Second Wind Publishing discussion

I just stopped reading another book midway through. I wasn't enjoying it and I knew I was never going to. Life's too short, right? I don't quit many books but I always feel guilt before I do and then a kind of joy and pride after I do.
Do you quit books you're not enjoying or do you stick it out? How long do you give it before you pull the plug?

Eric Beetner
co-author of One Too Many Blows To The Head (with JB Kohl)

I never ever used to, but I do now. I stick them out for quite awhile though. I just have to make sure.

Lavada Dee

I agree, Eric. Too many books out there to waste time on one not worth the effort. Problem is, I'm having more and more trouble finding many worth the read. I loved your "One Too Many Blows to the Head" and finished Gar Anthony Haywood's excellent "Cemetery Road" a couple weeks ago, but it's been pretty slim pickin's the last 4 books I've attempted to give a read. I set them aside in case it's merely that I'm not in the right frame of mind, but stick them to the bottom of my very large stack.

It really depends on the circumstances. If I'm reading the book for review, I will stick it out to the end, although it's been really tough at times. Books of my own, I have put a few down because I simply couldn't read them, but it's been very few. There was one that I was glad I kept going on because about a third of the way through it, the tempo finally changed and I really enjoyed it. In fact, the ending made the beginning make sense. Some of the most difficult books I've encountered are those that have actually won top prizes, including the Pulitzer. One in particular I simply couldn't finish, yet it was highly praised.

I never stop reading a book until I've completed it.

I agree, Eric. Usually if I'm not enjoying a book I mark it as a DNF (did not finish). My reading pile is too huge and I unfortunately don't have much time to read so I want to spend time reading something I enjoy. Sometimes I do drudge along, though if I'm curious enough to see how things are wrapped up in the resolution.

If I'm not enjoying a book, I will put it down. No guilt, no regrets. If its a book that someone who knows me well recommended to me, I will usually put it back on the TBR stack to attempt at another time. Sometimes, the cause of my non-enjoyment is my mood. Once that changes, I will try again. Sometimes that will work and I do end up enjoying the book. Sometimes it doesn't, and then I'll just put it down and call it a day.

I never did until recently. I stopped reading a book for the first time ever. I used to always stick out in respect for the author. I felt that they made the effort to write I should make the effort to read.
But, as the rest have said, there simply isn't enough time to do that.

I try and read books for a specific purpose or because they have a good recommendation. Still every so often, I have a book with which I am not getting along and I stop wherever the truth has finally occurred. This is troublesome for me because I like to think the best of books and writers but, alas, sometimes we do not seem to agree.
While I fully recognize the difference between a book I simply do not like and a bad book, sometimes I do not care for either. On the other hand, I sometimes force myself to read a book through, such as the latest series of vampire books which shall remain nameless. Important books which I find difficult I try and finish, especially non-fiction, although I confess that I have never yet completed Moby Dick.

Seeing I'm an author and a reviewer, I usually stick with a book to the end. If I don't care for it, I hope it will pick up and get better, so I keep reading, especially if I have to review it. Or, if I keep reading even if I don't care for it, I figure out how the heck it got published.

I think in all the years I've been doing reviews there was only one book I couldn't get into and I stopped reading about midway, otherwise, I'm a voracious reader and will read most anything.

I laughed when I read where you say 'figure out how the heck it got published'. You know it was books like these, that I read all the way through, that got me to writing. I just knew I could do better.

On the flip side, even now I feel a little despair when I read a really great story and think I want to write like this or wish I'd thought of the plot.

Lavada, how I know what you mean. I've read books by a certain well-know and VERY BIG author (and I don't mean size wise) that I've thrown across the room because the writing is horrible. But then, I realize this author IS a best selling author and I loved the earlier books this person wrote, so when it comes to publishing, this person is big business and big money, and that's what they look at, while someone unkown like me, struggles with every word. (Geesh, talk about a run-on sentence!) Anyway, I felt the same way...if this trash can get published, so can what I write. Not so easy though as I learned and it took MANY rejections before the final acceptance, but I can live with that!

Your second paragraph I can totally relate to also. I just finished a wonderful book for review...totally riveting, though not written that well, but the plot and information in the story was outstanding, so... I guess it's all a matter or perserverance and luck, don't you think? Keep on plugging. We may never become well-known or best sellers, but I don't think those of us who really love to write are doing it for the fame and money. Heck, if that's the case, I'd give up! LOL

Belonging to a book club can certainly increase one’s chance of boredom. It is the main reason I haven’t belonged to one in years, a decade or two even. For me, choice is the crucial part of reading anything. I often consider reading recommendations from a close few with similar tastes. However, I am the one that will venture out to find new authors, and in doing so, have experienced boredom in the early part of a story. I will skip forward a chapter or two and if that too dredges along, all hope for a good read evaporates; otherwise I go back and push through knowing things will improve. Once in a great while I’ll try another book by the same author that once bored me because let’s face it, we all have bad days and only twice has that author gone non-grata. I have adopted the habit of sitting in the book store to read the first few chapters of any new author before buying. (Another reason why bookstores are more important to me than buying ecopies.)

I wonder how much of it is state of mind, like Deb said. I bet there are books I could revisit and enjoy. Too much other stuff gets in the way though.
I hat feeling guilty about setting aside books by authors I know I "Should" like. James Ellroy comes to mind. I just can't get into his books, and I've tried like hell.

I sometimes quit books I have no patience to endure. There are exceptions: if I am reviewing the book or if a friend has lent me the book.

I am no longer in school chasing a grade and I have a very busy life and tons of books I do want to finish before I die. If the book is not worth my time (and usually I give the author 1/3 of the book to capture my interest), I will discard the book in the half-read list, which is only about 1% of the time.

Eric wrote: "I wonder how much of it is state of mind, like Deb said. I bet there are books I could revisit and enjoy. Too much other stuff gets in the way though.
I hat feeling guilty about setting aside books..."

Don't feel guilty. Some genres are not for all readers just like not all people enjoy death-metal music.

Read what you enjoy and feel good about it. I don't care how many times I get criticized for reading chic lit. I LOVE it! It gives me pleasure. I laugh so much more because of it.

Nicholas wrote: "Belonging to a book club can certainly increase one’s chance of boredom. It is the main reason I haven’t belonged to one in years, a decade or two even. For me, choice is the crucial part of readi..."

Amen. I don't belong to any book clubs, but I do belong to book communities like Goodreads where I can discuss the books I want to read with others who have or who are reading them.

I used to stick it out, but the older I get the less patience I have with books I don't like. Now, unless I'm reviewing it, I'll stop reading something I don't enjoy.

Deborah J Ledford wrote: "I agree, Eric. Too many books out there to waste time on one not worth the effort. Problem is, I'm having more and more trouble finding many worth the read. I loved your "One Too Many Blows to the ..."

I agree. I am also having a harder and harder time finding books what are worth reading. Sad...isn't it.

I used to read books all the way through. Then I thought..."why should I"? So now, I either, put down the book all together (it has to be real bad for me to do that) or I begin by skipping ahead a couple paragraphs, then chapters and if I can't stand the suffering any longer, I skip to the end, just so I get the outline of the story.

I do stick it out. It takes me a while sometimes, and occasionally I have to take a break, read something else, then come back to it. I can really only remember a couple times that I didn't finish a book.

Some writers of the books I have read have a very special style in writing. They bombard you with lots of names (and very difficult ones, if translated from another languages), but in Roman Rolland as well as Tolstoy I have realized that you have to read on and the stories turn out to be amazingly wonderful. So, when I get a new book I stick it out for a while;but with modern writing, unlike the classic ones, it would be easy to see where the story is going to take you just after a few pages.

I usually stick it out by speed-reading when I lose interest, or the book will fall to the bottom of the reading pile and get picked up when I'm more in the mood.

I usually stick with it, it just takes me a little longer than usual to read it. The only exception is if it is a book I am not liking and is really not a good book that I should be reading. I just recently finished reading the book Hood by Stephan Lawhead and in the beginning I didn't like it very much at all. But I finished it, and it actually wasn't that bad and I am reading the sequel.

I rarely quit a book, although I'm very selective of what I choose to read. I almost never read something self-published unless it comes highly recommended. I'm amazed by the number of people on Amazon who review a book they admit to not finishing. The only time I won't finish a book is if it's just so poorly written I can't stand it. Some books start slowly to finish strong; while others start with a bang but leave me disappointed in the end. Still, unless the writer has no talent, I feel I owe it to the author to finish what I start. After all, I understand all too well the work that goes into creating a text, the hundreds of hours, the labor of love.

I finally decided that I am too old to waste my time on a book that I am not enjoying! There are simply too many books that I want to read. I usually try to make it through the first 50 pages before I bail, and sometimes it's a good enough book, just not what I am in the mood for at the time.

I will give a book about 50 pages. I try to figure out if I'm going to like a book before I start by looking at some reviews and reading a few pages, so I have some feel for what the book will be like. That is easier with non fiction, which I read quite a bit. The thing about mysteries is that sometimes you think that if you keep reading just a few more pages, the story will have something for you and the author has just been keeping it back. This has gotten me to finish a few books that I didn't much like.
Having a Kindle makes it easier to give up on a book because they don't cost as much! Sometimes, when I paid 30 bucks, I hate to admit that I don't like the book. Libraries are helpful with that kind of problem. You just return the darn thing.

Hi, Nancy. I have the same experiences and feelings as you are describing. They are so true...

I used to read books all the way through, no matter what and then one day I thought how silly to waste my time being miserable. Now I give a book about 50 or so pages. If it hasn't grabbed me by then I usually give up and move onto another.

The only time I give a book a longer chance is if the book is highly recommended by lots of other readers and friends. One example: The Poisonwood Bible -- really didn't like it until I was past the 100 page mark. I was really glad I pushed past the first 100 or so pages. I consider it one of the best books I read in quite a long time.

The Host was a slow starter but it was so good I forgot about the start until two other people pointed it out to me. Well worth reading further on this one.

I'm creating a podcast of my novel The Red Album of Asbury Park Remixed for Podiobooks. I've posted the first two chapters in MP3 format on http://www.willcall.org I'd like to get some feedback on the quality (if any) of my voice and how the recording comes across. Podcasting is new for me. It's an interesting process with a steep learning curve. I will return the favor if you try this yourself.

It's strange how many years I have kept some books thinking at some point they will magically get good enough for me to enjoy. I think the best thing for me to do is put them in my give-away pile when I make a few attempts to read them and still can't.