What is your rule of thumb you follow before giving up on a book you can’t get into?
What is your rule of thumb you follow before giving up on a book you can’t get into?
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What is your rule of thumb you follow before giving up on a book you can’t get into?
60 pages. That’s it.
100!
100
25%
3rd to 5th chapter. You can say a lot with a few words, or say nothing with many. Usually, IMO, in the first few chapters based on what info is given, I can tell if I’m going to be able to finish or not.
100 pages.
50-100 pages
One week… Same is a new boyfriend
Chapter 2 then it’s out
About 50 pages in … but one book I was having trouble with and about 70 pages in was only 250 p long … so decided to continue .. so pleased I did .. turned out a good read ….
100 pages typically…I gave up at 30 on Baby Teeth cuz it was too infuriating.
I’m feeling this right now for The Goldfinch. I just can’t read anymore but so many ppl loved it. I hate missing out.
I had to finish goldfinch because it was my own choice for book club…. God I loathed it!
@Belinda glad I’m not alone
I loved it lol
Goldfinch is in the lowest 5 of all time for me. Incidentally, this book is also the reason I no longer force myself to finish a book that I detest. ?
@Lauren. It’s a rambling overly descriptive massively long mess that never makes sense. Yuk,!
Omg, I started this last night. I read forever (or, what felt like forever) and I’m still at 1%. It literally put me to sleep. I never give up on books, but I thought I’d try one more night. I’ve got over 150 books on my kindle, so why kill myself, right?
@Laurie. RIGHT!
Terrible book
No rules. Dont like it, dont need to finish it.
I give about 50-70 pages
I’m too stubborn, once I start a book I’m committed to finish it, makes me very selective.
Your time is too precious to read what you aare not enjoying.
As I age I give it less & less…understand the need to set the pace and gave a background but if the characters aren’t “rich and deep” enough in a few chapters I’m done…I’m gonna give up the ship with SO.MANY wonderful books untapped…not wasting my time
100 pages and if I’m not hooked I have permission to give up on it…if I put a book down and don’t think about it, it’s gone…no time for books that aren’t to my taste even if others have raved about them
@Gizzy same
If I’m not hooked immediately. There’s no way I can force myself to read a book if it’s not a good read.
100 pages
I keep reading it until I find a better one.
I find if I end up not reading at all because I’m not into the book I’m meant to be reading then I’ll give up, start something new and sometimes I come back to it in the future.
If I’m bored and just stop reading altogether as a result then it’s time for the book to be shelved.
I’ll always finish it, but I skim the rest. ?
1/3 of the total page count, sometimes even 25%
Unless just very obviously not going to for me (within the first chapter), then I give it about 1/3 – 1/2, depending on my mood and much 1/3 – 1/2 of the book is. Book Club books I tend to nearly always power through and finish, but often end up skimming at that point. Life is short but not that short. I also read really fast, so I can get through quite a lot in a fairly short amount of time and then be able to move on to other things.
I rarely give up…but when I do it is bc the cover was boring to begin with – honestly
I always finish a book
Three chapters is my personal rule of thumb ??
After 100 pages.
I am at an age where I do not force myself to read a book if it doesn’t hold my interest. I had to finish books in school that I didn’t care for so I just don’t make myself do it!
Varies depending on why I’m giving up
Shorter books 50 pages or 5 chapters whichever is longer. I consider 350 pages to be a shorter book. Books over 350 I read 100 pages or 10 chapters whichever is longer.
Usually 50-100 pages
Page 1
Toss it
~100 pages
100 pages
Sometimes the inside of the jacket
I know it when something else catches my eye. If a book has my attention I’m loyal!?
I try really hard to get on with any book but sometimes it is just not possible, so I give up.
I never want to give up,, but a few times I had to. Kept falling asleep
Life’s to short to read a book you don’t like
?? I dig all these responses!
When tears of boredom start running down my face.
Whenever I feel like I don’t like the writing style which may be within a page or two. Or if the characters are annoying me or it’s boring which may be few chapters. I don’t have a standard point I have to reach before I quit lol. I cba to keep going if something gets boring or is badly written. Too many good books to read instead lol
Not many I have been bored by tbh. I tend to read at least 3-4 chapters at a time, so if it hasn’t grabbed me by then it probably won’t get finished.
If I’m not looking forward to reading it or I’m getting easily distracted and not remembering the paragraph i just read, then I close it and pick another book
100 pages
It really depends…I’ve given up on just a few pages or sometimes I get half done…as I take it back to the library, I tell it, “it’s not you, it’s me.” Lol
Unless I am desperately trying to learn something I give up once I realize my mind wanders away from reading. Once I realize that I consistently would rather do something other than read…I move on.
weird names…and a subject i could care less about…or “this is so not real”
I have none. There are no laws, no rules. I quit when I don’t feel like reading it anymore, or do not wish to pick it up again. It’s completely subjective. It may be that I will pick it up again much later and enjoy it, or maybe never. There are thousands of books for me to enjoy which are worth reading. There is no guilt involved since it harms nothing and no one.
@Emmanuelle amen. Sometimes its just not the right time.
I’m almost there with Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich. I just don’t care about any of these characters.
I put it aside for a few months and then try again
If it’s not moving me or keeping me curious/thinking, I give up. Life is too short, and there are too many good books out there to waste time on one that doesn’t fulfill me in any way.
@Kristina that is exactly what my librarian told me!
I never used to give up on a book! But now I’ve realised life is too short to spend time on mediocre fiction…..will usually try to get at least a quarter through before I make the decision
Falling asleep
Starting a new book
Sometimes a few lines or a few pages depending on how much I don’t want to waste time.
50 to 100 pages
I’m trying to learn one… I’ve started an audio book over literally a dozen times ?
I usually know in the first few pages.The hook is the writing style.
I only ever hated a book so much that I actually threw it away! I rarely give up on a book but if I feel restless I put it aside and try again later.