Focus on Reading - How to decide whether to stop reading a book?

[Holly R W]

I know that many PBT members finish reading books through to the end. For those of you who decide to DNF, how do you come to your decision?

(I've just read way too many pages of a book that was making my eyes glaze over and should have stopped reading it much sooner.)

[Joy D]

I must say I used to be one of those people who would soldier on until the end no matter what. I have gotten a tiny bit better at quitting a book if I am not enjoying it.

If I find myself bored, mind wandering, or annoyed, I go to the next chapter and read a bit to see if it gets any better. If not, I quit. (The only exception is if I have committed to reading it for a group or other somewhat important reason.)

I am trying to embrace the idea that I want to spend time reading books I am enjoying.

[Peacejanz]

Holly - interesting that you ask this today. I decided in the night last night that I was going to DNF a book that we will discuss in book club the end of the month. It is BORING - so boring is one aspect I use to quit (thank goodness I got old enough to learn to quit books and other things- not that many days left so don't waste time). On the other hand, I keep laboring through if it is for book club or if a special friend or relative has given it to me or recommended it. I finally finished a book last week that a friend sent me - and she has asked me a couple of times if I liked it. It was slow going but I did finish it -- so I do not have a rule. Just some maybe rules or my mood or the source of the book - too many good books on my TBR pile will encourage me to stop reading a boring book. After all, that is the point ot Goodreads - we all get to post our likes and dislikes. I think your eyes glazing over is a good sign for DNF -- assuming that you have a good book to read.
DNFing is an activity that you have to learn - like how to make a good pie crust. peace, janz

[Theresa]

I pretty much finish books. I may take a vacation from it, but I rarely find a book I won't finish. Those I have DNF- and there are some - usually involve dry flat boring subject and god-awful writing that I can't even skim - and usually they are NF - my professional life involves enough of such reading, thank you. Since I know certain themes or styles will make my eyes glaze over and my mind shut down, I just don't start them. No matter how loved and raved about. I failed to follow that rule with Wolf Hall and suffered through whole thing, taking at least 2 'Vacations' while doing so.

One book I started and after 2 chapters had to abandon it was so godawful (trying too hard to be teen edgy, cute and diverse at same time - like a checklist being folllowed) was The Maple Murders, a middle-grade book that fit some challenge I was doing and having a tough time of it. Bad part of abandonning it was that the author is a close writing buddy of a close friend and she recommended it. How do you spell A-w-k-w-a-r-d? I know BC read it and did not shred it. I still think BC deserves a special award for persevering with it.

[NancyJ]

Life is too short to read bad books when there are so many good ones, right? We shouldn't feel guilty for not finishing a book we're reading for "fun," but some of us just can't help it. So we need to come up with some mind tricks to help us to let go when appropriate.

My favorite trick is to "PAUSE" a book that I'm not enjoying. I'll tell myself that I'm not necessarily quitting, I'm just setting it aside for later. Maybe I'll pick it up again when I'm in proper mood or mindset to appreciate the book. Maybe I just need a different format (e.g. to avoid eye strain), genre, tone, narrator, etc.

Sometimes I forget all about the book within a day or two and never look back - that's a win. Sometimes I'll keep thinking about the book, or I'll hear something (from reviews or friends) that makes me WANT to pick it up again (it might take months) - that's a win too. I periodically go to my paused list and delete the books I finished or don't care about.

Related coaching techniques:

Logic - Am I getting anything out of this book - fun, information, diversion, etc? Do I need to finish it right now, or can I pause and maybe finish it later? Is it worth my time? Am I obligated? Book group discussions or challenges are more likely to motivate me to stick with it. Will I get more out of it if I wait until later?

Pause to get more information - Reviews or friends might give me reasons to forget the book or pick it up again later.

AVOID Escalation of commitment to a losing cause - If the first half of the book wasn't worth reading, it would be a mistake to double the pain and continue reading. If I just want to know how a book ends, I can look for spoiler reviews or find it on wikipedia. In one case I liked what I heard and returned to the book.

Substitution/Alternatives - If I stop this book, what other book could I start reading instead? Or what else would I rather do? It's easier for me to forget a boring book if I get into another book quickly. I often have two books going anyway - a print or loud book for day time, and a quiet audio for bedtime.

Emotional assessment and reflection - Am I in the mood for this type of book right now - if not, doesn't it make more sense to set it aside for now, and maybe come back to it later? I might remind myself that I need a balance of light v dark, or serious v fun to get the most out of reading. I might reflect on a time when I let reading feel like a chore, and it led to a miserable reading slump.

[Theresa]

There is also the concept of Hope Springs Eternal. It applies to reading as much as the life is too short concept.

[Booknblues]

I used to not finish a book, if I realized that I just didn't care what happened to the characters or with a plot and I still do that, I've just expanded on my reasons for not finishing a book.

Boredom as many have said is one reason.

Another is the putting aside a book, because I want to read something else more. Sometimes I return and sometimes I do not.

Then there is the mood thing, if I am just in the wrong mood for the book, I will set it aside and again sometimes I return.

I think the bottom line is am I getting something from this book?

[Joanne]

If I have gotten in to chapter 4 and I am still not enjoying the book I throw it back. I decided a couple years ago, I believe it was during the shut down of pandemic, I was not going to read a book just because it was there. Like Nancy said above, life is too short and there are too many good books and authors out there.

I read for enjoyment, and to escape into another world. I love that about books, I can leave any world I do not like, at anytime, and find another one!

[NancyJ]

Holly R W wrote: "I'm reading and am interested in all your comments.

The particular book that I was reading is a Pulitzer Prize winner. I did enjoy the beginning, but should have trusted my instincts when it becam..."

Some Pulitzer winners are torturous. They might illuminate an important idea, but it might be old news to us by the time we read it.

I've gotta ask - What is the book?

[Robin P]

Great question, I do a weekly question in another group and I think I am going to steal this one!

When I was young, I used to make myself read every word, including all the philosophical, historical and political digressions in War and Peace and Les Misérables. Later on, I gave myself permission to skip. I love Moby-Dick or, the Whale and have read it twice, but I felt no need to read the list of parts of the whale, details of cutting it up, etc.

Sometimes I'm just not inthe right mood so I would stop early on and maybe try again another time. Maybe the subject is wrong for now (like finding out the character has a terminal illness, which I dealt with too much in real life this last couple years.) If I am just bored but it is for a group, I will skim through the rest. I'm a pretty fast reader in general and really fast skimmer. But sometimes I do just quit. I think I have gotten better at knowing what I will like before I start the book.

There have been several very popular books that "everybody" loved that I kept reading, thinking there must be something there. In the end, I didn't change my mind. But I felt I could justifiably give an unfavorable review, since I read the whole thing. Those are the books that (if they are audio) I return to Audible for credit or money back. I'm sure many people feel you shouldn't return a book you listened to all the way, but those are the ones I want to return because I feel I deserve something for my time! (examples - Where the Crawdads Sing, All the Light We Cannot See, Beautiful Ruins.)

[Joy D]

I will also quit a book if the content gets to be too much of something I don't like to read (torture, animal cruelty, child abuse, graphic sex).

[Book Concierge]

Theresa wrote: "I know BC read it and did not shred it. I still think BC deserves a special award for persevering with it."

Thanks for the acknowledgement ... it was pretty dreadful.

If anyone is interested in reading my ZERO-stars review .. you can find it HERE

[Peacejanz]

NancyJ gave us good advice. Avoid escalation of investment, i.e., well, I have read a third, why not finish it?
If I do not have a clear answer in my mind, I ask, if I died next week, next month, whenever, would this book matter? If I die whenever, will I have learned something to make me a better person in this world? Usually the answer is NO if I am to the point of discussing it with myself. I think I said it before, DNF is a learned activity - not easy at first, we have to learn it because when we were little, we were supposed to finish our juice, milk, broccoli -- we got into the "finish it" mode before we had a chance to even think about it.
Always remember, there are so many good books.
And, thanks, BC, for pointing us to your awful review - I have decided to skip it but thanks, anyway. peace, janz

[Robin P]

Joy D wrote: "I will also quit a book if the content gets to be too much of something I don't like to read (torture, animal cruelty, child abuse, graphic sex)."

Yes, I forgot about that. I had to quit reading a fantasy book because there was a torture scene. I tried to skip ahead but it went on for pages! Also in the very good Gone to Soldiers and The Winds of War, I had to stop reading when the Nazis captured or threatened main characters.

[Holly R W]

I can identify with everyone's thinking on this matter of when to stop reading a book. I certainly have found myself in all of the situations you share.

The book that so frustrated me (this time) and gave birth to our discussion was Independence Day by Richard Ford.

I guess I had kept reading it due to Theresa's theory of "Hope springs eternal."

[Book Concierge]

I like Nancy Pearl's Rule .... EXCEPT when it's a school assignment or for a book club discussion ...
If you are age 50 or younger, read the first 50 pages. If the book hasn't grabbed you by then, put it aside. You may or may not ever return to it, but that's okay.
If you are age 51 or older - subtract your age from 100. The resulting # is how many pages you should read before abandoning the book (whether permanently or "just for now" is up to you). Nancy jokes that if you are age 100 or older you may judge the book by its cover.

I still usually give it 50 pages ... but there have been times when I'm tempted to quit on the first page. One such book was Meg Cabot's Queen of Babble... You can read my ZERO stars review HERE

[DianeMP]

I'm very glad to read about so many people who adhere to DNF for books that just don't fit the bill. For some time now I have felt I was one of the few who practiced not finishing a book. I just cannot make myself read something I find boring or confusing or just plain pointless. Lately I have tried putting some these books on hold for a little while to see if time cures all ills. Occasionally it works.

I was so looking forward to Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen, she being a favored author. So disappointed when I felt it was disjointed and boring. Never looked back. The biggest disappointment of all has been by my favorite author of all times-Geraldine Brooks and the book Horse. I know it's terribly popular, but it just hasn't clicked with me. I've given it a break and am trying to read it again. I am hoping it will be readable now.

[Holly R W]

Diane, as you see, you're not alone. And, despite looking forward to the two books you mention, I also did not finish them.

[Joanne]

I was a fan of Horse, however Brooks is a hit or miss for me. I DNF People of the Book which so many loved

[~*Kim*~]

I don't have a set "guideline" that I follow for DNF. No specific number of pages or chapters. If I find that I'm basically forcing myself to sit down and read the book, then it's usually a DNF. About the only case when I do finish one that's not that good to me is if I'm well over 50% done. Then I'll usually go ahead and push through it.

There are actually a lot of DNFs that I have had. This is one reason I have very few 3 star ratings and under. I feel that if I'm feeling it's going to be that low of a rating, then it's not worth my time. Especially with well over 300 books on my Amazon wish list. LOL!

As others have said, life is too short to read a bad book.

[Joanne]

~*Kim*~ wrote: "I don't have a set "guideline" that I follow for DNF. No specific number of pages or chapters. If I find that I'm basically forcing myself to sit down and read the book, then it's usually a DNF. Ab..."

I am the same Kim, I probably have two or three 2 stars on my shelf and nothing below. Most times, before adding a book, I look at the average rating of it. This helps if I am on the fence about a book.

[Joy D]

3 stars for me means I liked it, and it was worth reading so I have a lot of those. I have very few 1 star reviews. I find with character-driven books (which is my main staple), it is sometimes more difficult to tell that I should DNF until the very end, which is why I have a number of 2 star reviews. I figure if it was good enough along the way to get me to the end, it deserves more than 1 star.

[Robin P]

I also have very few books rated under 3 stars. And even fewer with one or zero, I will just quit reading and not review.

For me, a 3-star book is good, but I won't necessarily recommend it unless for someone with a specific interest. 4-star is very good and I would recommend. I only give a few 5-star reviews every year.

[Meli]

I don't have any guidelines for DNFing a book, but it is almost always a time management issue. I have 2 book clubs that are close together and I am enjoying one book more than the other so I don't finish the other book. Or it's a library borrow and it's time to return it before I can finish in time for book club.

If I'm at 60% or more I am usually past the point of no return.
If it's for a challenge, I usually power through.

I could probably DNF even more than I do. I feel like books can have highs and lows. Sometimes the totality of the book is better than its parts.

I have a friend that will DNF very soon in a book if it doesn't grab her, like 1 chapter or just 20 pages in, and I think that's nuts. I've read great books which requited 50 page or up to 100 to really set the tone. But there are also so many books out there it almost doesn't matter if you DNF or what you DNF. You aren't ever missing anything really when you get down to it.