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How often do you give up on a book?
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I have one simple rule. If the author doesn't grab my attention in the first 50 pages, I do not continue reading the book. I may fudge the 50 page rule if the book is more into character development rather than a plot driven one. I figure there are far too many books out there that will grab my attention.
Some authors spend too much time with tech. details (like trying to show-off/ or face-off with Clancy) that don't carry the story forward.Superhuman protagonists.
Under-developed antagonists (just bad/evil) - with no clear motivation.
@Sally: Does that rule apply to all books or just full length novels? If you're reading a novella that is 100 pages or a short story that's 55 pages, do you plow through to the end after page 50 if the story doesn't grab you or do you stick to your rule and chuck it?@Kevyn: I know exactly what you mean. I have abandoned so many books that fall into those categories. I wonder how so many of them get made. When you give up on a book, do you give up on the author completely or are you willing to give them another chance later?
Thanks folks.
Gamal
Very rare, I really try to just power through it. Maybe a book a year?
@Gamal. Give up completely. And I share the same opinion with movies. There are some writers/ mov. directors that actually insult the readers/ viewers intelligence. Why should I give them a 2nd chance.
Gamal wrote: "@Sally: Does that rule apply to all books or just full length novels? If you're reading a novella that is 100 pages or a short story that's 55 pages, do you plow through to the end after page 50 if..."I rarely/never read novellas so I don't think I would apply the 50 page rule to them. However, the author better do a good job in the first several pages of a novella to grab my attention otherwise I wouldn't finish the book.
I've only given up on about 3 books... I even endured right through to the end of A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.I've stopped reading The Hobbit as I just could not get into the way Tolkein wrote, and I stopped reading after book 4 of the Chung Kuo Saga by David Wingrove. I am afraid that just got way too complicated with character changes for my head at that moment in time.
Usually though I would persevere.
@Kevyn: It seems like there are so many elements that can ruin a movie (screenplay, direction, acting). When you decide to reject a film, who do you normally blame for the failure? @ Sally: I understand. A shorter format means a shorter window to grab you. It makes perfect sense.
@ Ian: So you read the first three Chung Kuo books and then gave up after the 4th one? Did you find them getting progressively harder to read or did your issues with the book pop up suddenly in the 4th book?
Thanks everyone.
Have fun.
G
@Gamal. 1) the DIRECTOR 2) The Studio
examples : Any Michael Bay Tranformer movie
Nolan for 'The Dark KNight Rises'
This might be a little off topic, but what about the screenwriter for a bad script or the actors for bad performances? What about the producers for green lighting a poor project in the first place?
The Director is the Captain of the ship.Producers just want a return on investment.
Screenwriters (unless you're Crichton..) get paid peanuts. + the script is often altered toi suit the budget.
If find with indie authors I can't get past the first chapter. The writing is that bad.
I never give up on a book once I start it. However, keep in mind that I am extremely critical of the books that I do read. In my mind, there are always too many books to read, but I would love to read all of them. I can be hypercritical when selecting between similar authors or similar plots. Of course, some books are must reads, and easy to choose. I am always a little disheartened when I turn down a novel that obviously has some value.
How can you keep me reading? Pay attention to what I want to see in the first place. Give me a story that shows me myself in life. I may be rounder than you think! A story that delivers on itself rather than on multiple, related topics is the one for me. I want to see cohesion; please don't waste my time changing the subject. Thanks for the question, Gamal!
How can you keep me reading? Pay attention to what I want to see in the first place. Give me a story that shows me myself in life. I may be rounder than you think! A story that delivers on itself rather than on multiple, related topics is the one for me. I want to see cohesion; please don't waste my time changing the subject. Thanks for the question, Gamal!
I rarely give up on a book. If I do it's generally over half way thru. The most common reason for giving up for me is being bored. Lack of Character development or contrived plot turns can leave me disinterested. I love a well written story!
I hear ya. I'm reading Fatherland, and have been reading it for two months and its dreadful. OCD keeps me from NOT finishing it!
I can feel your pain. I am somewhat OCD also and felt a need to finish a book if I started it. However, I realized I was wasting valuable time in reading a book I didn't like. So, I made a deal with myself and gave a 50 page rule (if an author couldn't grab my attention in 50 pages, I would move on). I've done this for many years now and feel lucky to have read and finished so many books using this criteria. Too many books, not enough time is also my mantra!
Maybe some books are best at different points of one's life, like when there's more time to concentrate on them in silence for extended periods of time. Paul
I agree wholeheartedly. I actually write down the title of the book I want to go back to but guess what? I never do.
Never I see it through to the end...That is the fair way to judge a book.
I very rarely give up on a book, but I just did so the other day. An author sent me a book (based on my reviews for other books)...and I gave it a shot, and it turned out I did not like it. I replied to the author and thanked him for the book, but I gave up at the 50% mark. It just did not capture my attention and I did not look forward to reading it. After a while I asked myself why I was still reading it...
I very rarely give up on a book. I'm conditioned to reading nonfiction for classwork, so I usually "power through." This includes fiction, unless it is absolutely terrible. I will not usually start a series by one author, until several stories in that series have appeared, unless he/ she is known to me through other books. If I consider the first one to be "bad" I stop right there. I tend to cut authors a great deal of slack on style, as long as there are no idiot mistakes in the use of weapons and other tech, or inconsistency in use of trade craft, or too much "movie James Bond" improbable action.
Rarely do I give up on book. There have been occasions when I have stopped, read another and finished the prior book.
The only book I have ever given up on was World War Z. It was so far from what I expected and felt it was dry. A very rare occurrance.
I have a 50 page rule as well, but with audio books if the narrator doesnt suck me into the story within 30 minutes I'm done. Luckily Audible will accept a return for this reason, which makes it possible to explore more without fear of wasting money.
I rarely stop. It only happens when I read independent books. It's happened a couple of times since I started reviewing books. I hate not finishing a book, but I hate taking up my reading time with something I don't like. It's not like I'm getting a grade or getting paid for it.
I try to do enough research on a book ahead of time so that I don't have to worry about facing this question! It doesn't always work out that way, but I'm generally a little too OCD to stop reading something after I've already invested a decent amount of time in it.
Hate to, but sometimes the need to quit is better than the agony to continue. I quit on several of James Patterson books, and actually him forever, One Robert Ludlum book, Since my books are usually e's from the library or hardbacks from my Friends of the Library Book Depot I don't worry about the cost, so I just junk it, but usually several chapters or 20 to 25% of the book before I do. Too many good one's to bother with the bad ones. What's crap for me is often gold to someone else.
David wrote: "I rarely stop. It only happens when I read independent books. It's happened a couple of times since I started reviewing books. I hate not finishing a book, but I hate taking up my reading time with..."David, have you ever given up on a book from a big publisher? What is it about the independents that pushes you away?
Elliott wrote: "I try to do enough research on a book ahead of time so that I don't have to worry about facing this question! It doesn't always work out that way, but I'm generally a little too OCD to stop reading..."Elliott, what kind of research do you do to avoid books you won't like? Is it just based on reader reviews or do you have another system?
David wrote: "Hate to, but sometimes the need to quit is better than the agony to continue. I quit on several of James Patterson books, and actually him forever, One Robert Ludlum book, Since my books are usu..."David, I read 20 pages of one Patterson book in my life and gave up on him completely (although I buy a new book from him every year for my father who is hooked on his writing). What made you give up on Patterson?
Do you finish every book you start? If you don't what makes you turn away from a book mid read? I'd like to know because I want to avoid doing things in my own writing that turn people off.
Thanks in advance.
G