Why do we continue to read books that we are not liking once we have started reading?

[Stephanie, Super Mod]

I've been reading the Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling and anyone I talk to about it tend not to pick it up due to lack of momentum. I know that Megan has been reading Midnight's Children and is trudging through it to finish it despite her interest in it?

I've known a lot of people doing this and have done it myself a few times. Just not being able to give up on a book. Anyone care to put in their two cents as to why? And why doesn't it feel like we are wasting our time?

[Jennifer]

Right now I am trying to decide if I should finish 11/22/63 by Stephen King... I really do not like it, yet I still sort of want to know why happens. I feel like I've invested so much time, which is why something keeps me from completely writing it off...

[Megan, Mod]

I think as readers we tend to not want to give up on the blood sweat and tears that the writer has put into his or her work, especially if we have done any writing ourselves. And then you start a book, and you want to see how it ends. I have only jumped to the end of a book, once or twice when a was a child. I try hard to not give up on a book, however it have found that there are so many thousands of books that why waste my time on one that I am not enjoying?

I did finally finish Midnight's Children and found that as strange as it was I actually enjoyed it and am glad that I did trudge through it. Sometimes you just have to be 'in the mood' for a certain type of book or genre. That makes a big difference to me as to whether I actually continue with a book or put it aside to finish it later. Sometimes I just want a piece of fluff, others a more in depth classic.

[Chris, R/bookclub Mod]

I try to finish most of the books that I read, even if i'm not enjoying them. I guess there are a lot of reasons I do it.

The first is importance. I read a lot of classics (Midnight's Children is a good example, Kindle says i'm at 90% and I started reading it before Megan did!) and I try to finish them no matter what. If they're highly esteemed in the literary world it means that a lot of people took something from the book. I try to find out what it is, even if I don't particularly enjoy the book. The importance factor is especially important to me if it's from/representing another culture: different perspectives and contexts broaden the mind.

The second is reading proficiency. It simply makes me a better reader. If I don't like a book i'm looking at it from different perspectives, breaking down sentences or chapters or overall structure .etc... essentially, if I don't enjoy it, it means i'm going to analyze it in different ways instead of just turning pages and getting caught up in the story. Plus, I spend a lot more time with the book, it means I become much more intimate with it and remember it better.

The third is enjoyment. I couldn't stand Midnight's Children for the first half but I like it now. It's happened a lot: Gravity's Rainbow was a chore to read but with the benefit of hindsight, I love it. But most of all, my biggest (guilty) pleasure in reading comes from re-reading. A book I didn't like the first time around will reap some rewards the second time a round. And vice versa: a book I loved in the past doesn't resonate anymore, so there's a personal growth aspect to it as well.

[Karen]

I keep going back to Anna Karenina because I read for awhile and just can't seem to finish. I keep reading books in between. It's a great book, but I'm having trouble...

[Megan, Mod]

I read Anna Karenia a long time ago but I do remember liking it. I seem to go in spurts, meaning I like certain genres of books at certain times. I have to be in the mood to read certain books. Sometimes I love historical books, others I love fantasy others. Same goes for television shows. Right now I am into the Game of Thrones hype and I must admit it I a good series. Having worked in the business however as a script supervisor, I do see the odd mistake which makes it very hard to keep my attention. I would like to read the books though because I have heard that the shows are very close to them.

Keep going with Anna K and let me know what you think.

[Salman]

ooh that's very interesting Megan. Can you expand upon your work as a script supervisor and explain what you mean by script errors?

[Megan, Mod]

I used to always finish a book whether I was enjoying it or not. Now I realize that there are so many different books out there that I don't want to waste my time on one that I am not enjoying.

I understand your point A B but life is short. why waste it on bad books?

[Allenh]

I too need to learn to let go... I tend to get down on myself for not finishing a book that's dragging me down. I must admit to avoiding the Wheel Of Time series due to the extremely poor reviews some of the later books are getting. Who wants to read through a 10-13 book cycle and have whole books in the middle be duds? yikes. Someone should make a crib-notes version of the dry ones and let us skip through to the better ones. :) Life is short! I need to learn from you guys!

[Stephanie, Super Mod]

I found this article that was very relevant to the discussion.

It's about being a selective reader and why we shouldn't feel guilty in reading and discarding if we don't like. It's about time and the dedication we put into books. Check it out!

http://www.theguardian.com/books/book...

[Megan, Mod]

Good article! Thanks