Here’s a question for you all! If you start a book & don’t enjoy it (rare for me) do you finish reading it ANYWAY or give up on it?
Here’s a question for you all!
If you start a book & don’t enjoy it (rare for me) do you finish reading it ANYWAY or give up on it?
I try to give it the benefit of the doubt. If I don’t like it by 150 pages in, I DNF it.
I’ve been giving books til.chapter 10. If I can’t get into it by then I just stop reading
I really do try to finish it, but sometimes I just can’t. It’s very rare, but it does happen.
I try reading just the first sentence of each paragraph, if I can’t get into it, I give up. Too many good books waiting.
I try to finish books. If I do give up on a book, I often go back to it at a later time and try it again.
I have to finish!!!
I used to really try and finish it but now I will skim through it and if still nothing I won’t finish it. Must say it was hard to do coz I always finished a book.
I was reading The Signature of All Things and I wasn’t a huge fan, but then it would get better, then really boring again. I finally finished it last night. It took almost 3 weeks!
If I’m not into it 75 pages in, then its a loss cause for me.
sometimes yes sometimes no
Thanks all. I’m smack bang in the middle of a book at the moment and at first I was interested but now it’s gotten quite boring 🙁 215 pages in and not sure what to do as I usually finish them!
I’m going through that right now, trying to push through, hoping it will get better!
I actually had to create a DNF policy for myself. I was getting so angry with myself for pushing through books I hated. So now I’ve been DNFing left and right! It’s so refreshing. https://ericarobynreads.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-dnf-policy.html
53 pages. If I am not hooked it goes back on the pile. I usually try two or three times before I ditch it completely!
Give it up. I don’t feel like wasting my time.
Have to finish it.
It’s vry rare tho … Even if I don’t enjoy it I try to finish it .. or otherwise I try to get myself back in mood …
I give up.
at that point i will put the book aside and read something different and later go back to that book, this has happened with me only once till now and i actually loved the book :p
Life’s too short, there’s too many books waiting to waste time on finishing a book I don’t like by page 75.
Give it up– too many other good books out there.
Give up
Three books I quit reading. One because it freaked me out. The second and third because they were going towards a really stupid place.
Which one freaked you out? I love scary/disturbing stuff.
Stephen King, “The Tommyknockers”. Also, I finished it, but King’s “The Stand” was creepy at times.
I have read many of King’s books. I really like his style of writing. But the Tommyknockers painted such a creepy vivid picture, I put it down for good. Slight spoiler alert: I am a huge animal lover; there was one scene that was intolerable for me.
Oh, ok. I’ve read a lot of Stephen King. I haven’t read Tommyknockers, though.
I give it 150 pages to get semi interesting then ditch it
I just power through it, then once it’s done, I don’t ever have to read it again.
I use to force myself to finish, now I give up because theres too many books out there to waste time on one you dont like.
I try to carry on reading, but I am not always successful. I do tend to think life is too short.
If im not reading any other books at the time then yes
I finish them no matter what because i was always taught that once you start reading a book you finish it. it helped me get through Harry Potter and the cursed child
Oh okay …how is the book ? I wanted some reviews. ..on the book.
it’s kind of weird in the beginning but if you just keep reading it it’s not so bad
I finished Cursed Child, even though I really didn’t want to. Still didn’t like it, lol.
you’re gonna wanna stop reading it and be like “i can’t do this” lol but just keep going! lol
Mary Diaz i went through the same problem. i did like it in the end
give up usually
I usually carry on reading it even if I’m not enjoying it for some reason I still need to know what happens x
Give up if it hasn’t grabbed me by around 70 to 100 pages. No point wasting time struggling when you could be reading and enjoying a different book.
I have to finish it.
I try to read as much as I can. Usually I stop reading it without really meaning to and then move on to something else. If I’m really far into it when I want to give up I just finish it.
I almost never give up on a book. Can’t seem to get through Jane Eyre though.
I did the same thing, read about half and then couldn’t pick it up again for about 2 years. When I finally got myself to do it the last part is better than the first part. But still not amazing.
I’m glad I’m not the only one! People usually think I’m crazy for not liking Jane Eyre. I’ve tried reading it a couple of times over the last 10 years. I promised myself that I will finish it the next time I start it….
Lol it was definitely hard to finish
In general, this, not just about books, but I can’t understand why so many people have a hang-up about giving things up! They see it as a “negative” thing for some strange reason, but I just see it as logical – if whatever you’re doing isn’t working out for you, no matter how hard you’ve been trying, then it isn’t going to happen. Giving up is a positive thing because you’re giving up wasting your time, and you’re going to try something else which might, hopefully, prove to be more productive and successful for you!
Must finish lol
Thankfully, my days of set books are long gone! I graduated back in 1994, so I don’t feel the need to plod on with a book which isn’t doing anything for me. Give it about 70 to 100 pages, depending on overall length of book, and if it still doesn’t float your boat, put it down and try to find a book which does! You can always give that book another try some time in the future, but for the time being, it makes more sense to move on when a book doesn’t fizz on you.
Either way.
Life is too short to continue reading a book you are not enjoying. I just DNF’d one last month, and I don’t feel bad about it at all. The book I’m reading now is so much more enjoyable!
Carry on, it might surprise you!
Or try again at a later date. I might give some books another go to see if the time is right for them. When our book club attempted The Luminaries, by Eleanor Catton, a few years ago, I was one of several who hardly got very far with it. However, I have not ruled out trying it again some day. Maybe it just wasn’t the right book back then…
I’m in a book club, but there’s still not the compulsion to finish if any of us are not enjoying what we’re reading. It’s rare that we all enjoy the same book, and we try to broaden our reading horizons with our choices. There’s no essays or exams, so it’s not like there’s any pressing need to finish. I’ve done my years of required reading, but that ended a couple of months after I turned 21! A long time ago now!
depends
If i feel bored while reading i skip pages and finish it,,, if i just hate it, like i can’t continue , then i stop… Actually it depend on the book itself sometimes i finish the whole book though it may not be my cup of tea ~
I won’t finish it if I don’t like it
I usually finish them. Doesn’t happen a lot tho.
I finish it , It may improve !
nope not at all. i will put it down and read something else
It takes me a long time but I have to finish it or it will haunt me
Both have been known x
i try and read it and hope that it will get better but some are so bad i just cant do it
I used to sledge through it. As I’ve become older, I realize that’s wasted time. I put it down and move on.
i used to give up but I have now read books like this for class (so i had to finish) and i ended up liking them.. so now i power through to at least the middle of the book. if it’s still not good, ill leave a bookmark in it and maybe come back at a later date.
Sometimes I don’t finish them or I start another one and read the one I’m not fond of in smaller pieces
Put it down.?? hopefully it has a nice cover so it can be a pretty shelf ornament
I usually try and finish it. Because sometimes things “work out” in the end. Though, a few times I will put it down. A few times I’ve tried again. A few it “was the right time” and I greatly enjoyed. Other times I *still* couldn’t get into it.
I will try to finish, if I don’t I feel guilty
Nope. Too many good books out there to waste your time on ones you don’t like.
Life is too short and there are too many books to ‘waste’ time on a book that I do not enjoy, If the book doesn’t ‘grab’ me by page 50-75, I put it aside or return it to the library. I have many books in my TBR pile waiting for a chance.
I use to but then decided that there are too many good books ? out there to waste my time with a bad one.
finish reading it anyway, sometimes books are slow to start but the momentum builds as you become more engrossed in the story and I have found myself a few times thinking that I was glad that I persevered as I would have missed out on a good read. There are however times when the book just wasn’t engaging but I still think it;s worth it to read it anyway, all it costs you is a bit of time and , sometimes it gives you an insight into which authors or genre may not be your cup of tea.
Give up
It’s very rare for me to not finish a book, (and not liking a story)
but I only remember giving up on 13 Reasons Why because it was too depressing.. ?
(it was about a girl who had depression through a guy listening to her tapes, though)
and I didn’t want to feel sad..
It felt dark, gloomy, melancholy, and dreary.. ??
Depends sometimes even if i don t enjoy it i finish it..but in case i don t only enjoy the book but also the writing is so weak i stop ..
Um depends on my mood? I still try to finish it most of the time though.
By page 50 if i am not hooked i give up.too many books to waste time.
I read a little more then if I still don’t like it I’ll give up
No. A book can lose me within a few pages. I don’t have time to waste on something I’m not enjoying. I know it sounds harsh, but it’s how it is.
I agree
I just give up ?
I finish it
Life’s too short to read a book you don’t truly like. Give it up, and go on to the next one!
Give up on it. There are thousands of other books out there, and I’m not about to waste my time on something I don’t like.
Must. Finish. Reading. It. Why??? I have no idea, but it’s like I made a commitment to the book when I started and will finish it even if I don’t like it. Maybe I just hold out hope that it will get better?
I think it’s my OCD lol if I don’t finish it I can’t stop thinking about it
If it doesn’t grasp my attention in the first couple pages I give up.
I’ll give it a good fifty pages, but then I’ll give up. Definitely!
I’ll put the book down and come back to it later, if I’m still not enjoying it I’ll give up.
Depends
I give up. There are too many good ones waiting to be read. I gave up on the last 2 that I started!
Give up. Too many books to read in this life. Not wasting it on a book I’m not enjoying.
It depends on why I’m not enjoying it. If I’m simply bored with it, I do try to finish it – even if it takes me longer, because most often, I end up enjoying it by the time I finish it… and if not, at least I can have an opinion as to WHY I didn’t enjoy it. That being said, if it’s something that upsets me (I don’t mean offend with different views, I just mean if the content is upsetting, disturbing, or whatever for any reason) then I won’t finish it. This is more of the case with non-fiction, but if I am reading a book and it’s making me feel like a terrible person or whatnot, I wont. The only fiction book I really never finished was 50 Shades of Grey. Not because of its sexual content, but because – as much as I hate to use this word – it triggered me in regards to former abuse. I tried reading Marked by PC Cast — I REALLY tried. It didn’t upset me but it annoyed me so much.
I do the Nancy Pearl’s rule of 50 ~
Nancy Pearl’s rule of 50 ~
People frequently ask me how many pages they should give a book before they give up on it. In response to that question, I came up with my “rule of fifty,” which is based on the shortness of time and the immensity of the world of books. If you’re fifty years of age or younger, give a book fifty pages before you decide to commit to reading it or give it up. If you’re over fifty, which is when time gets even shorter, subtract your age from 100—the result is the number of pages you should read before making your decision to stay with it or quit. Since that number gets smaller and smaller as we get older and older, our big reward is that when we turn 100, we can judge a book by its cover!?
Perfect!
Love it lol xx
I find it very handy Carole & Lisa, I no longer suffer cac books, I used to read books to the end then I had the misfortune of reading a book called ‘The Babysitter’ (which I got free with a magazine), the whole story was they think the babysitter stole the baby when it was painfully obvious that yes, the babysitter did steal the baby and used a terrible disguise!?
I will not suffer a book I’m not enjoying. I’ll never read all the wonderful books there are to be discovered but I can certainly try.
If i cant get into a book, it goes in the bin pile lol. Life is too short to waste on crap books xx
I think a book I threw in disgust is still behind my wardrobe?
I put it down and go back at a later date.
Yes. Because sometimes it actually does get better and by the ending im enjoying it.
No I don’t finish it. I go onto the next. My time is important and I want to enjoy what I read.
Nope…it generally never gets any better. Not wasting my time.
I try to finish it, there have been times where I had to stop reading .
Depends, if I stop reading at all cause I can’t get into this book or I’m bored, I’ll give up. But there are some books I’ve not enjoyed that I finished anyway.
Most of the time I will stop reading it, put it away and go back to it at another time. Sometimes it’s just that I’m not in the mood for it but usually after I start it the second time I can finish it and end up loving it.
No if I don’t like I stop
I give up on it and maybe come back to it later.
I have given it up. But sometimes, i push through just to see where its going.
I finish it anyway thinking best is yet to come. Best is saved for last mate so yeah ☺
Always torn…hoping it gets better! So usually, yes.
I usually finish it
There are two of those,
If I fall asleep reading it, means good bye!
If its a drag but not drag enough to be sleepy, I finish it!
My OCD makes me finish it
I give up on it and start another one
I might set it aside for a while, then try to reread it. I’ve done it before and turned out to be a great book. But I’ve also had one that was so bad I had to call it quits.
I finish. I may put it down and move onto other things, but I will always go back and finish it.
I’ve read too many flops and there are so many good books waiting for me, if I don’t care about the characters, don’t care what happens, and am not enjoying myself, it’s gone.
Give up after 100pages. Time is too precious to waste.
I have only stopped a handful of times. Sometimes, the plot is enough to carry it through. Recently stopped 84% into The Goldfinch. Just couldn’t muster the last few pages.
I don’t quit it at once but the enthusiasm is not there.
Sometimes I jump to the middle to whet my appetite for how what happened in the middle got there.
Depends. If it’s a classic, yes I’ll push through out of a sense of obligation. Anything else, no not typically.
if it doesn’t catch me in three chapters ti goes to the re-sale store
Depends on just how hard it is to get into . Also If it’s a kindle free book I find quite a few absolute rubbish and I just delete those. However, there are quite a lot of excellent free kindle books! I have put aside physical books I struggled to read and have picked them up at a later date and was hooked.
Finish it
I just had to stop reading The Shack. It took me a month to get to 75% of a 270 page book. I finally gave up today. Couldn’t do it.
I do try. Used to be I HAD to finnish it but these days I give it a few chapters
Used to persevere… now give up… too many other good books out there… and not enough time…
I finish it no matter what
I keep reading. It just takes me ages to get through because I’m not really enjoying it
I usually finish it. I don’t know why 😛
I usually give it to page 50 and then if I don’t like it, I will read the last chapter. If I really dislike it and don’t care what happens at all, then I give it away.
If I’m not engaged in the story right away, I quit ,and give the book to someone who might like the story.
I never finish books I’m not interested in within 35 to 50 pages. Too many to move on to.