Every book lover has faced this issue: Should I finish reading a book I’m not really enjoying?
I picked up a novel because it was extremely well-received by critics, who used words like “groundbreaking” and “inventive.”
It may be those things, but it is also not for me. I’m not emotionally invested in the characters, and the writing style — while inventive — just doesn’t resonate with me. I could put the book down right now and not give another thought to how the characters’ lives turn out.
I’ve really only made it this far (191 pages) because I was on a plane with nothing else to read.
Some people, I know, finish every book they start as a matter of principle. Others believe that life is short and the world is full of books, so why stick with something you’re not enjoying?
Where do you come down?
(I’m not identifying the book because I don’t think it’s fair to criticize something I haven’t finished. Who knows? I could discover in the next 106 pages exactly why the critics loved it.)
I used to make myself finish any book I started, but I finally got over it. I have too many books in my TBR stack or that I want to read to waste time on a book I am not enjoying. I do try to get at least half way through before giving up, just to give a fair chance. And there have been a few books (Lord of the Rings, any one?) that I have gone back and tried again. Usually with the same results.
Too many books out there to waste time on one I’m not enjoying. Move on, I say, move on.
My high school English teacher insisted that one should always finish any book you started. Through the years, I can still see her emphatically pounding the desk, as I struggle to read a book. Sometimes, it takes about 100 pages to really get going, and I silently thank her for that advice. Other times, I decide that life is too short to spend any more time on a particular book, and I just don’t finish it, with sheepish apology to Ms. Waring (the teacher) for giving up. For any books I think I will have trouble reading to the end, I try audio books, and it helps me get through it…War & Peace, and a few other classics but I still haven’t finished 1Q84!
I used to start a lot and finish a few, but now I’m on the fence — I try not to get going on something I can’t finish. That said, it REALLY helps to have a long plane flight to really dive in…
Too many books, and too little time. Although I always feel guilty about not finishing a book, that guilt does not last very long and goes away as soon as I have moved onto another that I really enjoy!