Sign in with Facebook
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 401-428 of 428 (428 new)
date
newest »
newest »
Reading is about education or entertainment, and occasionally both. If a book is not required reading (for school or work), then dump it like a hot coal as soon as you are not having fun. Cause life is too short for bad books or ones that don't grab you. Who are you trying to impress?
I will stick with a book unless it turns out to be something unexpected, like mysterious creatures (cool) that turn out to be vampires, (I'm out)! I also use the "lifes too short" but for me, it's 'lifes to short and I put this much time into this book already, I'm not going to waste that time for nothing! I'm gonna finish this.'
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 ..."
I have said in previous posts on this topic that Goodreads absolutely needs a DNF option, especially as a filter flag for reviews. I mostly tend to read negative reviews (just how I roll) and believe if someone has read 10% of a book, they really haven't read it at all. I would certainly read reviews marked DNF, I just wish the 1 star votes that seem to accompany 90% of DNF reviews didn't count to the overall score.
It could be managed better.
I hate not finishing a book; so I give it a second chance by doing something not so nice. I read the last chapter or chapters, and if the end is intriguing or mildly interesting, I go back to read where I left off, because I want to know how the ending was arrived at.If it is really bad, I still plough through, because it is not only plot for me.I look for words I don't know, or any other stuff like that.
I ‘m 73. Usually I finish but life is too short to waste on an Unenjoyable book
I’m definitely in the “drop it and move on” camp. Life is too short to spend time reading books that I don’t enjoy. I have to connect with the characters in some way and if I don’t care what happens to them, there’s no sense in trying to slog through to the end.
I agree with the comment that said to give it 100 pages. That is my rule, too, and it has served me well. Other comments have stated that they are glad they've stuck with a book because it turned out well further along and this can be true, however, if a book can't light an interest in me within 100 pages, then I feel my time would be better spent reading something more personally engaging.
I try to hand in there for at least 100 pages. If it's a struggle after that, I move on. I will come back to the book after reading something else on occasion. Sometimes you need more perspective and information before a book draws you in.
I finish the book depending on the author and the subject.
If it's interesting, I keep going.
If not, I move on.
It's that simple.
If it's interesting, I keep going.
If not, I move on.
It's that simple.
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 ..."
I don’t even mark a book Currently Reading until I know I’m likely to finish it. That way it will never get on my Read list unless I’m actually going to finish reading it. For the rare times that has backfired and I still can’t finish a book, I mark it as read and then go into my Read list and remove it.
If I feel stuck I use a couple of tricks. Sometimes I start reading from the beginning, hoping I missed something. Or I read only one chapter at a time, because some books are just not meant for binge reading. If it doesn't help I just let it go.
I tend to do my best to finish books I start and hate making additions to my DNF shelf. That said, I do have one and it's not empty, because life is too short to read long books you don't really care for. I'll make an effort to get to about halfway through, and if by then I feel like the book would be therapeutic for insomniacs (or if it's just not working for other reasons), I'll stop reading. If it's by an author whose other works I've enjoyed, I'll set it aside, read something from a completely different genre, and then come back to it. Sometimes that's all it takes, and I'll start up again. If not, it goes on my DNF shelf with a single star rating (reserved for DNFs) and is returned to the library shortly thereafter.
I almost always finish the books I start, mostly because of my own OCD tendencies. Unfinished projects bother me, and books are no exception. On the few occasions that I can't make it through a book (Walden, Atlas Shrugged, and Huckleberry Finn, among others), I add it to a specific Goodreads shelf, then comb back over it later to see if my desire to read them has been reignited.
When I was younger, I used to finish every book. Well, maybe 90%. I even finished The magic mountain although it was torture.
But then I realized that life was too short and there were so many interesting books to read...
And then, sometimes I gave the abandoned book another opportunity years later and I liked it. It happened with Confederacy of dunces.
But then I realized that life was too short and there were so many interesting books to read...
And then, sometimes I gave the abandoned book another opportunity years later and I liked it. It happened with Confederacy of dunces.
I dont know why I feel like I have to suffer through a book I dont like but I do. Luckily, it is not a regular occurrence.
Never do I push a book that isn't fitting any notch of interest or enjoyment any longer. I haven't since middle age. Too many good to great books out there. And especially many non-fiction that have improved with tighter focus in the natural sciences/ physical world/ locale specific etc.
My feeling is if I bought the book I need to read it all the way through or I wasted my money. When a book is unreadable, I set it aside for later and will either skim read it to the finish or later just never comes.
I try to read it for quite awhile, then if I find I am making myself read it, I end...Need to enjoy reading, not feel compelled to read the book no matter what...:)
I like to finish books because I think it is a nice commitment to finish what you've started. That said, the few books I've completely gave up on - and not "maybe I'm too naive for this and need to get back at it later on my life" - were the ones so blatantly racist or misogynistic that I couldn't ignore the message and had to let it go. Like a bad boyfriend, or a terrible friend. It is not worthy to stick it out for it.
I used to finish every book I started, even when it was a chore to do so. However, that sometimes took the enjoyment away from reading and if I was not enjoying the book I would just not read, or force myself slowly to get it done. Or skim read. Now, I don't read through books I do not enjoy as I do not want it to be a chore. And there are so many good books out there waiting to be read, so why waste the time?
However, I do ask myself first why I don't want to read this book. If the book is challenging me and I feel a bit uncomfortable, I will keep reading it. If it is a new genre, and I am not used to it, I will keep reading. But if I find that it is poorly written or I am getting no joy out of reading it, then that is that and book goes to the charity shop.
I try to make it halfway and if it's not grabbing my interest by then I move on. I've had a number of times where I just forced myself to finish and just hated it. Not doing that anyone. Few times it took a quarter in before I called it quits because it just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Sorry authors.
Although I have sworn in the past that "life was too short" to tolerate bad books past page 50, I am by nature a finisher. It's a balancing act. A few times, I do close the book if it's unappealing. Most times, I admit, I manage to finish the book.
I try and select my book very carefully because I am not one to DNF. However I am reading one now that I would love to shut it down but I am weathering through the storm.
I give the author 50 pages. If he doesnt have my attention by then, l move on. That's why l stopped reading Clancy. He took 200 pages character building.
Cheryl wrote: "I try and select my book very carefully because I am not one to DNF. However I am reading one now that I would love to shut it down but I am weathering through the storm."Weathering through the storm - exactly what I do. You described it right.
I have. Most often because it doesn't keep me interested. A few times, I surpassed the library renewal threshold--checked out too many--and couldn't finish it without accruing a late fee. Though I have for a few really good ones.
I try hard to give books a chance, but sometimes I just have to say, enough is enough.
In theory, following the "life's too short" philosophy, I will give a book 10% of the way through before I put it down.
In practice, unless the book is completely incomprehensible or utterly offensive, I follow a "sunk cost" fallacy and generally end up soldiering on for much longer before relegating the book to the DNF pile.