do You Prefer?
24 of the Season's Highest-Rated Debuts
Tomi Adeyemi's Diverse Must-Reads to Rock Your World
Comments Showing 351-400 of 428 (428 new)
message 351:
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Katherine
(new)
Mar 02, 2018 12:06PM

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Agreed. This makes so much sense. So I did a little research, and GoodReads already has this feature. It just isn't automatically enabled. Here's how to create your own DNF shelf:
Create a shelf called, "DNF," (or whatever you want to call it), and set it to, "exclusive," which means it's like, "Read," "Currently Reading," or "Want To Read." It becomes 4th option at the top of your shelving list.
For editing shelves, click "My Books," on the top bar, and then the Edit link next to, "Bookshelves," on the top of the left panel. or just go here: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/edit.
For fun, check out what others are shelving as DNF: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/dnf

Totally agree. I haven't been using the site long, and I tend to read negative reviews more than positive ones (I like dissenting opinions), but one of my pet hates is when people don't finish a book but 'review' it anyway. My position is simple: you didn't FINISH it, you didn't READ it, so don't REVIEW it.
To elaborate on your idea, I'd prefer the DNF option to be added to the star rating system, and a function added to be able to filter out reviews of books marked DNF if one so desires.

I'm with you. Last year, I came across a review and a low rating. The review was three paragraphs long and in the first sentence she stated that she didn't read past the second page because there was too much cursing.
If you are sensitive to curse words that is fine, but if you didn't read more than 2 pages of a 300-page book, then your 1 star rating only hurts the author who poured her heart into those pages. IT'S BAD READER ETIQUETTE.

Ouch. How does someone write three paragraphs but only read 2 pages?! That is definitely bad reader etiquette.

I may not finish a book because I can’t get past the first few chapters, but I never review a book unless I finish it. Just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean others won’t. I don’t want to sully an author’s reputation just because I couldn’t connect with their writing.

1. Gives knowledge
2. Improves your brain
3. Reduces stress
4. Improves memory
5. Improves imagination
6. Develops critical thinking skills
7. Builds vocabulary
8. Improves writing skills
9. Improves communication skills

Queengeek, that is a great idea. I just created a DNF shelf. Thank you!

I know how you feel, Chris, I am seriously claustrophobic too. I would have deleted that book so fast. I also give the author props for not attacking you like a certain author, {who shall remain nameless.} I read a book a few years ago, don't remember the name or author. But anyway the prologue was written beautifully, but the first chapter was nothing but politics. I couldn't do it, I dnf it so fast it wasn't funny. Also, pay no mind to the naysayer they're an idiot.


100 minus your age = the number of pages you have to read before giving up. So at 20, you have to read 80 pages and at 80 you have to read 20. So when you turn 100, you can judge a book by it's cover.


My thoughts exactly. I can think of one or two books I tried to read in recent months which I wouldn't use to prop a door open...

I have a 50 page rule.


I think of it this way... there is actually a finite number of books each of us will read in our lifetime. If you spend 50 of them on books you don't enjoy... you missed out on 50 GOOD books.





I love this idea! Too many books, not enough time for me.







There's no sense in finishing a book you dislike. One of my mottoes is "So many books, so little time". If a book isn't working for you, leave it!


If I mark it as "Read" then it comes up at the end of the year as one of my Read books. If I leave in "To Read" I keep seeing it in my list and have to ignore it. I don't really want to delete it entirely from my list because I want to acknowledge that I had a go at it!
(Of course you can have a DNF "shelf" but that doesn't affect the basic status of the book.)
What do other people do? Should Goodreads provide a separate DNF status?

If I mark it as "Read" then it comes up at the end of the year as one of my Read books. If I leave ..."
If I DNF a book, I mark it as "read" but don't fill in the date read. That way it doesn't show up on the list of books I read that year.

Me too. 1 star = DNF, two stars = awful but I finished it.




Although, if it's an author I like, I'm more willing to give them a chance.

With that being said, I've quit reading a lot of books because of the profanities. I really wish they'd rate books like they do movies, so I'd know ahead of time and not have to quit a book that I'm enjoying. If anyone knows of an app that does this, please let me know! I try to skim through before starting but don't always catch them. It's SO unnecessary to include language that adds nothing to the story!



Only a few times have I actually hated a book so much that I gave it away or deleted it from my Kindle, never to look at it again.


Occasionally I read a whole book, thinking it will get better, because it's by a famous author ( Purity) or it's for a book club, and at the end I am sorry I spent the time on it. That regret of time lost is more than any regret at possibly missing something in the books I don't finish.

Having grown older and somewhat wiser, I now have given myself permission to not finish a book that I am not enjoying or engaged in. My philosophy is that life is too short and there are too many really good books in the world to read, that no one should feel obligated to finish a book they truly don't like.

That is great idea! DNF folder on My Books!



If I mark it as "Read" then it comes up at the end of the year as one of my Read books. If I leave ..."
Mariann wrote: "a little off topic but.... if i do not finish a book, i don't know how to mark it on Goodreads.
If I mark it as "Read" then it comes up at the end of the year as one of my Read books. If I leave ..."
Cecile wrote: "There have been a few books here and there that I did not finish due to an unexpected interruption, but I always intend to finish. I have only one book that I could not bear to complete. By chapter..."
Mariann wrote: "a little off topic but.... if i do not finish a book, i don't know how to mark it on Goodreads.
If I mark it as "Read" then it comes up at the end of the year as one of my Read books. If I leave ..."
Rachel wrote: "Mariann wrote: "a little off topic but.... if i do not finish a book, i don't know how to mark it on Goodreads.
If I mark it as "Read" then it comes up at the end of the year as one of my Read bo..."
What I did Mariann was make different "read" folders., like"read-cozy", read-romance". You could make one that's read- DNF, & that way you'd know that it was one you didn't like.