Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion
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Self-imposed reading rules - what are yours?
These are more habits than rules, but:1. Read 100 pages a day
2. Have four books going at a time
3. Have demographically balanced quartets of current reads
The first two are subject to change if life gets a little much.
These are more guidelines than rules:1. I am allowed to not finish a book.
2. Try to read as many books from my shelves as library books, if not more.
3. Pick and choose group reads, since I am in a bunch of groups.
4. Have a variety of books on the go at once-to avoid a reading slump.
2 and 3 are the hardest to follow.
I try to:1. read no more than 3 books at the same time
2. read more books obtained before the current year than obtained in the current year
3. read more books in a year than I buy in that year
^ (i.e., for 2 & 3, constantly be chipping away at the books which have been on my TBR the longest)
4. read diverse books and, especially, diverse authors
5. keep in mind that my reading is for pleasure and should never feel like work, so don't overburden myself with challenges, readathons, group reads, etc.
If a book doesn’t interest me after reading a few days- drop itRead books on the shelf before buying new ones.
But used books or go to the library.
I am not good at reading in a book club - try attempting this more.
Don’t read more than 3 books at a time.
As I write these rules, I find I may not be in agreement with them all. I might have to re-evaluate.1. Read Group Reads every month unless unless unless. . . . Just read a group read every month.
2. Participate in challenges and committments to avoid (some) future reading regrets.
3. Have some limited permission to quit reads.
4. Read at least 100 pages a day for a minimum, 125 is good, and 150 is great.
5. Remember thou art a reading witch.
Sheesh. Time to re-evaluate.
I love all of your "rules"! I have some, too, but have never actually put them down on paper. I will try that now:1. I am allowed to "DNF" a book after 100 pages if I hate it.
2. I will listen to an audio book at least 1 hour/day.
3. I will read the allotted number of pages per day that I have set for myself to finish the books I'm reading by the end of the month.
4. I will always be reading, at least: an ebook, an audio book, and a print book (possibly two of each - or more!).
5. I will keep up with group reads.
6. I will keep up with what I need to read monthly to finish my Bingo & Old/New Challenges by the end of the year.
7. But ultimately, I will tell myself that it's OK if I don't get to all this.
The rules are not mandatory because I want to enjoy what I read! :)
Mod
2. My second "rule" is I have loosened up my former rules. I now read a chapter of multiple books, using Kindle or Library samples, then see which one speaks to me to decide what to read next. Years ago I dropped my rule that said always finish what I start. Also, I dropped the rule of only reading one book at a time.
3. Challenges are for fun. I do sincerely try to finish, but if I don't then it is alright.
Not many:1. Read at least 80 pages a day.
2. Read what I want (I love talking to people about books, but I don't really like being pinned down into having to read a particular book(s)).
3. Read 1 book at a time.
mines are rough and ready:- reading a variety of books that are loosely connected
- several books on the go
- estimate the date i hope to finish reading it, doesn't always work out but it helps me stay focus
Always finish what i start (this is a tiny bit more flexible with non-fiction).Read two books at a time, that way they overlap so there's never a gap in my reading.
This can be extended a little if the additional books are non-standard such as audiobooks, graphic novels or short story collections.
Keep current reads as different as possible, different era's, genres, tones etc.
Try to read a bit everyday even if its only a little.
Avoid tactical planning, very important for me. I can't pick what i'm going to read until the second before i start reading.
Any attempt to try to choose things earlier just won't work.
I'm learning to work with strategic plans though. Aiming for a rough number of targets over a year is fine, and even helpful.
My rules are Do not plan rigidly.Have a loose outline though , to act as a guide.
Join challenges but don't feel bad if you don't complete them.
Read for pleasure, not as a chore.
Read from different genre,if possible.
Have 2 to 4 different books going at the same time,I may focus on one book ,if it pulls me..
Mine are similar to the ones you have all mentioned but I am too obsessive/compulsive to DNF a book...especially since I've run across many a book that doesn't pick up until halfway through and ends up being amazing (although the reverse can sometimes happen too!).I love having lists and challenges that I set for myself to complete-a couple that I have going the past several years have been the list of books Matilda read and the Rory Gilmore reading list. It's fun to check things off and also other people's lists expose me to books I would've never thought of on my own.
I REALLY need to get better at reading the books on my shelf at home. I take them for granted and can't resist picking a new one from the library every visit...
Wow! Thank you for sharing. Several of your rules are necessary on my near created list.Once I started to think about the amount of time I have wasted on finishing 'dud' books - it seems quite ridiculous. No more! Too many books, not enough time!
Mod
How interesting that so many of us have felt the need to give ourselves permission to DNF a book. I never gave quitting a book a second thought years ago. But like Sara, I felt compelled for the last few years to finish all classics or any group read. I am over that now. I am trying to remember that there will not be a quiz at the end of my life over what I read so I can read just for pleasure.My rules now:
Read diversely (women authors, authors of color, LGBTQ authors, translated fiction)
Not finishing a book is okay
Limit challenges to allow for more spontaneous reading
I don't have to read every group read
Mod
Amen, Laurie. That says it perfectly.
Mod
I was blessed with parents who would let me buy as many books as I wanted. Not so with toys or clothing - although those were always sufficient. But books could be limitless as long as I read them all. I had to completely finish reading the books I had before more could be purchased. It was a rule from my childhood. Now as an adult I don't worry so much about it. In fact, many times when I DNF a book I find that maybe a year or so later I return to it and actually read it. Still if I don't ever get to it, no problem
Here is the caveat. My mother gave me her books. I was not required to have finished all her books, but with new books I bought, I had to finish those. LIbrary books were up to my discretion.
I finish every book I read cause it gets rid of a lot of the armchair critic comments on my reviews.
Laurie wrote: "How interesting that so many of us have felt the need to give ourselves permission to DNF a book. I never gave quitting a book a second thought years ago. But like Sara, I felt compelled for the la..."Indeed.
I used to always finish every book, but I was only reading mysteries. Now I feel that by giving myself permission to DNF a book, I am more willing to take a chance and not care if it's a dud. It might be a gem.
my DNF Rule is that I have to get to at least half-way or 300 pages, whichever comes first(I've DNF'd 18 of 533, so about 3%, which I don't consider particularly high)
other "rules" include:
- at least one Group Read per month (and preferably not more than 2 cos it interferes with my other plans!)
- regular coverage of genres
- regular coverage of New School decades/good ratio of Old School
I'm gonna copy at least 2 of Darrens rule. I am so behind. I kinda wanna start focusing on quality.
I am so inspired by all of your DNF policies! I struggle with this so much. I’m going to come up with a rule of my own about that, I’ve decided. Thank you all!
Aubrey wrote: "I finish every book I read cause it gets rid of a lot of the armchair critic comments on my reviews."I never post a review of a book I DNF for this exact reason.
I sometimes put snarky comments on the book's status updates though! ;o)
I also put DNF's on their own exclusive shelf, so they don't get added to my read total.
edit: oh, and I sometimes force myself to finish a book that I'm really not enjoying, just so that I can slag it off in a review!
having said that, of the 4 books I've 1-Starred I've only reviewed one of them
most of my "sticking the boot in" reviews are against 2-Stars :oD
I finish some books I'm not enjoying as well. I don't know that I could articulate why I finish some of those while I DNF others. It is a book by book decision.
Mod
I also finish some books that I don't particularly enjoy, and like Laurie, I would be hard pressed to explain why one book gets pushed through and another gets DNF'd. BUT, I never feel guilty anymore about bailing on a book and moving on. If the author cannot grab me enough to make me stay after 100 pages, I feel free to make the call.
BTW, there are books that I stop reading and then go back and begin again. Sometimes I know it is just the timing that is the problem. Often, when I do that, those books earn high marks on the re-read. I can usually tell when a book is truly a "never doing this again" book.
There are times when I force myself to read a book, for various reasons. But I do allow myself to stop reading too. About ten years ago I decided it was okay to abandon a book, for whatever reason.
Mod
Darren wrote: "Aubrey wrote: "I finish every book I read cause it gets rid of a lot of the armchair critic comments on my reviews."I never post a review of a book I DNF for this exact reason.
I sometimes put sn..."
I can't not review a book I've read anymore. It'd be like making myself food and leaving the fridge door open afterwards.
Mod
I went through a period when I didn’t finish nearly every book I read and it was turning to classics (Germinal, The Heart of the Matter, A Clockwork Orange) that broke that spell; so not finishing a book that is considered, and that I approach, as a classic, wouldn’t be part of my consideration; even if I were to put the book down for a while. If these are the type or level of book one normally reads it gets easier to read challenging material; the same way lifting heavier weights gets easier with repetition. 😀 To refer to a couple of Italo Calvino’s definitions a classic might not teach a life lesson but we may very well “discover something which we had always known (or always thought we knew)” which is a different level of relationship with a book especially if it’s the classic that “said it first”. An example for me would be early in “Jane Eyre” where her aunt is said to be sowing poison into the path her life will take; something very real about that turn of phrase. Calvino defines a classic as “a book to which you cannot remain indifferent, and which helps you define yourself in relation or even in opposition to it”; so there’s power in a visceral dislike; a dislike that is nurtured to its best height by reading to the very end of the book😀.
It leads to the only rule I could think of and even this is more of an intention; that, if the classic teaches you about yourself then I should spend more time thinking about what I have read, at least, than I spent actually reading. The really good books are the ones that insist you think about them and keep cropping up I. The conversation uninvited. 😀
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Wow! Here was me thinking I was being novel and giving myself permission for future DNF... you lot had the rules figured out before me.I won't ever waste my time on a 'dud' book again - life is simply too short!
Until recently, I thought I should finish every book. Now, like Sara, if I don’t finish one, I give it a 1 Star rating and try to say why without being too mean. Sometimes, the book just isn’t right for me, but others may find it wonderful.
I don’t really have reading rules any more, just targets each month to get through my plans. In regards to not finishing a book, I still rate and review these, as Lynn says above, it gives a true reflection of what’s happening. Sometimes I still give a DNF’d book 2 stars, which means I thought it was ok, but it had some reason why I thought it wasn’t worth continuing. I try to finish every book I read, but if I’m really struggling, then I put it down, though I’ve usually given it a fair try by this point.
Great question and inspiring answers!I am a rule-follower by nature, so it's important that I don't set too many rules. Here are mine:
1. DNF whenever I want. Don't need a reason, don't need a number of pages. Just toss that puppy aside if it doesn't seem worthwhile. This can mean I will either try it at a later date, or forget it. (Usually this means I don't mark it read, rate, or review it, but I appreciate the discussion above and may change my way of doing this.)
2. Beware that reading lists and challenges can be a way that I feel like I'm accomplishing something, when really I am avoiding something else I need to accomplish. :-/
3. Pack as much reading into my day as possible.
Mod
Not rules; never rules, but guiding principles:1. I will not inflict bad prose or bad poetry upon myself for any reason whatsoever, especially not for reasons of supposed moral or emotional obligation (which is nothing more than blackmail).
2. What for me constitutes 'bad prose' or 'bad poetry' is determined solely by my own judgement and no one else's.
3. I will only read a book for the sheer enjoyment of it and for no other reason, and especially not to "empathize with others" (disgusting) or to "shape my character" (even worse) or "expand my horizons" (laughable). That is for actual experience, not the pusillanimous substitution of words.
4. I can stop reading a book at any point, at any time, and for any reason, especially forgetfulness.
5. The past is always far more interesting, instructive, and important than the present, let alone the future. You can only try to understand the latter two through the prism of the former. Disregard it at your own personal peril.
6. I can disregard or ignore any and/or all of these guidelines whenever I feel like it.
Mod
I particularly like this one. I always question the "expand my horizons" challenges. Unless, the person writing the challenge knows me well, how can he or she know my horizons?
I am adding an addendum here. I often find "challenges" not challenging. For instance, if you are a person who loves classics then reading a classic is not a challenge. I much prefer challenges like our Bingo that have wide categories and we then choose within that category.
I had never participated in any book challenge until my daughter-in-law told me I should try The Modern Mrs. Darcy Challenge. She also told me about Goodreads. The Modern Mrs. Darcy was a good start, but not something I wanted to stick with forever. It lacked book discussions.
Pillsonista wrote: "Not rules; never rules, but guiding principles:1. I will not inflict bad prose or bad poetry upon myself for any reason whatsoever, especially for reasons of supposed moral or emotional obligatio..."
All of these are great. Reading for a specific purpose has always made me furious. I have a smile and nod autopilot for those idiots who advocate a moral/inference in what I read.
I had a tough time getting over the guilt of abandoning books but life's too short to force yourself to read mind-numbing drivel.
I really hate lists. I find them terribly biased and I end up disappointed with too many books. Going through someone's TBR shelf though is literal gold.
Realise that some writers are just not for me- Hemingway, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Woolf, George Eliot, Jack Kerouac- and that's fine.
Who knew that writing up personal reading rules required that one be so needlessly vindictive against random strangers.
The "rules" I mentioned above were like New Year's Resolutions. I have more success with some than others. I try to be open minded about other people's reading matter, since we all have our quirks. But I am so glad I joined goodreads or I would never have discovered some amazing authors--with a neverending tbr list as a result.I do have one rule regarding books-I always use a bookmark! I have some that are more than thirty years old.
oooohhh... I think we need a separate thread for bookmarks! ;o)
Mod
Bookmarks!!!!!!! Yippie!! When I was young I had one special bookmark that was laminated with a tassel. I used it all the time. Now I have a bookmark for every book I have actually read on my physical shelf. Part of the ritual of starting to read a new book is selecting its bookmark. (Of course about half of what I read consists of ebooks.)
I used to save all the cards that were given to me. A few years ago I started cutting old greeting cards or Christmas cards into bookmarks. I seem to have a never ending supply that way. Plus they are really beautiful.
Oh, I have a special bookmark that I use for whatever book is my "main" read at the time. It was originally "Keep Calm and Carry On" themed, with "Keep Calm and Read a Book" printed on one side and "Keep Calm and Don't Lose Your Page" on the other. Of course, since it's now been in continuous use for (*thinks*) between 5 and 7 years, the slogans have entirely rubbed off and the actual bookmark itself is substantially thinner due to the weight of paper pressing on it. 😄
Ila wrote: "All of these are great. Reading for a specific purpose has always made me furious. I have a smile and nod autopilot for those idiots who advocate a moral/inference in what I read."This echoes for me something Antal Szerb wrote for the first printing of The Queen's Necklace (which is fantastic, btw)...
When Szerb was rebuked by his fellow "intellectuals" for supposedly disrespecting his subject by writing his History of World Literature (which runs three volumes) with an engaging, "relaxed, slightly mocking tone" instead of the lugubrious, ponderous gravitas expected of such a treatise, Szerb simply replied by quoting Jules Renard:
"You just don't like ironical people. They make fun of their own deepest feelings. That is like saying: 'this father cannot love his children because he plays with them."
As if pleasure and enjoyment need to be justified by "something deeper." There's nothing deeper or stronger than love: it is its own justification. It doesn't matter what is being read. If it is done for that reason and that reason alone, then that is all that matters. The rest is just frivolous noise that says everything about what that other person lacks in character and imagination and nothing about what you read or your reasons for reading it.
/tangent
Good topic. My guidelines: 1. Focus on reading books I enjoy rather than read a book out of duty or because it's A Very Important Book.
2. Read a variety of genres and perspectives.
3. Don't let others define what is and is not Good Literature.
4. If a book doesn't grab me or starts to feel like a chore, DNF it.
5. Remember that it's okay to take a while reading a longer book. I read fast, but I'm trying to slow down and take time to "smell the roses."
6. Make an effort to review what I've read, even if it's just a short sentence.
7. Feel no guilt over not finishing a challenge. This is a tough one for me, but I'm working on it.
I'm one of those people that still can't bring themselves to not finish a book. I'm impressed with everyone here who can.My rules are:
1. 1 in every 3 books read should be over 100 years old.
2. If I'm not in the mood for the book I plan to read next, read some poetry or a play (I forget both exist)
3. Every few chapters read ask these questions: Am I thirsty, need to move, have forgotten what I'm meant to do today?
4. Once I finish a book I dislike it's time to re-read a book I care about. It stops me from falling out of love with reading.
5. If I'm using a bookmark with a tassel, I must remember to tuck it inside the book when my cat is near me.
1. Balance fiction with nonfiction (otherwise, I'd only read fiction).2. Read nonfiction when exercising (this "rule" gets tossed frequently).
3. Read from a variety of perspectives, although this doesn't necessarily spread to different genres.
4. I'd like to have a book of poetry in process at all times, but this is a goal rather than a "rule."
5. Remember there are other things in life that are important other than reading. :)
Mod
My rules are:
1. 1 in every 3 books read should be over 100 years old.
2. ..."
I love your #4 Rachel. Sometimes it seems people write books primarily to shock. I never like that. I always run to a children's classic afterwards. : )
Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
Books mentioned in this topic
The Queen's Necklace (other topics)Authors mentioned in this topic
Antal Szerb (other topics)Jules Renard (other topics)
From today:
1. I’m never finishing a book which hasn’t grabbed my attention by 25% through
2. I’m not keeping any finished book which I didn’t fall in love with whilst reading
3. I’m never lending a copy of a book again (people never return them)
Have you any self-imposed reading rules?