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When do you decide to stop reading a book?
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If it doesn't have me 80-100 pages in, I'm definitely out. I've given up as early as 50 pages before, though. If I don't finish it, I don't review or rate it on Goodreads or YouTube.
That's an important point, yes, that if you don't finish a book then you don't rate or review it. I do the same, even though that results in mostly 4 and 5 star ratings.
I'm a person who will see a book right to the end even if it takes me forever! I always think I could miss something further on that changes everything so if I see it to the end then at least I know well there were no redeeming qualities for me!
You know those passive-aggressive girlfriends who never break up with you, but just stop returning calls and emails until you get the hint?That's how I am with bad books. I read them less and less, until one day I realize I haven't touched it for weeks and the romance is over.
Eric wrote: "You know those passive-aggressive girlfriends who never break up with you, but just stop returning calls and emails until you get the hint?That's how I am with bad books. I read them less and les..."
That sounds exactly how it should be. You've got this slow, meticulous break up thing down. Teach me!
Caleb wrote: "That sounds exactly how it should be. You've got this slow, meticulous break up thing down. Teach me!"Well, using my ex-girlfriend analogy, I suggest the following steps.
1. Pretend you're a girl.
2. Pretend the book is you.
3. Stop returning the books phone calls and never tell it why.
Simple!
EDIT: WTF!?
I literally didn't bother to watch your video until just now. And your whole video was a breakup analogy!?
That totally weirds me out. I'm must be developing mutant mindreading superpowers! Look out Professor X!
Usually if a book doesn't grab me...I try setting it aside and then try to read it from the beginning later. If it still doesn't grab me, then I put it down. There have been rare occasions with difficult books where I didn't get it from the start and have been rewarded for reading over parts twice and seeking out help with the story--Toni Morrison's Beloved is a perfect example of this. The first time I tried to read it, it sounded like gibberish. The second time, like poetry. The third time, a masterpiece.
Is it bad that I've never (NEVER) gave up on a book? That might sound strange, but when I start a book I finish it. Even if I'm having a hard time, I just keep going and then if I dislike the book...well then I dislike it. Maybe I'm a weirdo, haha!
Stacie...No! That is not bad at all. In fact, you have the makings of a writing teacher. The most important quality you need to teach writing at the lower levels is a strong moral core that doesn't allow you to give up on people. Perhaps you have that special quality of realizing that no matter how lousy something is that a person wrote it, and that at the very least they should be allowed to get a word in, no matter how awkward or impaled the language might appear. Stacie wrote: "Is it bad that I've never (NEVER) gave up on a book? That might sound strange, but when I start a book I finish it. Even if I'm having a hard time, I just keep going and then if I dislike the book...."
Stacie wrote: "Is it bad that I've never (NEVER) gave up on a book? That might sound strange, but when I start a book I finish it. Even if I'm having a hard time, I just keep going and then if I dislike the book...."Definitely not! I always try not to give up on books, even if they're not really what I'm into. You never know what you'll think of it later in the story.
Daniel: "Perhaps you have that special quality of realizing that no matter how lousy something is that a person wrote it, and that at the very least they should be allowed to get a word in, no matter how awkward or impaled the language might appear."That does make a lot of sense and I totally agree with that concept. Even when something's not my thing I try to accept that someone spent a lot of time and energy into their work and they are proud of it, even if everyone else hates it. I took creative writing courses so I understand the feeling of people not quite understanding what it is your aiming for.
Sarah: "You never know what you'll think of it later in the story."
So very true! Just because you don't like a book at the time doesn't mean you won't enjoy it later (vice versa---you may love a book at one time in your life and then later hate it). Different things that happen in your life can influence how you re-read.
Even if you cannot finish a book you can easily make a video about your reasons and talk about what you did read about. There's a story for everything. Personally I have to finish every book I read. Because usually I end up discovering I like the book after all. I just have to give every book a chance. It's just how I am. But there have been times when I started a book and finished it half a year later... I take long vacations from a book sometimes but it will get finished at some point!
Stacie, my theory for why so many freshman hate writing and put so little work into their papers is because they've already gotten a lot of negative feedback. They've already been told that their writing is no good, so why put any heart into it? Every professional writer should have to sign a piece of paper that says, "I understand that I will get my heart broken again and again by readers, and that's okay!"
Stacie wrote: "Daniel: "Perhaps you have that special quality of realizing that no matter how lousy something is that a person wrote it, and that at the very least they should be allowed to get a word in, no matt..."
Eric wrote: "Caleb wrote: "That sounds exactly how it should be. You've got this slow, meticulous break up thing down. Teach me!"Well, using my ex-girlfriend analogy, I suggest the following steps.
1. Pretend..."
HA! That's awesome. I suppose the relationship between a human and a book really isn't that dissimilar than that between two humans.
The first time I tried to read it, it sounded like gibberish. The second time, like poetry. The third time, a masterpiece. This is my fear, that I will miss out on something grand.
I always seem to fall off at the halfway point in relation to the total page count of a book; like 125 of 250 page book or 250/500 pages, etc. The book just stays on my night table until I persuade myself to pick it up again to finish it (which can be months!). This happens a lot when I attempt to get out of book slumps, boo~.
Hey Rosie, some authors--like Stephen King--are a master at grabbing you and holding you through suspense. I never have any problem getting through the middle, usually it's his endings that let me down. Notably exceptions include novellas "The Body" "Rita Hayworth and the Shashank Redemption" Rosie (prosesroses) wrote: "I always seem to fall off at the halfway point in relation to the total page count of a book; like 125 of 250 page book or 250/500 pages, etc. The book just stays on my night table until I persuade..."
Daniel wrote: "Hey Rosie, some authors--like Stephen King--are a master at grabbing you and holding you through suspense. I never have any problem getting through the middle, usually it's his endings that let me ..."Generally I have no problem ripping through Genre fiction, no surprise as it is usually plot-based stories so they move right along. Genre fiction I finish in 1-3 days (I basically use all my free time to finish it and...stay up really, really late).
Realistic fiction or certain classics are more susceptible to my half-finished-till-months-later syndrome but usually occur during book slumps. It's not particularly because I hate the book or it might possibly be slow or uneventful, I'm just not in the mood. (Books that I realize I don't like while reading it gets a skim and flip to the end treatment) Otherwise I'm an almost finish-every-book kind of girl.
Rosie (prosesroses) wrote: "Daniel wrote: "Hey Rosie, some authors--like Stephen King--are a master at grabbing you and holding you through suspense. I never have any problem getting through the middle, usually it's his endin..."Nice! I think I've only really put down a handful of books in my time.
Only if it is so boring I can't get through it or I have another book I'd rather read and just forget about it :)
I always force myself to finish the book even if it's really boring. There are some books I haven't finished though due to really bad language and it just didn't catch me at all.
Never! I am all for finishing books no matter how painful! I am afraid of missing something and I am a firm believer that if you haven't experienced the whole thing(whatever it is) then you shouldn't be critiquing it :)
I used to be really bad at starting books and never finishing them, so this year I tried to change that. Have read some pretty terrible books as a result, but have persevered. Am struggling with my current book though; it's just really uninteresting!
Somehow it's easier for me to drop a book, when it's in an ebook format, but I always have to finish the physical one. Probably because the book taunts me with its existence on my shelf.
I'm also one of those people who will usually see a book till the very end. On occasion if I'm not into the book I'll put it down for a bit and then try again later....for example it took me 3 tries to finally get through Vampire Academy and I'm glad I did or else I would have been missing out. I don't know if I feel like I owe it to the book and the money I spent to read it all the way through or what, but yea I don't really ever give up on a book midway. Now after the first book in a series...yes series I will not continue if I didn't like the first one.
If I have to talk myself into continuing reading then I'll drop a book. It's only happened about 3 times though. I'm usually pretty good about continuing a book.
I feel like I always have to finish a book, as long as I can understand what is going on. I think the only book I stopped reading was an Italian book I had to read for school and it was boring and repetitive, plus I didn't really understand the story. It was awfully written so I felt relieved when I decided to drop it.
I generally read about one hundred pages or about a quarter of the book if it is short and if it hasn't got me hooked by then I give it up. So far I have only actually ever given up on about three books I think.
Well, I try to get through all the books I can do I can mark them as "read" and sometimes I decide to take big breaks from a book to read another book or do something else, and get back to it later
I made a video asking this question. Click the image below to watch.
Let us know, when do you stop reading a book?