I've seen a lot of people on Goodreads and elsewhere mention that they have unbreakable compulsions that require them to finish every single book they start.
This boggles my mind. I have no problem DNFing a book I'm not enjoying. If it's not wowing me at the halfway point, the last half probably won't wow me, either. I move on until I find something I love.
How about you guys? Do you force yourself to read till "The End," even if it kills you? Or do you give up when you're feeling your eyes start to glaze over?
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I used to force myself to finish, but that was before grad school. Then I realized life was way too short, and my time stretched far too thin, to slog through something I wasn't enjoying.
ReplyDeleteYeah, once you have something big in your life that takes up a lot of time, reading time suddenly becomes more precious, doesn't it?
DeleteI make a valiant effort to finish books even if I don't care for them. I think I only have three on my goodreads DNF list... But I also acknowledge that my time is precious, and if I'm REALLY not liking something, I won't force myself to struggle through it.
ReplyDelete(I'm also very selective about the books I get, though. Chances are, if it's a premise I like, I can finish it for that reason alone.)
I try my best, too. I usually give it a hundred pages. If it's not grabbing me after that, I'm probably best off to DNF it.
DeleteI try my hardest to finish a book even if I have trouble with it. LOL I was just thinking of writing a post like this, Becca. :-)
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and write yours :P we could get a bigger sample pool of answers!
DeleteI finish most books once I get past the first few pages since I like to know how things end and am a fast reader. Books that I give up on tend to be deathly boring or have writing styles I can't stand. I can usually finish books that are terrible in other ways.
ReplyDeleteI wish I was a fast reader! Lol. Yeah, I can usually stand to finish something with a stupid plot or annoying characters (it makes good snark bait), but a writing style I'm not jiving with is the number one reason I DNF things.
DeleteIt really depends on the book. If it's a 500 pager, I'll definitely set it down. If it's a lot less, I might go on.
ReplyDeleteUsually if I'm gonna put it down, it's within the first few chapters, so there hasn't been that might time put into it.
I used to be a slogger, but like other commenters, I've since decided my reading time is too precious and barely hesitate to switch reads in the book hasn't grabbed me after a couple of chapters.
ReplyDeleteI have trouble not finishing a book, even if I hate it. I'm thinking maybe it's bec I'm a little OCD or something : ) But I admire people who are able to put down a book when they don't like it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, sometimes I just stop reading. But other times, when I think it *might* get better, I keep reading. :)
ReplyDelete