[Tiste Simeon]

Hey all I was just thinking about coming across books that you start and never finish. I've started doing it a lot more over the past few years because I only read for fun now so I figure it's fine if I'm not enjoying it.

However I recently stopped reading a book called Tavern that I bought on Kindle after a guy posted on Reddit about how he felt an incredible sense of accomplishment. It sounded like something I could dig but it became very bland and generic and also it seems it hasn't been properly edited. I was bored so I started reading something else.

For some reason this bothered me. Maybe it's because it was an unsigned author and I want to support him or something similar but I kind of felt a bit bad. By all accounts it's doing OK and I saw that he said he had a lot of positive feedback about it so maybe it just wasn't for me? (Maybe, without trying to sound too pretentious, Malazan has spoiled me a bit?)

I dunno I'm not going to keep reading as I don't get much time for it at the moment and I'd rather not have to slog through it. Do you guys do this or are you a die hard "I've started so I'll finish" type?

[Maark Abbott]

The one book I didn't finish (kings of the wyld) irked me so much that I've basically stopped reading because I don't have a desire to any more, and has now gone to landfill.

I've always been a slog 'til you die type (obviously considering I finished the abortive mess that was way of kings) but I think that's changed now. If I pick up on Analacrity and Unreadiness, I'd be more for dunking something off early now.

[acesn8s]

My to be read queue is large enough that I don't have an issue abandoning a book that doesn't resonate with me.

[Macros]

Fall of Light never got past the 10% read mark for me, probably never will. Same for Vellum and a few other books.

It would have bothered me more years ago when I read far more, but my reading time is much more restricted these days so I ain't gonna waste it on something I am not enjoying.

[Slow Ben]

Life is too short and there is too much good literature out there to waste time with something you dont enjoy.


I've only every stopped 2 books.

Prince of Nothing Book 2 (gasp!). We've had this discussion 100 times on here, but i still say I'd rather take a swift kick to the nuts than be forced to read another word of that story.

JV Jones "The Barbed Coil". Been so long i dont remember exactly why i didnt like it, just that every character introduces was THE BIGGEST GUY EVER!!!

[Abyss]

Life is too short to read something you don't enjoy and aren't getting paid for. I tend to skim to the end rather than outright drop a book, but that's a foible that amounts to the same thing.

Most recent example that comes to mind... Lynch's REPUBLIC OF THIEVES. Made it maybe 30% in, decided i was sliding from bored to hatred, read the last ten pages (barely) and out.

Also Leckie's ANCILLARY JUSTICE but to be utterly clear, that was because of the atrocious earbook narrator, NOT the book.

Not much else comes to mind but i tend to be very selective lately as i have less time to read and favor earbooks. When i have eyetime it's mostly been graphic novels and comic collections.

[champ]

I used to slog my way through a book even if I wasn't enjoying it... I soon stopped this when my free time became less and less.

The first series that I actually bailed on/gave up with was Wheel of Time book 4. I was about 20% in and extremely bored... I walked away and never went back even though I had bought the first 6 books.

I also stopped Forge of Darkness about 80% in and didn't go back to that for a while and even then I only skim read it to get to the end.

For me, now, reading really depends on my moods so when I have a good mood phase to read then I will only read something that I really want to where as before I would try anything and everything... this way it is rare that I'll be reading something I don't enjoy.

The last four books I bought was two Mark Lawrence - One Word Kill and Holy Sister, Bernard Cornwell War of the Wolf and ICE Kellanved's Reach so yeah, it was highly unlikely that I would not enjoy any of them.

This post has been edited by champ: 26 April 2019 - 02:24 PM

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Maark Abbott, on 26 April 2019 - 11:55 AM, said:

obviously considering I finished the abortive mess that was way of kings.

It's like weirdly specific Tourettes with you isn't it?

I used to be intent on finishing when I was younger, but I think as others have said now I have less time to read I'm much less inclined to continue if I'm not enjoying something. It doesn't necessarily mean I'll never go back and try them again though - discovered I actually liked both The Historian and Wuthering Heights when I tried them again after giving up the first time.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 26 April 2019 - 02:27 PM

[Abyss]

It's kind of an experience thing... when you've read enough that you know, for certain (or close enough), that you are not and will not enjoy the book, your willingness to bail out is stronger.
So yah, younger me might have toughed it out through any number of 'bad' books, older me doesn't care to. Also because i know, with absolute certainty, that there is something better i could be reading.

[Gorefest]

Like tea leaves or obituaries. Or epitaphs in haiku.

[Tiste Simeon]

Slow Ben, on 26 April 2019 - 01:51 PM, said:

Prince of Nothing Book 2 (gasp!). We've had this discussion 100 times on here, but i still say I'd rather take a swift kick to the nuts than be forced to read another word of that story.

Yeah I'm with you there but I slogged through the horrendous mess that was books 2 and 3 of the PoN series to a hugely underwhelming and disappointing finale. You missed nothing.

[Puck]

Tiste Simeon, on 26 April 2019 - 11:53 AM, said:

For some reason this bothered me. Maybe it's because it was an unsigned author and I want to support him or something similar but I kind of felt a bit bad. By all accounts it's doing OK and I saw that he said he had a lot of positive feedback about it so maybe it just wasn't for me? (Maybe, without trying to sound too pretentious, Malazan has spoiled me a bit?)

Obviously, I agree with what has already been said re not finishing books, I feel the same, but I'd like to also adress this part. Look, that guy put his book out there so people can read it. You bought it and as far as I'm concerned, you don't owe him anything by doing so. If that book turned out meh, it's either just not your type of book or it is really meh, but I think by buying it you already made your point that you support indie authors and it's now his book's job to convince you of that being a good decision. Knowing you as far as I do through this board, this is not going to stop you from buying any more indie books, so I think you should stop worrying about it. It's not on you if his book can't convince you.

[polishgenius]

I used to slog through everything until I tried to read the second book of David Edding's The Dreamers series and since then my brain's been broken and I've not finished countless books in the years since then. Sometimes ones that are obviously objectively quite good but I'm not feeling in the moment, though I do try to get back to those.

[Abyss]

Puck, on 26 April 2019 - 04:28 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 26 April 2019 - 11:53 AM, said:

For some reason this bothered me. Maybe it's because it was an unsigned author and I want to support him or something similar but I kind of felt a bit bad. By all accounts it's doing OK and I saw that he said he had a lot of positive feedback about it so maybe it just wasn't for me? (Maybe, without trying to sound too pretentious, Malazan has spoiled me a bit?)

Obviously, I agree with what has already been said re not finishing books, I feel the same, but I'd like to also adress this part. Look, that guy put his book out there so people can read it. You bought it and as far as I'm concerned, you don't owe him anything by doing so. If that book turned out meh, it's either just not your type of book or it is really meh, but I think by buying it you already made your point that you support indie authors and it's now his book's job to convince you of that being a good decision. Knowing you as far as I do through this board, this is not going to stop you from buying any more indie books, so I think you should stop worrying about it. It's not on you if his book can't convince you.

Counterpoint: you are a horrible person, Tiste. Send this guy all your money and maybe, one day, you'll feel ok with yourself again and be able to sleep without waking up screaming about your heinous betrayal.

polishgenius, on 26 April 2019 - 05:09 PM, said:

I used to slog through everything until I tried to read the second book of David Edding's The Dreamers series and since then my brain's been broken and I've not finished countless books in the years since then. Sometimes ones that are obviously objectively quite good but I'm not feeling in the moment, though I do try to get back to those.

Yah, i think thre's a distinction between 'not liking this but reading it anyways' and 'this is good but i just don't feel like reading about cyber-panda mounted space commandos hunting interdimensional dream vampire ninja just now'.

[Andorion]

acesn8s, on 26 April 2019 - 12:04 PM, said:

My to be read queue is large enough that I don't have an issue abandoning a book that doesn't resonate with me.

This is basically my thing. Hundreds of books out there, no point in slogging through what I am not enjoying.

Also I have noticed that I have become a more particular reader. There are many books I won't pick up, finish, or even if I finish, like. Basically I know what I like and some books are just not for me.

Case in point - Leckie's latest book, I have been picking at it for 2 weeks and I probably won't finish it.

[worry]

You should finish everything you start. And if you don't clean your plate (plate = book) you go to bed without dessert. Those are the rules.

[Salt-Man Z]

Andorion, on 26 April 2019 - 05:31 PM, said:

acesn8s, on 26 April 2019 - 12:04 PM, said:

My to be read queue is large enough that I don't have an issue abandoning a book that doesn't resonate with me.

This is basically my thing. Hundreds of books out there, no point in slogging through what I am not enjoying.

Totally a valid perspective, but I myself have a hard time embracing this simply because there's always the chance that something later will make it all "click" for me.

That said, I have abandoned a handful of books over the last few years. Two this year, in fact, though I plan on resuming them both. What's happened to me both this year and last is I'll suddenly get caught up in reading comics or playing Doom or something else for a few months. It's not that I don't want to read the book, it's that I'd rather be doing something else besides reading the book, and so I don't read.

The most recent true abandonment I've perpetrated was Mariam Petrosyan's The Gray House that I started last year. Lots of people said "read to the end!" and I wanted to, but there was no plot, and I could not for the life of me keep track of all the characters, and it felt like I'd been reading for months but I was like 1/5 of the way in.

[stone monkey]

As I grew older I realised that life is too short for bad books. Especially as I'm not being paid to read them. The urge to complete a book simply because you've handed over your (or someone else's) hard earned cash for strikes me as being akin to the sunk cost fallacy.

[acesn8s]

worry, on 26 April 2019 - 06:45 PM, said:

You should finish everything you start. And if you don't clean your plate (plate = book) you go to bed without dessert. Those are the rules.

If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding.
How can you have any pudding, if you don't eat your meat?

[Abyss]

acesn8s, on 29 April 2019 - 01:43 PM, said:

worry, on 26 April 2019 - 06:45 PM, said:

You should finish everything you start. And if you don't clean your plate (plate = book) you go to bed without dessert. Those are the rules.

If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding.
How can you have any pudding, if you don't eat your meat?

All in all...