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If you’re not enjoying a book, will you stop mid-way? Or do you push through to the end? What makes you decide to stop?
Call it stubbornness, or an excessive sense of duty or optimism, or whatever, but it takes a lot to get me to quit on a book. I’ve dragged myself to the end of some absolutely God-awful books, and a lot of mediocre ones. I don’t like abandoning books; there’s always that unshakeable thought that I might be missing out on something by not finishing; or that I ought not waste the time I’ve already invested in a book by quitting. (Of course this means the additional waste of the time spent finishing the book, so there’s a certain lack of logic there.)
On the rare occasions I do give up, it’s most likely because I couldn’t stand the characters or I was bored stiff, and I just didn’t care what happened. The books that are entertainingly bad at least offer the chance to write a caustic review, which is incentive enough to carry on.
Frankly, I think why should I waste time reading something I don't like when there are so many more to choose from..
ReplyDeleteHere is my BTT: Giving Up post!
I am the same as you. I find it incredibly difficult to put a book down, and I generally agonise over that decision.
ReplyDeletePart of the reason is that there is every chance that a book will get better. Generally books make it on to my TBR list because other people have recommended them to me.
I am exactly like you. It takes A LOT to make me not finish a book. Usually I have to be super offended, grossed out, horrified or bored to not get through it.
ReplyDeleteThe last book I quit reading? Phillippa Gregory's The White Queen. Usually I love her stuff. The story was just not compelling enough for me and I found other stuff to do. The only book I quit reading for my blog was Finnegans Wake. Even though I had the Skeleton Key it made no sense and I was super irritated.