When you're reading, do you ever feel like the book is just not doing it for you? You want to love the book but it's just not interesting enough, or maybe it's lacking something, or it's just plain boring? When this happens, what do you do? Do you power through till the end, or do you just quit because you can't take it anymore?
Me? I don't like giving up on books, plain and simple, so I'll usually power through it out of sheer curiosity. But then I end up not liking the book, so there's that. And on the rare occasion I just... can't, and I'll, dare I say it, drop the book.
I actually went to my DNF Goodreads shelf to check out the books I have there...
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| *GASP* |
I actually went to my DNF Goodreads shelf to check out the books I have there...
Yeah, I don't have many on there. As I said, I'm not the giving up type (although sometimes it happens...), but when I abandon a book its usually because:
A. It's too boring/not interesting
B. I didn't see the story going anywhere/Is there even a plot here??
C. It takes too long for the action to begin
D. It was SO confusing I had no idea what was going on (This is the one that seems to happen the most often... very frustrating)
E. And on one occasion, it was SO disgusting I just couldn't take it (only read the first chapter of this one)!
When do I decide to drop a book? Well, I usually just get tired of it and set it aside with the intention of coming back to it later. So I start another book but then days turn to weeks turn to months and I just never pick it back up. Then I wonder to myself whether it would've gotten better if I had picked it up. But then I remember how much I was NOT enjoying that book...
As you saw, I only have a handful of books on my DNF shelf, but just because they are on that shelf it doesn't mean that I'll never pick them up again. There is a small possibility that I'd give these books a second chance... just not any time in the near future ;)
What are your thoughts? Do you stick with the book till the end, or do you just stop wasting your time with it? Let me know in the comments below, or feel free to link me up to a post you've done yourself! :)
I just went ahead and checked my DNF list and *gasp* there are *ultra-mega gasp* 20 books I have abandoned. I didn't realize I had that many books I didn't finish. I'm mostly a very impatient sort of person so as soon as I feel like it's too boring/not going anywhere, I drop it because I don't like forcing myself to read. Besides, if I do force myself, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on a thing. Six books is such a decent number though. How do you DO IT!?!
ReplyDelete- Naban @ The Literary Oracle
Wow!! I totally get it! Reading is supposed to be a pleasurable thing, so shy force yourself to read something you are not enjoying?
DeleteHaha, I don't know. I'd like to think that i choose good books, ones that I'll like. I really don't know, LOL.
I usually power till the end or leave it be for a while... I do the DNFFN (Did Not Finish For Now) and then loads of times I pick them up again and love them, since sometimes you are not in the right mood for that particular book at the time. But when I dread thinking of picking up that particular book again... then it is a proper DNF book and I just give up on it properly.
ReplyDeleteI actually created a new shelf: to pick up later, for books I know I intend to come back to. But yes, I'm like you to! Sometimes I come back to it, sometimes I dont if I'm like "Ugh!" just thinking about coming back to it.
DeleteTo me, a DNF is a "this book is not for me" thing while there is another category of book that maybe I'm just not feeling at the moment. So I added a new "setting aside for now" shelf.
ReplyDeleteI only force myself to finish if it's a review book I asked for. But sometimes I skim...
Thanks so much for stopping by! Jen @ YA Romantics
It makes sense to power through the review books you requested... but I just can't. If I put it aside and don't pick it back up, ever, it's DNF'd even if it was a review book, unfortunately. Skimming, yes, I do that sometimes too :)
DeleteI have similar feelings, I don't want to abandon a book! I usually power through, even if I hate it. That teaches me something as well, because then I figure out what it is that drives me nuts about and know not to do it in my own writing, ever.
ReplyDeleteI feel especially guilty about DNFing books I got for review, and I think I've only done it twice. I don't plan to pick those up again, ever, but sometimes I still wonder what would have happened at the end...
That is very true! Figuring out what bugs you about it so you yourself don't do it in your own writing... I never thought about that! But I write sometimes too, so thank for pointing that out! I will definitely take it into account!
DeleteOh yes! DNFing review books... I hate it, especially if it's ones you requested. But sometimes you just can't, you know? And yeah, I'm always curious whether the book would've gotten better or not...