I find that I sometimes leave books unfinished.
I recently left Small Island by Andrea Levy halfway. I'm now reading Never Far from Nowhere by the same author and find myself enjoying it.
For me the book test is: read from any three pages at random, and if you feel intrigued, pick it up. Both books passed the test, both are by the same author, both have great voice. But I left one unfinished and am on my way to finishing the other.
There are so many books out there, and so many new writers I want to try out that if I find a book too hard to like, I let it go, and find something new instead.
Do you ever not finish a book, and feel guilty afterwards?
Yes, and yes. It's pretty rare; once I get past either the first chapter or 25 or so pages I force myself to finish, even if I hate it. I've ditched plenty in this manner.
This week I had this problem with "The Mostly True Story of Jack" by Kelly Barnhill. It was by turns intriguing and boring, and I decided halfway through that I didn't like it. After about 2/3 of the way through I skipped through to the end.
I did the same with "The Stand". About 2/3 of the way through it had grown so tedious that I skipped and read the last chapter and coda. It confused the hell out of me, but I knew how it turned out in the end, and there was no way I was going to keep plodding through what had become such an irritating, bland story.
I've ditched some stories after 25 pages only to come back later and love them, including Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, "Wicked, and "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell".
I always feel guilty when I don't like a book, whether I finish it or not, and I'm pretty sure there's a special place in Hell for book abandoners. But I'm also the kind of person who apologizes and begs forgiveness when I have to pay an overdue book fine at the library.
Sometimes I pick up a book and get a short ways into it -- maybe twenty-five pages -- and I will put it down if it isn't captivating me. If I get really far into a book and it is losing its wonder, I will set it on a special stack of half-finished books, and someday in the future, when I am in the mood to get back into that book, I will pick it up again. I got halfway through Capote's In Cold Blood before I ached for something different and temporarily set it down. My shelf of half-finished's contains a few other books that I would be scolded by some people for not finishing.
Don't feel guilty, though. My mom told me once that "you should never have to force your way through a book." For what you paid for it and the time you've devoted to it, it should be all pleasure for you. Granted, I do have to force my way through books sometimes, but you shouldn't feel guilty.
I leave loads. I don't feel I should have to work at a book. I'm a bit of a 'Luddite' in that I see books as entertainment. If I'm not entertained, I wont bother with it.
@Dorian In Cold Blood is one of my most favorite books. Leaving my experience behind as a reader, I'd die happy if I could write a few pages so crystal clear, yet gorgeous. I loved the writing because I didn't notice it while I read, but loved it when I thought back on it. But it is a hard book to read at a go-- I took breaks from it, and kept going back.
Your mom was right, I think. But then there are certain books that I did force my way through, like Shipping News by Annie Proulx, and felt rewarded afterwards. Which is why I feel guilty sometimes-- maybe if I force my way through, I'll see light? As I grow older, and realize I'm not immortal, I tend to be more forgiving of myself in giving up on a book halfway through.
Yes. A lot, actually.
Jonny, seeing books as entertainment does not make you a luddite in any way.
Readers are divided into those who read for enjoyment, those who read to be pushed into new directions of thought, and those who want both. All appraoches are equally valid imho.
I fall in the last category, but I'll sometimes choose books in the other two categories as well. It all depends on what I'm feeling like on any given day.
And I've begun to leave out quite a few after reading a bit, especially since I moved to ebooks and to this country where the national library seems to contain more fiction than I can finish in a lifetime.
@RoaringJen I leave out, but not too many. The thing is, with ebooks, it is pretty easy to read multiple books at the same time, and let go of the one I can't make myself finish.
@Emma I'm like you. I try to finish the library books I start, cos I choose them in the first place after a lot of deliberation, and ditching them midway seems like I don't like my own choice! And I feel guilty for abandoning a book-- I don't talk about it much in real life.
I do. I just get distracted by shiny things, no real reason. Although I did decided I didn't want to finish a Stranger in a Strange Land the other day which is rare for me. I'm trying to go back and finish all the ones I've started.
I rarely leave a book unfinished, although I'm more relaxed about it now. There was a time I would OCD about it.
Dwayne, like you, I want to go back and finish those I've left halfway. Some inspire me to go back more than others.
averydoll, earlier I never picked another book till I finished the one in hand. Now I sometimes read 4 at the same time-- one on my kindle which I read in trains, one I leave in the toilet, one by the bedside, and one in the kitchen. I've noticed that I tend to skip books on kindle, probably cos making the change is so easy.
I think you might have been CDO.
I am a compulsive finisher, so even when I hate a book, I feel compelled to finish it. These days though, I'm busier than ever and have an energetic toddler, I'm slowly letting go. I'm letting books go unfinished so I can move on to other books. Still, it's maybe 5 books at absolute maximum.
If I read past the halfway point I'll finish the book, but it's not at all uncommon for me to not get that far; no guilt.
Dwayne-- I think we decided I have MPD.
Sparrow-- my list of unfinished books is somewhere around 50.
JY-- I do feel guilty, but I'm beginning to let go.
I should have said I'm trying to go back and finish them all except Stranger in a Strange Land.
I have my kindle. It is both a blessing and a curse. I am able to carry all of my favorite books/novels however, I find myself jumping from book to book.
Robbie, that sounds familiar. I'm like a monkey with my kindle, jumping from story to story, biting a bit out of this one or that one, and moving on to another. MUST stop that. Sigh.
It's very rare that I won't finish a book, but it has happened. Usually because I started reading something else and got wrapped up in that.
I'm more prone to starting a book and then leaving it unfinished for a while, then coming back to it. I took a year break in the middle of the fourth Harry Potter book. It has been months since I picked up The Hunger Games. But I do finish them at some point.
The last book I didn't finish was The Bourne Betrayal. Just couldn't get into it.
I may often get half way through a book and put it down, sometimes to never finish it. One thing that I have learned about myself is that, if I have to force myself to finish a book I will not get the full benefit/enjoyment out of it and the book doesn't get a fair chance to tell me the story. If I find I have lost interest in a book and drop it, but come back to it after my mind is ripe for it, then the story is being told the way it was meant.
