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When do you give up on a book?
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Kris
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Mar 06, 2015 08:54PM
How many chapters/pages will you give a mystery/thriller that is not "grabbing you" before you give up on it?
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50 pages if the writing is otherwise good. One if it is bad.
for me it depends on the book - is the writing good, is there any suspense, does the plot make sense, is the story progressing, are there any like-able characters, does it hold my attention.I might go a few chapters, or 1/2 of the book
I don't have any hard and fast rule, but I usually try to read at least to the end of the first chapter or scene. Some books were so bad, I gave up after a few pages. Others I slogged through close to 100 (and in one case almost 300) pages before I quit because there was something in the story to that point that made me hope it would get better.
Geza. I love your response. There are those one-pagers and out.
Quillracer, I agree, I usually give it a chapter. Although it depends on factors Paris mentions. For me if the writing is not just dense or slow (either of which might serve a purpose), but instead patently poor from the word go then I'm out.
I give up if:1) The plot is stale (same old plot -- different names) or the story jumps around enough to make it hard to follow.
2) The protagonist's actions are not believable (too much a superhero).
3) The author is obviously unfamiliar with his material (errors in weapons and firearms terminology).
4) The writing is just so poor that I can't abide it.
Often a quick glance at the middle of a new book will let me know if I even want to start it. Ditto with reading the sample pages on Amazon or Goodreads. Usually doing this screening makes it unlikely that I will quit on a book, but I have been fooled a few times.
Hmm, David. I've never glanced at the middle of a book to decide whether to read it. I'm worried I'd see a spoiler (especially with mysteries/thrillers). But your logic is flawless— that would be a way to avoid those great first chapters, honed to perfection, that then devolve into a "muddle in the middle". I may have to give it a try. Thanks!
I guess I never gave up on a book. Besides I find it harsh to start a book and not finish it till the very end. However while I am buying I read the summary at the back of the book and it gives me an idea of the writer's ability to convince he is worthing.
Nadin, If I have purchased a the book, like you I rarely give up on it. But there have been occasions where I have returned to reading after a day or two and can't keep the characters straight or find I no longer care what happens to them. Then I'm done.
Kris wrote: "Hmm, David. I've never glanced at the middle of a book to decide whether to read it. I'm worried I'd see a spoiler (especially with mysteries/thrillers). But your logic is flawless— that would be a..."Your reference to those great "first chapters" that devolve into muddle is well put.
If I'm around page 50 and still don't care about characters/plot, it's a tosser. Sometimes I will scan through quickly if I have a mild interest with how the author ended it. There's too many good books waiting to be read for me to trudge through one that's only so-so.
Andrea wrote: "There's too many good books waiting to be read for me to trudge through one that's only so-so."So true.
Quite agree, Andrea and Kris. I used to always feel I owed it to the author to keep reading because the story may eventually turn into something but there are so many good books out there that catch my interest right away to waste time in reading something that is a struggle to read and stay interested in. Very often if I've been avoiding picking up a book and find excuses to not continue reading it, I know that its just not the book for me.
I don't have a hard and fast rule either. I'll keep reading a book, even if I'm not into it, unless there's a massive turn off. The only times I abandon these kinds of books is if there's something about the writer's style that makes it unreadable or incredibly dull. Storywise I'll hang on to see if it improves.
I almost said half a book. However, I tackle some monster tomes occasionally. Perhaps 200 pages is the better answer.There is also a difference between "giving up" and losing interest. I start books on a whim sometimes, even if I'm in the middle of another. Sometimes I go back to the original book to finish it. If I never go back, I just never had enough interest. It feels different than formally "giving up," but the result is the same.
Sawyer, good point, I hadn't thought of that. I imagine for many of us we don't make a conscious decision to "give up", but the result is the same.
Erin, nice distinction between poor writing and a slow story/plot. You're right, the latter may recover, the former likely never will. Do you mind if I tweet that idea out? I think it's thought-provoking. I would credit you, but I don't think 140 characters will permit it. :)
The big deal breaker for me is the character(s) - especially the main and primary ones. If I don't care what happens to them over the course of the novel or if I find them totally offensive, that book gets dropped.I stopped reading Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta novels because she had turned her stars into characters I no longer cared about. I gave up on Stephen J. Cannell's At First Sight and Nelson DeMille's The Gold Coast because I couldn't stand their main characters.
In a bit of irony, I read DeMille's The Gate House, the sequel to The Gold Coast, and loved it.
Go figure.
Quillracer wrote: "The big deal breaker for me is the character(s) - especially the main and primary ones. If I don't care what happens to them over the course of the novel or if I find them totally offensive, that ..."I agree about Cornwell's Scarpetta series. I read one recently to see if she had changed direction -- and she had a bit -- but I really do think she is slogging a dead horse with the series. Just what else can she do or have done to Kay? I won't be reading any more ...
I also agree about the Scarpetta series. I DID finish the few that I read, but I gave up on the series.I have a REALLY hard time NOT finishing books. Mostly I keep hoping they'll get better. Some writers start weak and end strong. So I keep looking for the strong. My husband makes fun of me for that. I'm the same way about movies. My husband can put down a book in the first couple of pages or stop watching a movie at anytime while he's watching.
Help me, people!!! How can I learn to stop wasting time reading books I don't really like!!!
I SO totally agree with Andrea. "There's too many good books waiting to be read for me to trudge through one that's only so-so."
I've never given up on a book, and believe me, that's nothing to brag about. Hint: 77 Shadow Street
It may take a while to finish it, but I get it done.
It may take a while to finish it, but I get it done.
Kris and Quillracer,I think you are both right. A slow developing story can be saved if it really gets to something special in the end. A badly written book rarely recovers. I can think of only one example of such a recovery - EL James.
For me, The Fifty Shades trilogy is an example of the phenomenon Quillracer raised. (No implication that Quillracer likes such trashy stuff). It is full of examples of how not to write. An eighth grade teacher would find plenty of fault in the prose, structure and childish writing overall. Experts in psych and S&M cringe at the technicals. However, the characters and the broader story saved it for me. In the end it is just a romance between two interesting people.
BTW, the second book shows substantial improvement. The publisher must have realized after the initial sales that it was worth investing in a real editor. It still has way too many "oh my"s and inner goddesses, but it is improved.
Kris wrote: "How many chapters/pages will you give a mystery/thriller that is not "grabbing you" before you give up on it?"So far, I have never given up on a book. I try to be careful before starting to read. If I'm iffy about a book, I will read a few pages here and there throughout the book to see if it grabs me. If it doesn't, I won't get the book. I've also used reviews here (GoodReads) to see what other think of the book. If I get into a book and find it's not as good and I thought, I will still read it, skimming through it as fast as I can to get to the end.
There was only one book I was tempted to stop reading. It was a mystery I picked up as a kid (high school, maybe) that was about a school bus of children kidnapped. It reminded me of a movie I had seen or a story I'd read--can't remember which. It tuned out not to be the story I remembered at all. The people were holding the kids for ransom, but while the police searched, the kidnappers tortured some of the kids. Sickened me so much that I was going to stop reading, but I knew if I didn't get to the end, it would haunt me forever. Sort of still does, but at least I know the kids were saved/saved themselves and the kidnappers dealt with. ICK!
After reading Whispers, which grossed me out, I won't read Dean Koontz.
I stopped watching the first season of American Horror Story when the Jessica Lange character locked her daughter in the mirrored closet.
I guess what I can't stand is reading/watching children being abused. It's not that I won't ever read a book that covers the topic--there are some good books that treat the subject as well as can be expected, but gratuitous violence against children is a turn-off for me.
It takes a lot of boring characters to make me give up on a book.
Karen, I'm right there with you. If abuse against children is graphic or persistent in a book I have to stop reading. It's actually worse if it's well-written, I don't want those images.
I give it 50 pages and if it can't grab my attention by them, I quit. I'm an old lady and I don't want to waste what time I have left.
If the book is totally sadistic for the reason to sell books I quit.
I find that I tend to neglect to return, rather than consciously abandon. Every once in a while, I will set my e-reader to "most recent read" and go to the end to see what I haven't looked at for a while. I may be more ready for that genre than I was earlier, or after a few pages I may recall why I chose benign neglect.
Margaret, True for all of us, any age, there is no time to waste when it comes to reading, too many good books out there.
For me it is if I like any of the characters. I have started books where none of the characters have any redeemable features. This is usually when I stop because I do not care what happens to them
I read one third to halfway through before giving up. A lot of books are slow to start but then pick up. However if the author doesn't have me by 1/3rd of the way through, it's not worth my time to keep slogging when there is no interest. That said, if I'm listening to an audiobook by a good reader, I will often continue to the end, but never get another book by that author.
Linda, the key to stop reading a book that you are not enjoying is to give a reasonable go, then skip to the last three chapters, finish and call it done. Unlike some here who barely give a book a chance (not a criticism) at 50-100 pages, i read 1/3 to 1/2 because some very good books were just slow to start. I say I try. I simply could NOT read James Mitchner. I am more action oriented. I also find general fiction tough to get through, so I look for audiobooks when it's a book club read that i am iffy about or a friend really wants me to read something.
I used to never stop reading a book because I had felt that I made an investment in the book -- whether I bought it, checked it out of a library or whatever. Then I had a book that I seemed to shy away from; I just couldn't subconsciously read the darn thing! And my husband asked me why I was forcing myself to read a gook that I obviously didn't want to read. It clicked then. Some books I just take a long time to read but if I find myself avoiding a book (reading short stories or other books instead of finishing it outright), its a pretty clear clue for me to give it up.
I agree with Kris and Margaret, there are too many good books and not enough time
When I was younger I could never read a Graham Greene at first; I struggled for about 50-60 pages e.g. The Power and The Glory, but I stuck at it; put it down and left it then had another go.I was a teenager so time didn't seem so critical- now I have more books come to my attention than I can read each week.
I started The Girl on The Train in January and couldn't get going into it - so I have shunted it into a siding and will return to it later this year.
The great thing about Goodreads is revising my to read section. I have loads to read but I always have my next book ready to start. I list three books currently reading and therefore I have found a smooth progression through my list.
A further joy is I get a recommendation I can include that if it is available so my reading is refreshed although I could just read all Rankin's Rebus books in sequence at any time I am looking to go beyond my comfort zone.
As at this time I have never given up on a book but then I always am clear what I am going to read.
I rarely give up on a book - except when sloppy grammar, spelling and syntax push me past the limit of my patience. I don't mind a slow start if the characters and story show promise.
I rarely give up on a book... even if I struggle to get through it
Since I listen to more books than I read, I may live the author and subject matter, but the narrator stinks.I usually give up on the book when the narrator drives me crazy and I get to the point if frustration with the narrator.
Thanks, Stephanie. Sometimes I can tell right off but yours sounds like something I might actually do!
I always try to give a book a good chance before I give up on it. But as was stated, if the writing is bad, if the grammar is sloppy, or if there's constant F-bombs and S*** words, I can't go on.
It's hard to give up on book. But some times life interferes, or something about the narrator doesn't sit well with you, or you're just not be interested at the time.
Woo hoo ! I finally did it! Thanks, Stephanie! I was about half way through a book that had been shortlisted for something and I just wasn't excited about it. I flipped to the end and IT was the same. So I GAVE UP!!!!!!! I actually felt relieved at abandoning it.
When I keep checking the page number to see how many I have left to read and if I don't look forward to reading my book I will soon give up on it. There's nothing worse than reading a book I'm not enjoying.
I can't recall the last time I gave up on a book I was reading. Because I've found that some books start slow but become more exciting later on. I think that if I gave up on a book I might be missing something.
Page one if it doesn't grab me.Sometimes a book will seem promising, but then the author will do something that drives me crazy and I'll stop reading. I'd say the most common reason for that is head-hopping. The only time I'll stick with a book after that is when the author is someone whose work I already know and love, and even then I'll stop and wonder what they could possibly have been thinking.
If the story fails to engage me, or if my intelligence is insulted. Can take 1 page or 20, but more than 50%.
Paula, I agree, I find I give an author I otherwise love a "pass" when they do something that jars me (including head-hopping), but I do pause and wonder why the lapse in their judgment...
Olivia, I bet I have missed some good books by giving up "too soon". I know I have that problem with movies. I walked out on "The King's Speech" early on, it felt predictable to me and maybe I was in a cranky mood. Then people I trusted kept telling me how great it was, so I gave it a full viewing, and was glad I did. (Maybe patience is a virtue?)
I tend to give a read about a 1/3 or less. What tends to get me is: 1. too many characters and/or similar names. If you need a glossary to explain who is who, you lost me. 2. Absolute senseless gore. Now, I can read violent, scenes just not senseless. 3. Plots that go on and on and on. 4. Writing I do not understand. That does not mean it's a bad book, only I couldn't wrap my head around it. 5. some sexism or racism. Now when it comes to reviews, I rarely, rarely review a book i do not finish. That would be unfair
