What is your reading Philosophy?

[Eric]

I am interested in how others read books. Do you finish everything you start?, if not how many pages do you give a book?

[Laura Ellis]

There are only a couple of books that I have not finished. I think I try really hard to keep going until I just reach a point where I can say OK, no more. For some reason I just have the idea that if I keep reading..just maybe it will get better and I hate to not try.
Laura

[Rita]

No, I don't force myself to read a book if I haven't gotten into it. I'll usually go about a third of the through and if I fine I'm avoiding reading that particular book then I just move on. There are so many good books to read out there that I don't feel the need to force myself to read one that I dont care for.

This happenedrecently with the Pillars of the Earth. I had heard such wonderful things about this book and eagerly began reading it. I couldn't get into it at all.

[Laura Ellis]

That is a great philosophy Rita. Too many good ones out there to force one on yourself. I will keep that in mind the next time for me. I think I just didn't look at it that way.
Laura

[Rita]

Laura wrote: "That is a great philosophy Rita. Too many good ones out there to force one on yourself. I will keep that in mind the next time for me. I think I just didn't look at it that way.
Laura"

Laura, you can thank my mom for the tip. I used to do like you and make myself finish thinking that I would eventually like it. My mom reads more than I do and told me her philosophy which I then adopted as my own.

[[deleted user]]

I give a book about 20-30 pages -- if it doesn't hold my interest by then I put it down. Sometimes I can go back and finish it -- it took me about 5 tries to get through Jane Eyre and at least twice to read Atonement.

[Jen]

2 chapters or 50 pages, whichever comes first. That was the advise and philosophy of my English teacher from Jr. High (Mrs. Read - a very apropo name I think). It's always worked for me. If I push on past those bounds, I'm always disapointed. And there are just too many good books out there to make yourself read something that you don't like.

[Eric]

Suzanne wrote: "I give a book about 20-30 pages -- if it doesn't hold my interest by then I put it down. Sometimes I can go back and finish it -- it took me about 5 tries to get through Jane Eyre and at least twi..."
That is the way i read also. but there have been exceptions. i tried to read blindness, i had heard so many good things, but the writing style was so off putting (the 2 to 3 page paragraphs) i also had a hard time at first with Cormac McCarthys writing with no qotation marks.I did learn to love it and now he is one of my favorite authors. its always interesting to hear how others approach reading thanks to all

[Stephanie]

I love this question.

I used to ALWAYS finish a book. No matter what.

Then, I decided if I wasn't into it halfway through, I would stop.

Now, if I am not into a book within about 50 pages or so, I put it away, unless people strongly urge me to keep at it. There are too many good books out there waiting for me.

[Amy]

I really try to finish every book that I begin but sometimes I just can't do it. I figure that there are so many books on my 'to read' list that I don't want to waste my reading time on something that I'm not enjoying. But, I rarely actually put a book down. I'm too eager to find out what happens, even if it isn't a great book!

[Don]

I wish I was like most of you all, but I'm not quite at that point yet - I'm too much of a completist, I force myself to finish a book that I've started. Only once did I force myself all the way through a trilogy (omnibus, so it felt like one book) that I couldn't stand, but most other times I've eventually warmed up to them.

I guess if it wasn't a book that I bought, I could give up on it, but almost all of my reading is from my own book purchases, and that compels me even more to finish a book that I start.

[Jennifer]

I have found that if it made it to my TBR pile that its often a matter of timing - some times the book just has to fit the mood I'm in and that can literally take years!! But I do try to decide pretty early once I've started reading. I can usually tell in just a few pages or a chapter if the book and I aren't in synch but then I may pick it up months or years later and it turns out to be perfect for where I'm at. Its my Orson Wells approach - I will read no book before its time.

[[deleted user]]

I love it! It's more in sync with my own Reading Philosophy: Not now, but maybe later! There have only been two books that I've labeled "DNF" (and both were Historical Romances.) With audiobooks though, I'm much less inclined to put up with a bad production; but I'm fortunate in that I have a choice and can goto print if I want.



Jennifer wrote: "I have found that if it made it to my TBR pile that its often a matter of timing - some times the book just has to fit the mood I'm in and that can literally take years!! But I do try to decide pr..."

[Jessika]

I love reading all of these comments. I'm mostly a completist, but I will admit that sometimes, I just can't make it through a book.

Now, here's a question to go along with this. I'm wondering (because I'm in this place right now) what do you all do if you start a book that you genuinely enjoy but you hit a spot that's just horrendous? I've got about a hundred pages left in the book that I'm reading right now, but I just can't seem to get through it!

[Dottie]

Jess -- I've had this happen with books -- some wait and wait and wait (those I own and I let them hang around figuring one day, maybe). Others, I've read a couple of other books in different genres or different topics -- then finished the one in which I was stuck quite readily.

Most of the time, I finish books, but then I'm pretty pciky about what I pick up to read and when I choose certain types of books and if I do get stuck -- I just give it time.

[[deleted user]]

When I get to a mid-book slump of a title that I want to finish, I'll often assign myself a chapter or x number of pages per day until I get through it. I use this method most often with book club/group selections that I want to discuss in full, but may not necessarily enjoy the book itself. Sometimes, in a discussion, someone will say something that will have me look at the book in a more favorable light.



Jess wrote: "I love reading all of these comments. I'm mostly a completist, but I will admit that sometimes, I just can't make it through a book.

Now, here's a question to go along with this. I'm wondering (b..."

[Chris K.]

I used to have to finish a book I started but a few years ago I realized there are too many books to read. Then I decided to give a book about one-third of its pages that way longer books would get a fair shake. Now, I read three or four chapters and ask myself, If I stopped reading now, would it bother me to never know what happens to these characters? If the answer is no, I stop reading the book and move on to a new one.

[Amy]

Jess wrote: "I love reading all of these comments. I'm mostly a completist, but I will admit that sometimes, I just can't make it through a book.

Now, here's a question to go along with this. I'm wondering (b..."

Jess - I've had the exact same thing happen. While reading Dogs of Babel, for example, there was a moment that I wanted to throw the book across the room & never pick it up again. Yet, I stuck with it and although I just never got past that particular part as it colored the entire book for me, I am glad that I forced myself to finish it. Other times, I love a book until the last third of the book and it usually the idea of not finishing bothers me so I force myself to get through it. I'd say 99% of the time I finish. Unless I'm really feeling so frustrated that I just can't bring myself to finish.

[Sonya]

I give myself a lot of permission to drop a book, or several, until I get to the one that hooks me. It usually does not have to do with the book being terrible; I just find that reading is sort of like nutrition, and that at different times your reading soul "needs" different things; and for me it's always something very specific at any given time. If I'm not mistaken, this was Emerson's philosophy of reading.

I had one very memorable experience, though, with forcing myself to finish a book: I was reading Tim O'Brien's "In the Lake of the Woods." The first 40 pages or so were utterly gripping. But then the next 150 pages were almost unbearable to me. I thought, "How could this amazing writer write this many pages of monotony?" It was such a shlog through those pages, but I persisted. Then, the final 40 pages were unbelievable. It all came together, in ways I wouldn't have imagined. As both a writer and a reader, I was really humbled by this experience.

[Kathleen]

As long as I like the style of writing and the subject matter, I'll keep reading (at least a-third of the way through a book). If I'm annoyed by the writing or the story gets too scary, I'll quit reading at any time. There are only so many available reading minutes in a lifetime--why waste them on something you don't enjoy.

[Esther]

I learnt the joy of DNF on Goodreads - I have tortured myself too many times finishing books I'm not enjoying.
There'll always be someone who says I missed a gem, if only I'd given it more time but GR has taught me to trust my own judgement.
I give a book 50 pages and then another 50 if I'm unsure.
If I put a book down and find I dread returning to it I don't.

Not that I don't make mistakes
Recently I read a book that was really too introspective for my taste but I enjoyed the writing style and carried on.
As I neared the end I was pleased I hadn't given up as, despite my dislike of the characters and a problematic storyline, the writing seemed to make it worth my while.
However the characters in the book were so miserable and joyless that the book has left me quite depressed and I'm having trouble reading myself out of it.
I will be very careful next time I read a book about such wretched people.

[Vanessa]

I used to feel that I HAD to finish any book that I started. As time has passed however, I realize I'll never get to all of the books I want to read and podcasts like BOTNS have made me realize how many good books are out there (not sucking up, just sayin'.)

So now, I'll try to finish something but if it isn't working, I try to get to page 100 before I give up following the Nancy Pearl rule. Sometimes I can't make it to page 100 (White Noise made me want to scream and throw the book at the author.) Sometimes, I'm just iffy on a book and then something so creepy will happen that I can't bring myself to pick it back up (sorry, Ragtime. I seem to be the only person with this reaction.)

When I'm trying to find things to do instead of reading, then I know it's time to either buckle down or discard the book.

I make more of an effort when it's my book club's pick.

Like Esther, I do sometimes wonder if I give up though if the book would have been fantastic if I'd just have stuck with it.

[Linda]

This is timely with the book I just finished - Jan Karon's In the Company of Others: A Father Tim Novel. I loved her Mitford series. Her last book, the first of the "Father Tim" series was o.k., but this one was oh, such a trudge.

I thought it was my state of mind (we won't discuss that) and other outside stresses. I persevered and finished it very late Saturday night.

Yesterday, I looked on Amazon for reviews. Most felt exactly the same way I did - even when I was sure "it was me."

I never "had to finish" a book until I taught with someone who said that she always did (she had more reading time than I - so she could probably afford that luxury). I have subsequently finished every book I've started. Of course, some get put down for very, very long periods of time before they get finished. But I finish.

I think I'm working on my third year of James Michener's . One hundred pages a year? I have only 5 more years to go.

[[deleted user]]

I used to finish every book, watch every TV show and movie I sat down to watch... Heck, I even used to finish every thing on my plate! I used to think that there would be something that would redeem my initial bad impression of a book and, if nothing else, I would have a better informed opinion if I read it all the way through than not. Even now, it's very rare for me to truly DNF a book. More often than not, I say "I'm tabling it for now." Who knows? I might come back to it late in a different frame of mind and love it! Of course, nor I have a stack of "tabled" books :-/

[Kristin]

Unless I am reading for one of my book groups, I never feel like I have to finish a book I don't like. However, I have finished some really bad books, like In the Woods, just because I wanted to know how they ended--unfortunately, finishing that particular book made me hate it even more.

For book group books, I usually try to finish the book. There have been a few I just couldn't get through, but usually I will just "assign" myself a certain number of pages per day to finish by the book group meeting date. If it's really, really bad I usually ask around and see if some of the other members are hating it as much as I do. If no one seems to like it I'll usually drop it--but that has only happened a couple of times in all the years I've been in book groups.

For most books I choose for myself, I usually know within a chapter or two if it is going to be something I will enjoy. That's one of the things I love about the Kindle so much--I can read the first couple chapters before I buy. Sometimes the ending ruins the whole book for me, but in those cases, I didn't feel tortured while reading--I just felt cheated at the end.

I definitely agree with those who have said life is too short to read bad books!

[Lisa]

I don't force myself to finish a book. I love to read,and if I am reading something that has become work to me or I find anything to do other than reading a certain book then I will stop. I give it about halfway in before I do because some books start out slow, but get better. Too many great books are out there to waste too much time if it's just not for me.

[Jay]

I hate to say it but part of my decision is based on how long the book is in the first place. If it is only a couple hundred pages I tend to muddle through whether I like it or not. If it is 300+ I pull the plug after the first 200 pages or so and call it a day. I have a completist compulsion but I can overcome it if the hill is too high.

[Brandon]

I haven't given up on a book as of yet, I'll usually push myself through to the end..especially if I bought it. I hate not knowing how it ends, you'll never really know if it would have been worth it.

That being said, I have yet to have a truly horrible experience.

[Robin]

Read Now, Read it ALL.

[Jenn]

My philosophy is pretty simple - if I'm reading a book and I find myself not really caring what happens next, I put it down.

[Vanessa]

To me Jenn, that is the wisest course. I used to HAVE to finish no matter what. And, I read a lot of crap cover to cover-bitterly. Podcasts and the internet make it easier for me these days to pre-screen.

I started a mystery that Entertainment Weekly had given a good review over the holidays (by Linda Greenlaw, that boat captain from The Perfect Storm), the writing was terrible and I put it down only 4 or so chapters in. Nary a guilty twinge.

[Jenn]

Vanessa, the way I see it is - there are so many good books out there to enjoy. Why bother with the ones that don't grab your interest?

[Chris]

I have given myself permission to ditch a book if I really don't like it, and because of that, I don't feel the need to that often.
Also, because I usually read multiple books at the same time, I may leave a storyline for a few days, (weeks even), and when I go back to it, I have renewed interest.
A recent book, that I have not gone beyond the first chapter is The Passage by Justin Cronin and an older one I cannot bring myself to read is Wuthering Heights!
I know, I know, everyone loves it, but not me!
I think I am more careful over the selection of books I read these days too, I tend to pay attention to the reveiws of people who have similar taste to my own.

[Melissa Wiebe]

If I don't really like it, then I will ditch the book. But I generally tend to read all of it, even if I feel like its a dog of a book. It also helps that I am read multiple books at one time so that if interest in a book is waning, I have something else to read. I look at reviews and what people (readers) have said about the book I am interested in reading so that I get a sense of what the book is about and what people thought of the book. That's why I like Goodreads because I can read other reviews of other people who have read the book and then I make a judgment of whether I want to read the book or not.

[Normandy]

When I am reading a book, if it does not grab me by the end of the 1st or 2nd chapter I will put it aside and read something else. I will keep the book with the thought of going back to it at a later time and give it another chance. I have read books that were interesting enough to stick with it and about 1/4 of the way into I realize how much I am enjoying it. There is nothing like a book you just can not put down and you feel like you have lost a friend when it is over.

[Elizabeth☮]

i don't force myself to read a book that i am not interested in. when do i stop? it all depends on the book. i can get ten pages in on some and know i don't like the writing style or i'm not particularly interested in the characgers. others i have to read 100 plus to realize it's just not my cup of tea.

i don't force myself to finish anything. why the needless torture? there are too many great books out there to get to so i don't waste time on reads that fall flat.

i don't watch a bad movie so i certainly will not invest the time to read a boring or bad book.

[Ellen]

I'm debating DNFing a particular book right now. It's a children's book I was gifted but never read at the time. It won a Newbery. But it is just not holding my attention at all. I'm tempted to look at reviews on GR (oddly, I've started to do this after reading a book to see what other folks thought of it) and seeing if it merited said Newbery. Or maybe I'm just too old (almost 26).

[Tonya]

I love this thread! I use to always think I had to complete every book but after three kids it is just not worth my free time. I will finish a book if someone I know says,"it gets much better once you get past that part". Sometimes though, you just feel like you should finish a book. Recently I was reading In the Garden of the Beasts, which I felt was going very slow but I kept going and I really enjoyed the second half of the book. I also find that if someone I know very well reccomends that I not read a book they usually know what there talking about I.e. My husband was reading The Road which he said was very compelling and I was going to read after he was done, while he was reading he came across a scene that he thought I would find appalling. Later on by coincidence someone else was telling me about that book and he was right, even hearing it second hand, I still find it disturbing.

[Susan from MD]

I don't force myself to finish, though I will usually put it back on the pile and try again. I have gotten pretty good at figuring out what books I will like, so if I chose it there was probably a reason. If it doesn't interest me at all, I don't bother even picking it up because I would rather read something of interest.

If it's a classic, I'll try it multiple times - timing is important to me and what doesn't work at one time may work later. I figure there has to be something that made it stand the test of time!

[Alondra]

Eric wrote: "I am interested in how others read books. Do you finish everything you start?, if not how many pages do you give a book? "

I usually finish what I start and have been guilty of 'plowing through' books that bored, irritated or horrified me. Since joining Goodreads I have found so many readers that remind me that to read is to ENJOY. It is not a chore, job, requirement. I have no obligation to put up with a book that doesn't move me.

I also don't put a page limit; but a tolerance limit. If I throw it down (or at a wall...you pick); then no more chances. :)

Guilty: Threw Outlander off the bed. Mister B Gone was horrible, but I plowed through. Les Miserables was plowed through for about 3+ months or more. I finally finished and promised no more torture. I could go on, but I won't. sorry to rant. :O