UK Book Club discussion

I'd state you DNF and how far you got in the review and the reasons why you didn't finish. The point of reviews is to help other possible readers. You didn't appreciate the book, someone may love what you hated or be saved from wasting their time on a book that didn't live up to expectations. I doubt any author would want you to keep ploughing through something you weren't enjoying, unless of course you've promised a read and review.

Ditch it, set up a shelf called Abandoned, give it 1 star and do a brief review on why you hated it and had to bale out. Move on to something better.

If you find yourself continually abandoning books half way through, then do more research before you start a book. Some books you can tell a chapter in that it's just not going to work out, and that's fair enough. But if you're halfway through it starts to feel like you're committed. Like if you stop now that reading this far was a waste. Right? lol And if it happens repeatedly you might start to either feel bored with reading at all, or wonder if you have lost your ability to focus on a book.

Solutions are
1. Read short stories (Won't work if you need a full-bodied plot to stay interested).
2. Read a lot of spoiler free reviews and make sure that the book you are picking up has the right qualities.
3. Try another genre for a while.

There are so many books in the world and life is too short for poor literature.

Yes, the kindle sample function is brilliant. It might not alert you to a poorly wrought plot or a total lack of character development, but it will at least warn you if the writing style (or lack thereof) will make you want to get a paper edition just so you can hurl it at the wall and stomp on it.

Btw. I see you are currently reading Patrick Rothfuss. Is that one you are considering abandoning? I ask because he's an author I've been recommended by multiple people, but I haven't gotten around to reading a sample yet.

Leni, I have read The Name of the Wind and I really enjoyed it. I think its one of those book you either love it or hate it. For this book the reviews did not help me more so once I started to read it. I do have the next book to read though but you have to be in the mood for this type of book or you will not finish it.

As to abandoning books, I haven't done that to many. I think I live in hope the book will improve. If I am unsure of a book at the start I tend to go to amazon as most books you can read the first chapter before I buy it which has saved me reading a lot of books I would not of liked.

Sounds like I should give it a go. And thanks for the offer Dan. I live in Wales, so not exactly around the corner. I also have about half a dozen books scheduled that I'm not allowing myself to get distracted from, so there's no rush. :)

Dan wrote: "Exactly Leni, life _is_ too short for poor anything really.

I usually go by the reviews, but I guess a lot of people have low standards when it comes to literature. I'll definitely try another gen..."

Goodreads is great. When investigating a book I know little about, I will read a few reviews (some love and some hate) and then check out those reviewers' favourites shelf. If they've enjoyed similar books, I have more confidence that I will enjoy their recommendations and heed their warnings!

That's such a good way to go about choosing, Liz. I also read a sample on Amazon just to be sure. Belt and braces.

For you, Dan, I wish you a happy new year and the knack of choosing books you'll appreciate and even love!

I use to feel guilty for giving up on a book. Well, I am in my early 50's and I once calculated how many books I could possibly read before I die. Then I thought how many books are out there to be read, really good books......and I figured, life is too short. I have to cram in as many that I enjoy before I kick the bucket!

I don't think you should feel bad about not finishing books you hate. That's exactly what emotions like irritation are for - to let you drop things that lead nowhere and waste no more precious time. It's a feature not a bug =)

I am old enough to have been taught that all books must be finished. I dread to think how much time I've wasted on books which I read because this had been instilled into me! Older and wiser now, I so agree that life is too short to waste on books you are finding tedious, uninteresting or for some other reason. I try to finish group 'read alongs' if only to voice my poor opinion of a book, but on occasion I've had to give up and tell the group just that and why.
On another website I set up a thread for books most disliked in 2015, and found many people reporting their unfinished, disliked and depressing books! It seems that readers are as keen to admit their DNFs as their favourites, so perhaps we are at last beginning to realise that reading is meant to be enjoyable.

Also, if you don't want the books to be filed as 'read', you can make an 'abandoned' shelf and edit it to be 'exclusive'. That way the shelf behaves like the 'To read', 'Currently reading' and 'Read' shelves and the book can only show up on one of them.

If I'm not enjoying a book, I drop it and read something else. I'm way past the "required reading" years, and I can always give it another try later on. I have very little free time, and I don't waste any of it on books that I'm not enjoying.

I think the 'abandoned' shelf is a pretty good idea.

I find myself more likely to end up in reading slump if I force myself to finish a book I'm not enjoying. Almost like it spoils the enjoyment of the next book I read. Whereas if I don't finish it, I can relax and start the next one without feeling so . . . .blarg about reading.

I find it hard to abandon a book, I always have the hope it will get better and wonder if I will miss something. The one notable exception was 100 million years of death, depression and destruction aka 100 Years of Solitude. How that book attracted the massive following it has is beyond me.

Absolutely. Not finishing a book is a dreadful crime; the Reading Police will come and kick your door down in the middle of the night, your family will never see you again, your children will be cast into the streets to starve...

What is the purpose of reading? Generally for eduction, to fulfil instructions or a favour from someone else, or for enjoyment. If reading has been imposed on you, you might well have to stick it out to the bitter end, but if you're just reading for fun... well, if it's not fun, why are you still doing it?

I started one the other day, and within two pages I knew that the writing style would frustrate me to screaming point, so I abandoned it. I've got a lot less tolerant in my old age - like Cynthia above, I calculated how many books I can read before I die and there's no room for stuff I don't enjoy or find useful!

I also think it's very valuable to be able to discuss the books you didn't like, as well as the ones you did. Discussing with someone else - who may or may not agree with you - can give you new insight into why you liked a book, or not. The best kind of discussions are where both parties go away having learned something new - and that rarely happens if you stick to topics where everyone is in agreement.

Very wise words TK but even so considering myself rather lucky that I don't live down south anywhere near that there Reading and its much feared police force. I'd never sleep at night.

Ian wrote: "Very wise words TK but even so considering myself rather lucky that I don't live down south anywhere near that there Reading and its much feared police force. I'd never sleep at night."

At the risk of lowering the tone, living in Looe would be worse. Who knows what their police might do?

lol

There are only a few books I've not finished - more I wish I hadn't. Usually I find something I like about the book but, honestly, life is too short for bad books. Drop it and start something new.

I too was taught to finish the book if only for education purposes. I recently forced my way through War and Peace - those hours can never be reclaimed. No more - if I do not like I'll stop. Unless, that is, I know and accept that the book has e.g. a slow start, complex language and plot, difficult disturbing subject matter.

From a relatively inexperienced writers perspective - I of course want you to read and enjoy my book. I know many will not for many reasons, including the above examples and others.

If you don't like it don't read it, watch it or listen to it.

I always finish the book. It can always be something interesting at the end)

I always used to finish a book but these days I don't waste my time if i really don't like it. It very much depends on the reason for not liking it, the biggest reason for me is if I don't like the writing style.- many books have fallen by the wayside this way. If it is just the plot then I might plough on just to see what happens.

When I choose books to read I like to look at the negative reviews if they are speciific as well as positive ones. The choice of books is about a readers taste and what one reader likes another may hate. The worst reviews ever are the ones that give five stars to a book with the comment : I haven't read this yet but I know I'm going to love it!

Not starting is worse than not finishing, imo.

I was raised to think of leaving a book unfinished as deeply wrong, and it's still something I rarely do, but I do do it sometimes: there are too many books I'm confident I will like to waste time on ones I don't.

And there are many people who never, or rarely read at all.

Do what works for you (but if you review a book you did not finish, I think it's only fair to make that clear).

When I started reading, I didn't like not to finish a book, even though I wasn't enjoying the story. But, one day I read a comment from an author who said that there are billions of books in the world, and we don't have so much time to waste it reading something that doesn't entertain us. Since then, it is easier to decide :)

I always try to finish a book, although in some cases this may take weeks if not months, but I have previously found myself only in two instances in which I felt like being able to finish a book was something I could not do. I think that if you don't like a book to that point and have spent weeks trying then you shouldn't force yourself to as I remember it did make me put down books for quite a while and it was a couple of months before I picked up books again, at the beginning they even felt like a chore.

My habit was to finish a book, but in the past couple of years, as my TBR bookshelves have begun stacking up, I'm getting somewhat more impatient. I have started to give up on books, in fact, 3 in April. If they aren't going anywhere or I'm just not grasping the plot.. well, then I've given up. If I do, I still record the book as being started but in my review I indicate a DNF and also I don't give it a rating as I think that's sort of unfair.

I am feeling less guilty about not finishing books. I've read enough books to know that there is a point where I'm pretty certain it's not for me, and life's too short to plow through a book just because I feel the book deserves to be finished.
I actually did plow through Dan Simmons' door stopper The Five Hearts, which reinforced my conviction that sometimes you do need to give up and move on to the next book.

I'm beginning to feel the same. I used to feel an obligation to finish a book I'd started. Not so much nowadays. I've so many I want to try that if I feel I've given a book a good try (usually about half way) and it's not grabbing me still, then I give up on it. Most recently I gave up on my first attempt at one of Steve Berry's Cotton Malone books. Lots of action but so convoluted a story, I just found it too easy to put down and pick up another book. Finally gave up on it.

No, life is too short...move along!