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Do you always finish a book you start reading?
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Kathleen
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Jul 04, 2021 11:04AM
Almost the only time I stop reading a book is if the historical inaccuracies are so many or so bad that I simply can't stand it. For instance, I stopped reading one when I found a description of gas street lights in the 16th century. It wasn't the first anachronism in the book; it was just the last straw.
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I normally do finish books I read but I always struggle with non-fiction because I love fiction, so there are a few NFs books I have not finished.
I've become a little better at DNFing if I really don't like a book. In the past I always forced myself to continue, I'm not sure why. But nowadays I can drop a book more easily. But still, I don't DNF past 50% because might as well keep going and write a review about it.
I almost always finish NF books, but I skip through pages or just read the end of many novels. Non-fiction I read for enjoyment plus I am interested in Military History while novels can be so hit-or-miss.
This is a topic I've struggled with in recent years. When I was younger I forced myself to finish every book that I started. But I'm in my 60s now, and have become more keenly aware of the passage of time and the need not to waste any of it. Over the last 10 years I have started a number of books and decided they were not worth the time it would take to finish.
Kathleen wrote: "Almost the only time I stop reading a book is if the historical inaccuracies are so many or so bad that I simply can't stand it. For instance, I stopped reading one when I found a description of ga..."I know exactly what you mean. I was reading a book in the same time period where the FMC said "Cool!" OK: one time, let it pass. After the third time, I threw the book across the room.
It's one of 2 books I didn't finish -- the other was a book of short stories where the writer couldn't keep the names of the characters straight (eg: on one page it was "Charles Brown", on the next "Charles Green.") And the writer was supposedly a lit professor. (After a little research, I found out it was a part-time substitute gig. So there's that as well.)
Hard no for me these days. It has to catch my eye fairly soon or I'm done.
K.J. wrote: "A friend said he always reads a book to the end, no matter what, because he'd feel like a quitter otherwise. His tenacity is admirable. On the other hand, why should I stay with a book that's espec..."no ... there are too many books I want to read to stick with a book I am not enjoying
I have rarely picked up a book I haven't finished. Having said that, if I get through two chapters and there's no connection to the book, it's gone. There are too many good books to read in the rest of my life to waste time :)
I finish books probably 90% of the time because I research them a bit before I pick them up. Occasionally I get one off a library shelf on a whim.. I hold those to a high standard. If I can't really get into it during the first 20 pages.. back to the library it goes.
I'll read at least a few chapters before I decide if I want to keep reading. If it isn't for me, I won't hesitate to stop reading and pick another book. For me, life is too short to read what I don't enjoy or learn from. :)
I try to finish everything I start, and much of the time I do. But there are some books that sounded good when I read the description but I just couldn't get into them. I'm not a fast reader, so it takes me forever to read a book, and I don't want to spend forever reading a book I'm not into. LOLPS. There was one occasion that I actually read almost the entire book... I was in the last chapter, but the ending seemed hurried and unbelievable, so I quit reading... yep, and I only had a few pages to go. :)
Certainly not. I decided after my stroke that life was too short to finish books I wasn't either enjoying or finding useful.
I will happily stop reading a book that isn't working for me. Especially books 'borrowed' on Kindle Unlimited, where I haven't had to pay good money for them. Even re-reads of books I once enjoyed will get put aside.I have two shelves on Goodreads: Abandoned for books that I have no intention of finishing, and Backburner for those that I just wasn't in the mood for at the time, but may come back to another day.
2021 for me <4% DNF. I have no problem stopping a book and putting it out of my mind if it's not working for me. I don't do it often but it's not a hard choice when it's clear it's a waste of my time. There are too many books and life is too short. The real reason I refuse to 'stick it out' is because it takes sooooo much longer to read books that aren't holding my interest. I read for shorter periods of time, I do other things instead, and while I am reading I tend to fall asleep sooner. I have put a book aside and came back to it years later but that is rare. Atlas Shrugged was DNF by sophomore in high school me, but was later finished and one of my favorite books.
When I was younger, I felt compelled to finish books, especially if it was for a group or for school. I also thought I had to read every word, as I struggled through the philosophical digressions in Les Miserables when I was 12 and War and Peace when I was 16. (Yes, I read a lot and early.) As an adult, I decided it was perfectly fine not to read all the whale anatomy in Moby-Dick or, the Whale and I loved the book.For 2022 my resolution is not to finish any book that I am not enjoying, even if it is for a group. I could skim ahead to see the general idea and that would be enough to be able to discuss it (and explain why I hated it, which I quite enjoy doing!) Also I finished some books because I "needed" them for challenges. But as others have said, life is too short, I am retired and only have so many years left and way too many books!
Specifically in historical fiction, I have wanted to throw the book across the room when authors are too obvious in their name-dropping, explaining, etc. For instance, saying things like "It's 1914, gee, do you think there will be a war?", or "I was just passing by the tavern and George Washington was saying. .." , when those really have no relevance to the plot. In later books, James Michener sometimes has a character say, "Professor, please tell us about the history of this area" followed by a mini-lecture. I think the best historical novels throw you into a time and place as if by time machine and you have to figure it out. Masters at this are Dorothy Dunnett and Hilary Mantel.
Also, obvious anachronisms are annoying, as both the author and editor should check those.
Robin P wrote: "When I was younger, I felt compelled to finish books, especially if it was for a group or for school. I also thought I had to read every word, as I struggled through the philosophical digressions i..."Like you, I no longer finish a book if I don't like it. And, like you, if it's for a book club and I don't like the book, I'll skim it so at least I can participate in the discussion.
Betsy wrote: "I almost always finish NF books, but I skip through pages or just read the end of many novels. Non-fiction I read for enjoyment plus I am interested in Military History while novels can be so hit-o..."If you like military history, Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels would be right up your alley. As well as most of his other books. And all of Patrick O'Brien.
There is a sense of satisfaction in finishing what you start, especially if it is a good book. Do I always finish books that I start? No, I don't. I can think of on example in particular. I read two books from the same author, both related to the American Civil War, but I couldn't finish one of them. Let me say that just because I don't finish a book doesn't mean I think it isn't good, it just means I think I'd rather devote my time to something that speaks to me more. However, with all of that said, it always pains me to "give up" on a book.
I read the summary and the preview before selecting the book, but I cannot help it if the story wanders off.
No, if the book changes course or isn't what I hoped it would be I don't continue reading. I used to make myself finish any book but found that didn't pay off in any way just made me frustrated and didn't give me any satisfaction of finishing the book. I know once I threw a book across the room which is, of course, violence against a book. It was then I decided not to continue with this bad habit of finishing books I wasn't enjoying.
I'm okay with not finishing a book I don't like. I can also say that I've put books down and come back to them to find that I actually really enjoy them. I've also started books for group reads or buddy reads that I would have dnf if it weren't for the commitment to the group.... must of the time (not all lol) I'm glad I stick with it. I started Atlas Shrugged as junior in high school and got about half way through and just stopped. I read it in my late 20s and it's one of my favorite books.
This year I've been reading Wheel of Time series and I gave up half way through book 4 but came back to it 3 months later and I'm not sure why I put it down and now plan to continue the series.
Sometimes a book is just bad... sometimes a book is not a good fit for you... but I find that often it really depends on your mood at the time and what motivates you to read (which can change with time too). Sometimes it's the right book at the wrong time. This does apply more to books that you were fairly certain from the description, author, and reviews that you would like in the first place like Lizet just mentioned.
I don't finish a book if I'm 100 pages in and don't like any of the characters or if it's just moving too slow. Long, drawn out descriptions or being repetitive. There are so many books that I want to read and I'm sure that I'll find even more, so I don't want to waste my time on a book that I can't get into.
Being a pretty slow reader, I often don't finish, simply because I feel I'm wasting my life if I'm not enjoying a narative. It's usually due to the fact that the characters are not resonating with me. I do like to have a character draw me in.
Yes, I always finish. It doesn’t matter how much I dislike it.
No. I especially stop when I come across historical inaccuracies. An example: Two women were strolling in the Palais-Royal in Paris in the late 1700s, eating ice cream in paper cones. First of all, the cultural inaccuracy (Parisians sit down to dine, it is only American tourists who walk around with Starbucks cups) struck me. And then I checked with the author of "Medieval Underpants and Other Blunders," Susanne Alleyn. She confirmed my suspicion that the paper of the day would not have held up to ice cream. I did not continue the book.
Debra
Historical inaccuracies dont really bother me too much, it is fiction after all, the story is meant to be made up.Whether i finish a book or not purely comes down to entertainment. Is the entertainment level worth the effort of reading the book. If it is not worth it then it is hard to continue.
I won't finish a book if I don't like it. There is so little time and so many other books out there I want to read. Why waste my time on something I don't like?
If the inaccuracies are glaring enough it would probably jar me out of enjoying the read. A minor slip here or there is forgivable if the story is well told.
I'm in the "give it up if it's not working" club. If the quality of the writing is poor, the plot is meandering, or if I can't relate to a single character, I'm outta here. There are just too many books on my to-be-read pile to waste time.
I try to finish every book I read. With Amazon's "look inside" feature, I can generally gauge whether or not it is going to keep my interest. Very rarely have I come across a book that lets me down after going through that process.
I can't imagine sticking with a book I hated until the end. I do try to give it about 50 pages to see if I like it or not.
Lifes too short to force you to continue abook you hate. Sometimes I continue with the hope it will improve.
This is such a dilemma. I never used to 'quit' on a book, and was in my 30s the first time I did. I remember the book was so extraordinarily dire that it felt like an insult to my intelligence to carry on reading.Since then I still rarely give up on a read, however, from time to time I do find that I'm reluctant to pick a book up and its taking way longer than it should to finish. If that happens, I either scan read to the end (to reassure myself I'm not missing out on hidden gold) or let myself off on the grounds that its a road-block to a better book.
Debra wrote: "No. I especially stop when I come across historical inaccuracies. An example: Two women were strolling in the Palais-Royal in Paris in the late 1700s, eating ice cream in paper cones. First of all,..."1. I am going to need that book! Sounds like fun and a way to learn some things I might not know yet (my weakness).
2. As a historian I'm totally getting where you're coming from. However, while it can annoy the cr*p out of me - particularly when the historical or cultural inaccuracies could've been easily prevented by a 5 min Google search or a call to someone knowledgeable - I simply try to focus on the story and characters.
I noticed I would be missing out on too many otherwise good or entertaining books if I quit after each inaccuracy. Sadly there are plenty (even worse so when it's an author writing about another continent/country) authors who consider research a dirty word or who keep entertaining certain myths about certain countries/cultures (think the episode of Friends where there's a Dutch milkmaid who can't speak English and who has a German accent [facepalm]. The book version of that has me gnash my teeth).
Though said books definitely do need to make up for the annoying mistakes in other ways. Simply said: they need to make me forget. I can have periods where I'm really into historical romance novels that are less about the time period and drama, personal development and whatnot than they're about love, humour and excitement. I know that going in, so I'm more able to let go of any and all mistakes. I'm reading those when I need a "not thinking too hard" book.
It's different when reading historical fiction that has a message or really wants you to become a part of that world. Books set in f.e times of slavery, wars and other hardship get "flagged" much sooner by my inner historical police because they're serious, intelligent stories... if that makes sense. If it's full of certain mistakes then I'll drop it. Not for just one though.
Having said that: I do enjoy books that are obviously well researched a whole lot better, no matter the genre. Oftentimes that research becomes part of the story and it'll create much better world & character building.
I used to be one of those people who forced herself to finish the book, even though I disliked it or could barely concentrate because it was so pretentious or badly written. I remember when I really, really wanted to read Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses. He won prices and his life was threatened due to this book... it could only be amazing. I've never read beyond page 27. I initially thought it was my age (in '88 I was still in primary school, and I bought it a few years after), but I tried again in my early twenties thinking that if I was able to read some of the drivel my university professors prescribed for their classes Rushdie's novel would be easy peasy. Yeah.. no. I think I still have it in the attic, but if it'll ever reach my brain again: don't think so.
That was only one of two books I didn't finish back then, but that has changed in my 30s though for two reasons:
1. My TBR list is already so huge I'll never finish it, even when I would become 100+ years old. And because I review as well, I find out about new authors every single week and month, making the earlier mentioned TBR pile not even doable for ancient vampires nowadays.
2. I'm chronically ill and also suffer from both chronic pain and fatigue on top of the worry I'll never get old. That definitely changes your outlook on life. Why on earth would I force myself - and give up my limited time? - to finish a book I don't like? (Unless I promised an honest review).
So... if I really can't get into a book or I notice the quality of the writing is just subpar I'll put it away. The same goes for series that go off the rails (I'm also an Urban Fantasy fan and those often come in series). Unfortunately a lot of authors who do series lose their creativity around book 5 or 6 and stories become too repetitive, boring or simply too fantastical. Suspension of disbelief will only get you so far.
I'm an avid reader with a really wide range of interests and likes, genre wise and topic wise. On top of that I know that writing is leaving behind a piece of yourself on paper (when done for the right reasons) and that some books need a bit of "working up steam to get there".
So, I definitely give people's hard work a fair try. Usually I try to finish the first 50 pages to see where it goes, if it'll get better, and if you've still not caught my attention in the right way then, it's bye bye to the book (and sometimes even to everything that author produces).
I have undiagnosed ADD. Well, not really. Just little patience for bad writing, uninteresting stories, poor character development. No. I will give most books 50 to 100 pages. If it hasn’t grabbed me by then, I usually move on. Like many, I have a massive TBR pile, and life seems to be getting shorter not longer.
But sometimes, I am very pleasantly surprised. Most recently by Amor Towles "A Gentleman in Moscow." I had finished--though didn’t really enjoy--"The Lincoln Highway," so I came in skeptical. But on the advice of a friend whose taste I respect, I kept with it through the 5th chapter and it had me. I'm glad I stuck with it.
Usually, I do finish a book I've started. If it's poorly written though, I find that irksome, and I may not. A good book teaches me something, including new or lesser-used words.
I hate not finishing a book, it feels a lot like failure, & I'm generally curious about how it ends even when the rest of the story isn't catching my attention. but as @david was saying, life is short, & I have recently decided that my time is worth more than pages & pages of bad writing or boring events.. so I skip to the end & make peace with my unsatisfaction demons.
Really loathed not to finish a book I've started but some do defeat me. Try to be careful in what I choose to read to avoid getting to that point.
Robin P wrote: "When I was younger, I felt compelled to finish books, especially if it was for a group or for school. I also thought I had to read every word, as I struggled through the philosophical digressions i..."Like you, I struggled with the idea of giving up on a book. It's a lesson I've learned with time. I think it depends on the genre to some extent.
For instance, I'm quite choosy with the nonfiction I read. Infodumps prompt me to skim through and often discard the book.
I also think many books are meant to be read at a specific stage of life. It took me quite some time to outgrow my fear of Greek history and mythology. Madeline Miller's Circe would have been unthinkable for me back then.
I agree that the best historical fiction makes you lose track of time. By Fire, By Water is one such example.
It seems there is never enough time to read all the books I want to read, so I often do not finish them. If they are well written, I will go back and finish them a year or two later. Since I am an active historical fiction author, I tend to read books written in the same era, pov, and tense as what I happen to be writing at the time. So that often eliminates some of the trending books from my TBR list. Or my time is filled with reading primary and secondary source reference materials and scholarly papers so I don't get around to finishing the fiction I am reading.
Ninety eight percent of the time I will finish a book. There have been plenty of times I will put it aside and read something else before I finish it.
I've learnt how to put a book down over the years too. I recently noticed that my Currently Reading list had over a hundred books on it. Some I hadn't made it to end because I just didn't like it. I'm 63 and I'm not wasting any part of my life on poor writing or on books where the underlying philosophy makes me shudder eg I discover it's racist, sexist, etc. On the other hand, I read on my Kindle so if I just open the book and then decide that I'm not in the mood for that today, it automatically goes into the CR pile. I'm down to 86 after closing all the ones I don't want to finish and it will be even less once I move some to the TBR list.
When I was younger I read everything to the end - and I read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on. I think that was a good thing because it expanded my appreciation of many genres but it has also taught me what is not good for me to read. No point stroking out with rage or frustration over extreme views or poor editing/proof reading.
Most of the time I will finish a book, but lately I'm starting to feel like it's a waste of time to read a shit book; there's so many other better books to read, so I'm learning to bite the bullet and not feel bad about it.
I hear you! If nothing is happening by half through, I give up!
Usually. I will occasionally read a book that is really bad or boring and put it down. If someone made the effort to write it, then I'll try to read the whole thing.
I usually stick with a book even if the first few chapters are slow, but I'll stop about half-way if I'm bored or the writing is extremely poor. Sometimes the best is yet to come! I also will skim through many books I would not have normally chosen if there is a theme or writing style that I feel I have something to learn from. Most of those I do not read through.
Yes and No. Its depend from the story
Historical Fictionistas
Books mentioned in this topic
By Fire, By Water (other topics)Atlas Shrugged (other topics)
Les Miserables (other topics)
Moby-Dick or, The Whale (other topics)
War and Peace (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Dorothy Dunnett (other topics)Hilary Mantel (other topics)
Daniel Pennac (other topics)
Daniel Pennac (other topics)
Daniel Pennac (other topics)
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