My policy is that if I read 150 pages or more of a book I will give a DNF review, but I rarely get half way into a book that I dislike. If you don’t capture my attention within the first few chapters I simply do not have the time or the inclination to continue reading.
Sometimes I will pick up a book and be annoyed with it in moments. This won’t be because of the book, but simply because I am in a mood. I’ll often pick these books back up and re-read them and inside I find a rich fictional world in which I fall in love. Other times it’s simply the book.
I’ve heard many book bloggers lament on not being able to get into a book and struggling through it. I don’t see the point in this. If you dislike a book why insist on reading it? There are hundreds of thousands of books that you could be reading instead.
The only time I force myself to read a book that I dislike is if A) a blogger I love recommended it to me. B) It is a book I have anticipated and want to love or C) I feel obligated. But forcing myself to read a book always results in me resenting the book and the time I am spending on reading it.
Question: Do you force yourself to read books that you start? Is it incredibly hard for you to put a book down? Or do you simply not see the point in reading something you are not enjoying? And for fellow book bloggers does this force reading ever end in you having a reading slump?
Rie (@missiontoread)
Wife, technophile, bibliophile, and student who obsesses over the latest gadget and political drama. I read compulsively. It's an addiction really.
Categories: discussion
I'm like you, I only finish a book when I enjoy it. Everything else doesn't make any sense to me. I read to enjoy and to have a good time, and finishing a book I don't like reading brings me no joy.
ReplyDeleteBoth my mom and my sis finish every book they start, for them everything else wouldn't make any sense, it's quiet funny that we are so different in this aspect of reading.
I've learnt that this is totally not for me, either. I figure that if I'm totally loathing the thing, I'm just not the right reader for it. As a (future) author, I know not everyone is going to love my book. And it's okay to admit I don't love every book I read either.
ReplyDeleteInitially, I struggled under the impression that if one does not have negative reviews then the sincerity of their blog can be questioned. But I'd rather be labeled a bubblegum blog then be guilted into reading stuff that is making me not want to read.
Right now I am knee deep in edits on my own book, but when I get the time to read (rather then write) in the next few weeks, that time will be dedicated to stuff I want to read.
I have SUCH a hard time NOT finishing books. Once I start reading them, I must know how it ends, even if I end up skimming most of it. Even for books I dislike, I need to know if the ending will redeem the book. This was the case with The Immortal Rules -- a book I seriously disliked, which put me in the minority of bloggers, it seems.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could be one of those people who could just stop and not finish a book, but I'm not. VER Y RARELY do I DNF a book. And those are only books where it takes FOREVER for me to get into them and I just don't "get" it. I really need to try and not finish books more often -- I think it would be healthy for me.
As for positive reviews being more prominent, I would say I'm the same. I've gotten to the point where I want to try and share the books I LOVE on the blog, rather than books I hate. I read so much as it is, that I can put those negative reviews on Goodreads and leave the positive for the blog.
Thanks for sharing, Rie -- great discussion!
I do end up finishing almost every book I read. There are so many books that I have started off disliking and then ended up loving by the end. I don't want to miss out on those types of books by deciding not to finish it. It's a toss up. Sometimes the book gets better and sometimes it doesn't, so instead of missing out on something great I end up reading a couple of bad ones as well.
ReplyDeleteStrangely enough, I just posted my first bad review since I started my blog so when I saw this post I had to check it out!
ReplyDeleteI am usually pretty easy going with a book. Even if I don't love it I can usually find some positives. I rarely flounce one though. I'm the type of person who has to know if it somehow gets better and how it will end. I'm trying to do better with that, but I am always curious still.
I do think that a book you aren't totally into has the potential to create a book slump. That has happened to me before. A few times, actually. :(
~Sara @ Forever 17 Books
I must admit that I have a really hard time putting a book down. Most of the time I am lucky and follow advice from my fellow book bloggers and only pick up books that are at least decent if not amazing. Most often the books I dislike are books that I received for review, and therefore I feel the need to finish the book and give a thorough review since the author or publisher sent it to me and all....
ReplyDeleteIts always hard when you can't connect with a book that others have been raving about. I've faced this issue a few times. Twice I told the author that there book wasn't working for me and since I didn't finish the book, I wouldn't be able to review it. They were cool with that.
ReplyDeleteThe remaining times I went back to the book after a while and was able to finish it easily. I guess it depends on your reading mood. I always let the authors know that if I'm not able to finish then there won't be a review. I think that helps and sometimes you just can't read every book that you would like to.
Mihir
It depends! If it's a book I bought, I'll probably put it down if I don't like it. If it's an ARC, I'll TRY to finish it but if I really hate it, I won't. If it's a review request? I ALWAYS try to read it, even if it means my review won't be totally positive. And whenever I review a book, even if I hated it, I always try to say at least one nice thing about it.
ReplyDeleteMolli | Once Upon a Prologue
I used to force myself through. Anymore, I try my best to just let it go and move on. I have a really hard time starting something and not finishing it, and I always try to give it the benefit of the doubt...maybe it's a slow start and it will get better. 100 pages is about my cutoff anymore. If it's not interesting by then, it's never going to be. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI am pretty OCD about finishing what I start, but with so much to read, I've been trying to not force myself to finish if I truly don't like something after giving it a good chance. That's 100-150 pages for a review book.
ReplyDelete