When Do You Give Up On A Book? - Page 2

[Sailor]

I can give up on a book after the first chapter. Usually, what I do, if the first chapter doesn't grab me, is start skimming the next few chapters - if nothing grabs me there, I just stop reading and move on.

There's so many books out there, and so little time. I won't take that time up with books that don't interest me.

I used to be like other posters here, though - I HAD to finish a book. Finally, I was like "wait a second ... why? Who's making me?" lol And then I stopped doing that.

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Up until Christ The Lord by Ann Rice I read every book to the end no.matter.what.
Not sure what it was about the book...I'm not strictly "religious" or opposed to religious themed writing....and I love Ann Rice, but that one went south for me.

Guess I "broke the seal" with that one. I'll go a few chapters in, but after that I move on to the next book on my list.

Lol. I used to feel pretty guilty about not finishing books for some reason.
But, then again, I used to buy only hardback on the day it was released (silly, i know)....switching to the library kind of helped cure that.

[Caneel]

Until recently, I almost never stop reading a book.

Then I came to the realization there are too many books out there to waste time on ones that don't interest me.

The exception is non-fiction that I feel I should read, like subjects I want to educate myself on. (I read a lot of non-fiction.) Sometimes I need to push myself to finish.

[rambunctiouscurls]

Originally Posted by Freud

I usually HAVE to finish a book. The very first book that I did not finish was Twilight. I thought it was just plain horrible from the beginning. Put it down after chapter 4. I felt no connection whatsoever and the writing was just so horrid that I could not fathom wasting 2-3 hours to finish the book. When you are dreading picking up the book, step away.

funny, that's me too. If the writing is as bad as Twilight's and I'm not finding anything significant about the characters, then it goes on my un-read, will never read, list.

I definately agree with you. Same goes for movies and music too. Why waste your time doing something repulsive. I understand giving things a chance, but a lot of the time, it's not worth it and you will know the whole time.

[TEAK's Mom]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride

How'd you guess?

Let's just say you described my experience with great accuracy...

[rambunctiouscurls]

Originally Posted by hippiechickinsing

I used to feel obligated to finish any book I started. Then I wondered why? I couldn't come up with a good enough answer to waste my time. I usually give a book 50 pages. If there's not anything that I care about in that many pages, I pass it on.

yeah, it's hard to get out of that required reading habit or the feeling that something good is just around the corner if you just give it a chance and 99% of the time, there isn't. anything yummy round the corner, I mean.

I remember reading the Heart of Darkness in literature in college, and man, that was some hard reading. And to have to re-read for symbolism and react in a coherent, legible way just took the cake. did I wish I skipped it? maybe, but maybe there was a reason it came so highly recommended? I don't know. I didn't have a choice--required reading, it was.

but these days, I don't spend too much time reading crappy fluff. and I'm the better for it, I think

eta: not that heart of darkness is crappy fluff. but twilight certainly is.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by TEAK's Mom

Let's just say you described my experience with great accuracy...

I'm always glad to meet another who didn't like them. For a while, I felt like a freak. Most of the people who recommended them to me like fantasy, but not as much as I do, so I really expected to love them. But...not so much.

I was even mad at dh for getting me hooked on trying them again - especially after he gave up on book four. I just couldn't believe they weren't going to get better!!

[TEAK's Mom]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride

I'm always glad to meet another who didn't like them. For a while, I felt like a freak. Most of the people who recommended them to me like fantasy, but not as much as I do, so I really expected to love them. But...not so much.

I was even mad at dh for getting me hooked on trying them again - especially after he gave up on book four. I just couldn't believe they weren't going to get better!!

See, that's just mean. They just don't improve if you try again. I know. I tried.

[Storm Bride]

I gave them all to my brother a week or so ago. If he doesn't like them, he won't read them, and he can deal with the gigantic pile of books.

[BookGoddess]

The book in question is from the library so I don't feel too bad about stopping. I have a harder time giving up on books I've gotten through my book swap club.

[ramama]

I give a book about 5 pages to determine if the author can actually write or not. If the writing sucks, I toss the book aside. Otherwise, I give it about 15 pages to determine if I care about the characters. If it's a book that someone lent me and is likely to ask how I liked it, I give it a bit longer, perhaps a few chapters. As an English major, I was "forced" to read books that I would rather not have read, so now I refuse to read a book that I don't like.

Very very very rarely a book comes along that is so poorly written, but draws me in nonetheless. I always finish those books and feel dirty and ashamed about it when I'm done.

[New]

If I can put it down after one page. If it's a thriller I might skip to the end to find out the killer.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by ramama

Very very very rarely a book comes along that is so poorly written, but draws me in nonetheless. I always finish those books and feel dirty and ashamed about it when I'm done.

I feel a bit like this about Mercedes Lackey. For whatever reason, I enjoy her books, and even re-read them (they're among my "popcorn" books). But, there are aspects of her writing that grate on my every nerve, and I don't actually think she's very good, overall. I just keep reading them, though.

[Smokering]

I'm another backslider from the "MUST finish every book!" school of thought. I just don't have the time or energy these days to plod through a book I dislike. Plus, I often have several books on the go at once - one in the bathroom, one by the bed, a couple chillin' by the sofa - and I occasionally "lose" a book, to have DH put it away. Then I find it months later and think "Have I read that, or not?" So it's not that I hated the book, but it clearly wasn't gripping enough for me to miss it.

I gaveup on War and Peace, made a desultory attempt on a John Grisham and abandoned it a few pages in, gave up on Middlemarch 1/3 of the way through *but have since reread and enjoyed it - go figure!), and got bored in North and South despite being an Elizabeth Gaskell fan. Plenty of others too, but those ones spring to mind. I don't mind a heavy book that takes some perseverance, but bureaucratic or political books, or ones that seem unredeemingly sordid, just don't hold my interest. Ditto bad fantasy - in fact, I almost expect fantasy to be bad, so the writer has to be doubly good in the first few pages to overcome my cynicism! (I don't hate fantasy as a genre, some of my favourite books are fantasy - but it's definitely a genre riddled with pretentious, sketchily-thought-out, badly-written tripe. More so than perhaps any other genre, although I imagine romance might have similar issues... but I don't realy read romance per se.)

[kaliki_kila]

I only end up reading about half the books I get from the library. I don't feel guilty at all not reading a book that I don't want to read. Why do people do that? I don't get it. There's so many good books in this world and you will never be able to read all of them, so why spend time reading books you don't like? It makes reading into a punishment or a chore or something... I just don't understand. If the first paragraph/chapter is boring, or it's just not speaking to me at the moment, or I flip through it and it's not appealing, or I'm just not in the mood for that genre, I move on to another book! I can always come around to the book again and give it another try. I do read some books and go "meh" but I didn't force myself to read it - the book had just enough of something to hold my attention through to the end.

[Masel]

There is a historical era that I have done a lot of research on. For some strange reason I'm still drawn to fiction set in this era even though half the time I do not agree with some aspect of the depiction of that time. It is one of those things that snaps me out of the narrative especially even if the characters are good.

[raksmama]

I gave up on Midnight's Children written by Salman Rushdie.
Everything about the description sounded like the type of literature I like. It is supposed to magical realism, which is a style I usually love. Isabele Allende is my all time favourite author.
Midnight's Children is set in India and is about the British colonialism into its independence. I have enjoyed other books that take place in the same setting... The book won many prizes. I was so sure I would love it and I tried and tried but just could not get into it so I finally gave up.

[TEAK's Mom]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride

I feel a bit like this about Mercedes Lackey. For whatever reason, I enjoy her books, and even re-read them (they're among my "popcorn" books). But, there are aspects of her writing that grate on my every nerve, and I don't actually think she's very good, overall. I just keep reading them, though.

What are you doing in my head this week?

[enkmom]

I am another one who HAD to finish every book I started (where does that come from, anyway?), and didn't quit books until I had my children in my twenties. My time was so limited that I absolutely did not want to put effort into books that weren't doing anything for me.

I have quit books on page 1, in the middle, and even almost to the end. If I'm not interested anymore, I quit. Sometimes, I'm just not in the mood for that book, and I put it on my list to check out again. I still haven't finished Outlander, and I really want to. It took me 8 starts over 15 years to read The Stand, and it is now one of my favorite books.

After I quit a book, if I never think about it again, I obviously didn't need to read it. If I keep thinking about it and wonder what is going to happen to the characters, I put it back on my library list and try again a year or so later.

[BookGoddess]

Originally Posted by jalilah

I gave up on Midnight's Children written by Salman Rushdie.
Everything about the description sounded like the type of literature I like. It is supposed to magical realism, which is a style I usually love. Isabele Allende is my all time favourite author.
Midnight's Children is set in India and is about the British colonialism into its independence. I have enjoyed other books that take place in the same setting... The book won many prizes. I was so sure I would love it and I tried and tried but just could not get into it so I finally gave up.

I agree with you about Salman Rushdie. I've tried reading Midnight's Children but I found it confusing. I do like reading books about India, the British colonial experience, Indian and British relations etc. but I'll have to take a go at Midnight's Children at another point in my life.

I've read Isabele Allende's works. I got through them but it's not like I would pick up one of her books to read again and again.