May 2026 Monthly Question > Likes and Comments

Goodreads has added a DNF option as a shelf, but many of us already had some kind of designation for books we gave up on.

Are there many books you don't finish? How far into them do you read? Do you ever go back to them? Do you write reviews even if you didn't finish? Are you the person who just had to finish everything no matter what?

I rarely DNF a book, because, generally, I research a book before I decide whether or not to read it, including sampling a few pages to get a feel for the writing style. But, as a rule, I will read 50 pages before I DNF. That’s usually enough for me to know if a book is working for me.

In the last four months, I’ve read 35 books and DNF’d one. I don’t write reviews for books I don’t finish.

I have gone back and finished some DNFs, because some of them were started, were really good, but I put them down because I was reading too many books at the time.

I definitely DNF more than I used to. If I am halfway through the book, I might skim the rest to get a general idea of the plot so I can discuss it. At that point, I might write a review.

Sometimes it's just not the right book for the moment, so I put it aside and come back to it at a future time.

Robin P wrote: "Goodreads has added a DNF option as a shelf, but many of us already had some kind of designation for books we gave up on.

Are there many books you don't finish? How far into them do you read? Do ..."

I very rarely DNF: 14 books vs. 3,428 read since I joined GR in April 2005. That is mainly because I do try to struggle through books for challenge tasks.

Sometimes, though, I just reach the "life's too short" stage - mainly due to bad writing (even worse than bad editing); or books where there isn't a single character I like and want to pull for, and decide around page 100-150 that I just don't care what happens to any of them.

And also, unduly long - although in a case like books five and onwards of the Cormoran Strike series, I just wouldn't start them (no mystery should be 944pg long, let alone 1,400pg! - that woman seriously needs an editor to stand up to her.).

As an author who understands the passion behind the work and the heartbreak that sometimes follows, I finish everything. Always find positive in every book.

If I start a book and it's all about misery, I sometimes look at the GR reviews to see if the tone changes. If it's clear that it doesn't, I might just quit.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Audrey Niffenegger

It was too hard to follow.

When I was younger, any book I picked up, I finished. However, as I became older, I took another position using the mantra, "Too many books, too little time." I will give any book 100 pages. If I find it a struggle to read and I grumble when I pick it up again to read, it is time to dump it. That being said, I don't have many DNFs. I have none this year; however, there have been a few I was tempted to discard but kept on to the end. I will review those I gave DNF to.

There is only one book, I have been tempted to return to: The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. I could not get into it but my sister loved it so, I'm tempted to pick it up again,

One book I famously couldn't finish is Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. I had read long sagas with no problem. This book under 300 pages was so boring. I felt I had been reading for hours and was only on page 30, and so far she was only describing a tree! You might guess that I'm not a big fan of nature writing in general. My theory is that since I grew up on a farm I had my fill of it already.

I also couldn't finish The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. It was so grim, even though some of it was supposed to be humorous.

In the last couple of years, I have started some books involving war, but with too many real wars in the world, I just couldn't deal with more.

As some others here have said, advancing years has made me more choosy about how I spend my reading time, and I DNF more books than I used to. I give almost every book at least 50 pages before making that decision though there are exceptions - sometimes I can tell immediately that the writing style or the way a subject is addressed is not going to suit me. Occasionally I push ahead to the end with questionable books and I almost always regret the time wasted in the end. I don't review books I DNF, with the rare exception of times I feel the need to warn others of unexpected content (early this year I ran across some really disturbing underage sexuality in a science fiction novel; I stopped reading immediately and did put out a trigger warning for others that time).

My TBR list is over 700 books long and always slowly growing. I don't have time to spend on books that, while they might be award winners or critically lauded or loved by friends, are just not for me. If I think a book might be for me in a different mood or at a different time, I leave it on my TBR list to try again later.

I almost always finish books I start. I try to be picky about which ones I read, and I'm such an optimist that I always think a book I'm not loving is going to get better. I am also a fast reader, so usually it doesn't cost me too much time to finish.

I have a feeling I won't use the new DNF shelf as that isn't something I have ever tracked. If I forget that I DNFed, removed it from my TBR and I try again; so be it. Who knows maybe it will work on the next attempt.

I am in the boat as others as time goes by I DNF more often and pretty much for the same reasons as others. Often it is just not something that is working for me in the moment but will likely pick up again, sometimes it has a story line that is just too hard read about, and sometimes it isn't a good fit.

In the last few years I have experimented more with different genres/sub genres and that is going to lead to more DNF's. It has nothing to do with if it something is good or not but more that it just doesn't grab me and if I try to keep reading something I am not interested in it often leads to a slump.

I have never used a DNF shelf. If I quit a book and don't intend to come back to it, I just delete it from my shelves.

I rarely DNF books. I'm old. I know what I like, so I'm pretty good at choosing books. the most recent books I disliked were picked by book clubs so I toughed them out

I almost never permanently DNF books. I temporarily DNF LOTS of books! As most of my books come from the library, I regularly run out of time to finish many books. If I'm really enjoying them, I try to check them back out as soon as I can. If I was meh or I have something more enjoyable/pressing that I want to get to, then I have a "Started But Had to Return" shelf. Books on there are also still on my TBR.

I don't think I'll use the DNF shelf. I usually press on through books I'm disliking, optimistically in the hope that I'll find something redeeming somewhere in there. Or if not, so I can post a scathing review when I finally turn the last page. I would post a review of a book that I really DNF, but I wouldn't put a "read" date on it. If I didn't make it to the end, then I don't think it should count in my "read" data.

I DNF books and I had a dnf shelf of my own before they implemented this one. I try not to make definite rules on what I read. I wish I were better at picking what I want to read. Some I don't finish are books I never planned to read completely like reference or cookbooks.

The older I get, the more likely I am to DNF a book. It takes a lot for an author to write a book, but if I finish a book I don't like, I'm going to give it a low rating. Plus I feel I don't have enough time in my life to finish too many books I don't like--not every book is for every reader :)

I'm trying to think of a book where I wasn't really enjoying it but pushed myself to finish because it was for a group or challenge and was glad I did. At the moment I can't think of any! So I would be better off just quitting more. Although, as someone mentioned, it can be a bit fun to write a nasty review, or tell a book group why I disliked the book.

Karin wrote: "The older I get, the more likely I am to DNF a book. It takes a lot for an author to write a book, but if I finish a book I don't like, I'm going to give it a low rating. Plus I feel I don't have e..."

I have two published books and I would much rather a reader decide my books aren't for them and DNF early on than power through when they aren't enjoying them.

I don't think I've not finished a book since I was in high school. I guess I've got better about picking books.

Ironically, streaming has caused me to abandon movies if I'm not having fun watching them - I guess authors are more talented than screen writers.

Robin P wrote: "I'm trying to think of a book where I wasn't really enjoying it but pushed myself to finish because it was for a group or challenge and was glad I did. At the moment I can't think of any! So I woul..."

The only one I can think of is Harrow the Ninth, which was a Hugo nominee, both on its own, and later as part of a series. I DNFed it TWICE - getting 10% in the first time, and 30% the second! I finally pushed myself to try again when it's sequel was up for Best Novel, and wouldn't have made sense without Harrow. It suddenly hit its stride around 35%!