First time I did this was with We Need To Talk About Kevin. Two pages in and I threw it into a corner, annoyed because nobody talks like this, nobody writes letters like this. A great quality of paperbacks is that they fly very gratifyingly over a good distance but won’t hurt anybody in the flight path. Unlike a Kindle. (Subsequently enjoyed the film very much, but I stand by my huffy decision.)
This is all very wise but what about my Goodreads challenge? It tells me I'm behind but I've read SO MANY PAGES I cannot in good conscious add to my 'read', bookshelf, and it feels like such a waste. (Half sharing this for a lol, half because it genuinely pains me and I need help)
Obviously each to their own, but challenges seem to gamify reading, instilling that guilt I talk about in the piece, the feeling you’ve lost a battle because you didn’t finish. (Just add them to your read bookshelf unless you genuinely think you might pick them up again. The effort counts, not the act of finishing.)
I DNF'd a book just this morning. I read the first paragraph of the fourth chapter and thought I just couldn't bring myself to read another word I was so bored.
In the past few years I have become much more comfortable with not finishing a book if I’m not enjoying it. Last year I got through 300 pages of a 400+ page book and then decided I didn’t care enough about the plot or the characters to bother carrying on with it. It felt very liberating to cast it aside and pick up something much more enjoyable!
Even if you can tell the story might be about to get interesting, it’s too late – they’ve had pages and pages to hook you. Close book, throw over shoulder, move on.
A recent convert to DNFing (I think it's a 'confidence comes in your 40s' thing), this weekend I DNFed an extremely successful international bestseller. An Instagram connection in a similar position took one for the team and finished it, giving me her brief synopsis of the last few chapters, which she agreed were deeply disappointing. Never have I felt quite so smug about a DNF (indeed, as the saying goes: no one on their deathbed ever says 'i wish I'd finished more books I wasn't enjoying')
First time I did this was with We Need To Talk About Kevin. Two pages in and I threw it into a corner, annoyed because nobody talks like this, nobody writes letters like this. A great quality of paperbacks is that they fly very gratifyingly over a good distance but won’t hurt anybody in the flight path. Unlike a Kindle. (Subsequently enjoyed the film very much, but I stand by my huffy decision.)
This is all very wise but what about my Goodreads challenge? It tells me I'm behind but I've read SO MANY PAGES I cannot in good conscious add to my 'read', bookshelf, and it feels like such a waste. (Half sharing this for a lol, half because it genuinely pains me and I need help)
Obviously each to their own, but challenges seem to gamify reading, instilling that guilt I talk about in the piece, the feeling you’ve lost a battle because you didn’t finish. (Just add them to your read bookshelf unless you genuinely think you might pick them up again. The effort counts, not the act of finishing.)
You're right, of course.
Ps, reading your first novel currently, will definitely end up on my 'did finish' shelf
Haha. I’m delighted to hear it, thank you!
I have never felt any guilt about not finishing a book.
There are so many books (films/TV shows) that it's not worth slogging though anything. We all like different things and that's ok!
Opening Netflix is quite triggering. So much TV.
I think the problem is that too many people are still being raised to think of reading as an unpleasant duty, or a way of demonstrating their worth.
I’ve DNF’d on page 1 before now (“peek” for “peak”).
Oof. That would do it.
I DNF'd a book just this morning. I read the first paragraph of the fourth chapter and thought I just couldn't bring myself to read another word I was so bored.
Knowing when to quit is an achievement in itself.
In the past few years I have become much more comfortable with not finishing a book if I’m not enjoying it. Last year I got through 300 pages of a 400+ page book and then decided I didn’t care enough about the plot or the characters to bother carrying on with it. It felt very liberating to cast it aside and pick up something much more enjoyable!
Even if you can tell the story might be about to get interesting, it’s too late – they’ve had pages and pages to hook you. Close book, throw over shoulder, move on.
Oh, I agree with your remarks about marriage being hard work. If you have to work hard at it, that person isn't the right one for you!
I've run across books that are just too boring to finish, so I flip to the last page, read it, and quit.
Usually I don’t even bother doing that. Not caring how it ends is quite liberating.
Akin to a full shift down a salt mine, hahaha!
A recent convert to DNFing (I think it's a 'confidence comes in your 40s' thing), this weekend I DNFed an extremely successful international bestseller. An Instagram connection in a similar position took one for the team and finished it, giving me her brief synopsis of the last few chapters, which she agreed were deeply disappointing. Never have I felt quite so smug about a DNF (indeed, as the saying goes: no one on their deathbed ever says 'i wish I'd finished more books I wasn't enjoying')
We deserve to have a good time when we’re reading! If not, goodbye!