# Do you give up on 'bad' books or read through anyway?



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

So, there was discussion in the Historical Romance thread (I think it was) about when or whether you should give up on a book you've started reading. So I was inspired to start the poll and this discussion.  Do you have to finish? Is it no problem for you to quit books? Has that changed for you over the years? What criteria do you use to decide when you've given the book enough of a chance?

Discuss?



My answer is C (3? ). But the 4th one is a little bit true too . . . . as a kid I had access to, it seemed to me, a limited number of books. At least at any one time. So I tended to finish because if I quit reading, there wasn't anything else to read instead.


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## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

I used to seldom not finish a book I had started. But in the past couple of years there have been several I gave up on. Sometimes due to the writing, sometimes because the story line just didn't keep me enthralled. I've figured out that if I am finding other things to do (other than things that have to be done) besides read, or I am not wishing I was reading instead of doing anything else, then I will probably decide not to finish that book. Just no longer willing to spend time on a book that bores me instead of entertaining me when there are so many out there I believe I will enjoy.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm not sure whether to answer 3 or 4, partly because the way 4 is worded:
NEVER USED TO, DO NOW: Why? What's changed, post a response. 

The question is "Do you give up on 'bad' books or read through anyway?"

So, is the "Never used to, Do Now" giving up or reading through?  I'm thinking giving up?

3 is probably still true, though, 'cause I rarely don't finish a fiction book.  I'll occasionally not finish non-fiction if I think I've gotten the gist of the info I wanted to know.

I just abandoned a KU book that I'd had on my device for awhile because the dialog bugged me from the start and then it kept getting darker and darker.  First book I've abandoned in a very long time.

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Originally I was thinking 3 basic types

1: never give up
2: give up only after a minimum amount read (corollary -- having read to a certain point will definitely finish)
3: may give up any time, no minimum or maximum amount read

And then it occurred to me that some people maybe used to have been type 1 but now are 2 or 3 and I wanted to give people an opportunity to explain why. Probably I should change it so you can choose more than one option.


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

I don't give up on books. I might put them off to the side and come back later, but I can't handle not finishing a book I started. It's wrong. It bothers me enough that I'd go back and finish it, because I just, can't handle it. I will decide that it doesn't matter how much better a book gets it'll necessarily get a 1 star rating though.


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

I grew up thinking it was a sin not to finish a book once I'd started it! But now I'm a lot of years older and totally agree with Loonlover--if I'm not wishing I was reading instead of doing something else, I'm wasting my time with that particular book. I have a huge TBR pile that somehow keeps growing and may be more than I can finish reading in the rest of my lifetime so it's silly to force myself to keep going with a book that I'm not enjoying. I do still harbor a few guilt feelings for having spent money on it though.Too bad there isn't a way to donate those titles somewhere---just because I don't like something doesn't mean someone else might not.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Unfortunately, I am still pretty much in the first option. Just like I don't like reading samples, I don't like partial books floating in my head. 

I am trying though to work my way to the sometimes drop and then maybe one day I can do the 2nd option, drop like a sack of scorpions. Not there yet though. 

Its just that there might be something around the corner in the book that might make up for a bla part of it. Ever the hopeful I am.  

The discussion we had in the Historical Romance thread, that book I am still reading. I am still wanting to know at least the mystery. But I have started to skip some stuff and that is a really really bad sign as I really almost never do that. 

My vetting is usually really good. 

I think I want to be some of you when I grow up though. I also think that maybe KU is the place for me to start with that. Maybe I can stomach not bothering to finish there. Good practice ground that one.


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

Oh yeah! I do abandon some books. I forgot about those because they've been so few. 

I will abandon a book if it is a KU book and it is such that I actively don't want to give the author any more money. This is really rare, because even if a book isn't my style I think that it is worth authors being paid for their work, so that wouldn't be the reasoning to not choose to read books I don't like - but there are things so problematic to me, that I want to discourage it by immediately stopping despite the fact that stopping bothers me significantly.


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## German_Translator (Jul 26, 2015)

Life is too short for reading bad books ....
As we get older, we might
- develop a more specific taste in our reading
- amass piles of books we were planning to read, and they scold us every day through their very presence
- have tablets and e-readers full of even more books!


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## Natasha Holme (May 26, 2012)

I plough through. I've only ever given up on one book (after 100 pages) as I was losing the will to live. It wasn't a *bad* book as two of my best friends adored it. It just wasn't for me.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I'll drop a bad book like a hot potato now. A few decades ago, it was a very rare occurrence, but happens too frequently now. I suspect it's some combination of me becoming more discerning and less patient, along with more authors not being shepherded along by wise editors. Also, I spend less time reading now, so a long novel may take me over a week to read, and that's a long time to spend with something you are not particularly enjoying. Probably the biggest "killer" for me is just not caring what's going to happen to the characters (why I dropped _A Song of Ice and Fire_ after giving it a couple hundred pages, and the same with _Pillars of the Earth_). Blatantly poor writing will be lucky to get me past 20 pages.


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## Ros_Jackson (Jan 11, 2014)

I drop books I don't like very quickly. Some of this is due to age and the realisation I'll never read all the great books that are out there, and some because I'm better at spotting flaws in the writing style that annoy me and probably aren't going to improve after 100 pages. 

Then there's the relative cheapness of books: if I paid nothing or very little then I'll sample about 10 pages before deciding whether I'll delete it off my ereader or send it back to the charity shop or library. A book I paid full price for might get 20 pages, if I can even remember what I paid for it.


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## readingril (Oct 29, 2010)

I'm a "NEVER USED TO, DO NOW" gal. Long time ago, I would always finish what I started, no matter how stupid or how boring. When I got this thing called a Kindle I first followed that maxim but then I found Overdrive, KU, etc, and realized there's no sense wasting my time with something that doesn't interest me, so I don't anymore. And it seems, if I lose interest in a book, I also lose interest in the author.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Originally I was thinking 3 basic types
> 
> 1: never give up
> 2: give up only after a minimum amount read (corollary -- having read to a certain point will definitely finish)
> ...


I am a number 3 on this scale, and think I've always been.

Life is too short and there are too many books to waste my time.

Now, I will admit to something that will make people shudder. If I'm not engaged in a fiction book, I will skip to the last chapter. If it's interesting, I may keep reading. Or do something really weird. Read each chapter, but in reverse order.

Non-fiction I will just stop reading if it's not interesting me, but I tend to go back to them.

Oh, and I recently stopped reading a book after 3 paragraphs because it was written in present tense and that annoyed me.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Count me in with the NEVER USED TO, DO IT NOW crowd.  Although most books I refuse to continue now are because of formatting or ongoing spelling/homonym errors, and those books are fewer now than when I first started reading exclusively Kindle books.  I answered #2 in the poll, but #3 in Ann's "3 basic types" list would be the most accurate

There are too many books waiting to be read to waste time continuing a book I'm not enjoying for whatever reason now.

I do still have a "slight" problem with a series that starts going downhill.  I still feel the need to complete/continue series for some reason.  The only series I have completely abandoned is Patricia Cornwall; after Black Notice I quit and have never returned.


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## LGOULD (Jul 5, 2011)

I'm the "plow through" type. I feel it's something I owe to the author, and something I appreciate from readers in turn. It goes without saying that no one should review books that they haven't read thoroughly. I would not feel right even about expressing a fleeting opinion on social media unless I had read every word.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Life is too short to drink bad beer or read bad books

And I am never getting through my TBR list anyway


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## lmroth12 (Nov 15, 2012)

I also am one of the Never Used To Do It Now bunch. I don't have as much time to read as I used to and therefore give an author less of a chance to hook me. I like to be intrigued, captivated, and enthralled when I read a book. If that hasn't even STARTED happening by chapter 3, forget it. I do have an author whose books kind of run out of steam in the middle, but I plow on knowing the magic will return, because this author has ideas that are unusual and thought provoking, and therefore worth enduring to the end.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

LGOULD said:


> I'm the "plow through" type. I feel it's something I owe to the author, and something I appreciate from readers in turn. It goes without saying that no one should review books that they haven't read thoroughly. I would not feel right even about expressing a fleeting opinion on social media unless I had read every word.


Totally disagree with this though. I don't think of the author at all when I plow through books. I mean I don't do it for the author, I do it for my weird OCD.  Only thing I'll think of the author is after, I won't be picking another by that one.

As to reviews, also totally disagree. It is perfectly valid to leave a review on partially read books. Such reviews can save someone like me from even starting it.

The last book I finished I should have just dropped, so many errors and editing messes, it kept throwing me out. I liked the story, but all that my review talks about, briefly is the editing mess. I should have dug deeper before that book I guess with reviews, there were a lot of dnf reviews. I can't recall now if I saw those, but they are now hugely helpful. It doesn't take the whole book to figure out something that didn't work, or editing messes, or certain tones, or even a scene that is disturbing to some. All those are important.

I am going to work on dropping books, its my resolution. It will kill any series I am reading though as I cannot ever read a series out of order. So if I drop a book in a series, the series will get dropped also.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

LGOULD said:


> I'm the "plow through" type. I feel it's something I owe to the author, and something I appreciate from readers in turn. It goes without saying that no one should review books that they haven't read thoroughly. I would not feel right even about expressing a fleeting opinion on social media unless I had read every word.


If it goes without saying, why did you say it? Reviews for abandoned books probably deserves a thread of its own not to sideline this one. Even though I don't review, I'm content with someone leaving a review just based on a sample as long as they give me reasons why they abandoned a book. It's one more data point in a decision whether to buy.


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

crebel said:


> I do still have a "slight" problem with a series that starts going downhill. I still feel the need to complete/continue series for some reason. The only series I have completely abandoned is Patricia Cornwall; after Black Notice I quit and have never returned.


Ok, have to confess I also have a lot more angst with a series that goes downhill. If the first couple of books were four or five stars for me the rest quickly become auto buys. Then suddenly there are a couple of three stars, and maybe even a two star and I have a bit of a crisis. It's hard to stop reading a book when I've already spent so much time with the characters. It's even harder to make the decision just to stop...and not buy any more titles that come out in that series. I recently cancelled a preorder for the fifteenth title in a series I'd been following when I realized the last four books had only been either 2 or three (minus) stars for me. Maybe the author has changed, or perhaps I have. I suspect that part of writing (or reading) a successful series is having the ability to know when to stop.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

LGOULD said:


> I'm the "plow through" type. I feel it's something I owe to the author, and something I appreciate from readers in turn. It goes without saying that no one should review books that they haven't read thoroughly. I would not feel right even about expressing a fleeting opinion on social media unless I had read every word.


Count me as also disagreeing.

If the author wrote a book that I'm finding difficult/boring/uninteresting to read, I don't see how I owe the author anything. If they wanted me to keep reading, they should have written a book that keeps me engaged. I did used to keep reading but, as I mentioned, it was mostly because I _needed_ to read something and that's all that was available.  I can remember picking up books on vacations -- from bookshelves at the house I was staying, or whatever -- because I'd finished what I brought, and really _really_ wishing I had an option.  With the kindle, I no longer have this problem. 

AND, as others have also said -- a review that clearly says, "I stopped at this point and here's why" is very helpful. I've got no problem with that at all.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Atunah said:


> Unfortunately, I am still pretty much in the first option. Just like I don't like reading samples, I don't like partial books floating in my head.


Yes! You've just explained to me why I almost always finish a book and why I don't sample! Thank you!

Betsy


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I'm pretty much in the 'didn't used to, but do now' category. 

I think back in the days I was reading paper books, I was a lot pickier about the books I chose - they were expensive, I didn't have that much money and if I wanted another one it meant a trip to the shops - so suppose I was more careful and often played it safe with my choices, so I was less likely to be dissatisfied. I also just loved reading and books so much that I pretty much thought it was wrong somehow not to finish.

Fast forward to the Kindle era and now things are different. I have made a lot of use of samples BUT I only sample a book when I'm ready to read it, so I don't have a lot of, as Atunah puts it, 'partial books floating in my head'. I only don't continue to read the book if I don't like it. It's easier to do than in the old days because I haven't yet bought the book and I can start another one straight away if I need to.

Now I'm using KU I don't need to sample, but with so many books I want to read I'm not very tolerant of books that don't grab me. Years ago, I never would have expected I would abandon books quite so easily as I do now. I'm not sure if it's the Kindle experience in general, or me getting older and slowly changing my ways, or how much cheaper and easily available e-books are, or a combination of many factors.

I do know that one of the big advantages of being more willing to give up on books I don't like because it won't cost me anything, is that I'm much more adventurous than I used to be and I've discovered authors and genres that I otherwise might never have tried.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

telracs said:


> I am a number 3 on this scale, and think I've always been.
> 
> Life is too short and there are too many books to waste my time.
> 
> ...


I thought I was the only one who read chapters in reverse order! I flip to the back when I get bored with a book and if I like the ending, I'll read the chapter before the last one and if it's ok, I'll usually go back to where I left off and try again.
But the older I get, the less likely I am to finish something if it doesn't hold my attention.

And I agree with you about abandoning a series that has gone downhill. I've given up on several over the years (and Patricia Cornwell was one of them), but it's hard to leave the characters when I've spent so much time with them.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Andra said:


> I thought I was the only one who read chapters in reverse order! I flip to the back when I get bored with a book and if I like the ending, I'll read the chapter before the last one and if it's ok, I'll usually go back to where I left off and try again.
> But the older I get, the less likely I am to finish something if it doesn't hold my attention.
> 
> And I agree with you about abandoning a series that has gone downhill. I've given up on several over the years (and Patricia Cornwell was one of them), but it's hard to leave the characters when I've spent so much time with them.


nice to know I'm not alone!


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

Andra said:


> I thought I was the only one who read chapters in reverse order! I flip to the back when I get bored with a book and if I like the ending, I'll read the chapter before the last one and if it's ok, I'll usually go back to where I left off and try again.


What?!? Telracs and Andra you are starting to scare me  Just the thought of reading a book in reverse order is enough to make my OCD self break out in a cold sweat.


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## LGOULD (Jul 5, 2011)

I'd like to clarify what I said earlier. I do feel somewhat more obligated to finish books written by other self-published authors (although admittedly, it hasn't always been easy) because we're all in this together, and I'm hoping for the same consideration from them. As for reviews, it's obvious, at least to me, that to be fair they should reflect a thorough reading of the book. I've been burned a few times by so-called "reviews" that totally missed the point because the "reviewer" obviously didn't bother to give it any thought. I would never do that to another author, because I know what an effort it takes to write a book, good or bad.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

I'm another one who used to finish any book she started, no matter what. What changed it all for me was Scott Turow's _Presumed Innocent._ Highly regarded bestseller, right? I found it tedious beyond words, and it was long, long, long. No book had ever taken me weeks to read before. I could hardly force myself to face it for short sessions, and I'm the kind of reader who reads long hours and finishes books quickly. I sat up all one night and finished _The Hunt for Red October_ in one day.

So after _Presumed Innocent_, I swore I'd never do that to myself again - and I haven't. I'll abandon a book at any point and do it faster and with less cause these days than years ago. That's age probably. Far more books hit me with the been there, done that reaction than they used to.

As to owing authors anything - I'm a writer myself, and no reader owes me anything but to acquire my books in a legitimate way. If a book bores me, offends me, or just doesn't quite do the trick for whatever reason, I'm gone. Others will love it. After all, the one that made me change the finish-it habit of a lifetime was a bestseller.

As for series, I'm kind of the same way. If they start going downhill, I'll abandon. Even if a series doesn't fall off in quality in general, I've skipped one in a series if it doesn't appeal. For the most part, I love Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series, but there was one where I read the blurb and just skipped.

And once in a while, where a story intrigues me but the way it's written isn't holding my attention, I'll do the skip to the end thing and read enough to see how it comes out.

No guilt, no patience, no loyalty, that's me, a curmudgeonly reader.


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

Count me among "NEVER USED TO, DO NOW". 

And I should do it more often, and much, much sooner. I'd rather re-read a beloved, well-written book I know practically by heart than wasting my time on poor writing or place/story/characters I do not care about.

What has changed? This is a part of de-cluttering my life. Life is short and getting shorter, eyes are getting weaker. My work requires reading and writing all day. So my pleasure-reading time should not be wasted. 

I also tend to read more non-fiction these days (as life is indeed stranger than fiction), especially history, a trend I see among other middle-aged readers as well. So that's another question I'm asking myself when reading a book - what can I learn from it? But it doesn't need to be a "serious" book to contain something interesting and factual. A few months ago I read a fluffy little paranormal romance from New Orleans containing quite fascinating description of the bead-making process


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm also  among the "NEVER USED TO, DO NOW". 

I suspect my early compulsion to finish a book even if I didn't think very much of it was due to being pretty much stranded in a small French village of 200 people (only three families were American) when I was between the ages of 10 and 13. The nearest library was on the Army base a long drive away. I went to school at the Toul-Rosieres Air Force Base (over an hour and a half drive away on the bus). It had a reasonably nice library, and the high point of the school week was the day that the whole class got to crowd into a bus to go to the library. Books were hard to come by and I was such a voracious reader that it didn't matter if I didn't like it  that much, it got read anyway. That's a habit I kept somewhat through later life when I had more access to books. Even when I got my first Kindle in early 2008, I was still not very apt to stop reading a book that didn't hold my interest, although it did happen.

Fast-forward several years later, there is/was such a glut of books to choose from that I no longer feel it necessary to give any particular book more than a chapter or two to get my interest. Samples are nice!


Mike


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## Libby13 (Jul 31, 2011)

I used to slog through every book but then I realized if I wasn't enjoying it or getting some value out of it, then I was wasting my time.  Too many books out there that I'm dying to read.


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## L.J.Simpson (Mar 12, 2016)

I am also in the never used to but do now - but with reservations. 
These days there are so many reasonably priced/free books available that giving up is a very easy option. We live in a throw away world.
And because there are so many reading options I expect to be entertained, which is reasonable enough. However, It crosses my mind that for the same reasons, I'm gradually becoming more and more choosy and by consequence more and more difficult to entertain. I wonder if it's as much my fault as the author's.
Perhaps it's just one of the consequences of being in a buyer's market.


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## SteveHarrison (Feb 1, 2015)

I give a book 50 pages, maybe 100 if I'm undecided. I abandon those if the story hasn't grabbed me by then or if I find the style is wrong for me.

But those are different from poorly written books. I can tell from the first page if the writing is really bad, so I don't buy/start reading those.


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## Libby13 (Jul 31, 2011)

I just gave up on one.  It wasn't "bad" but it wasn't for me.  I've read some reviews that say it's the weakest in the series so, of course, it was the one I started on.  Oh well.  It was also a genre I don't often read – Cozy Mystery.


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## NightWriterCT (Jan 4, 2016)

If I'm not enjoying a book by roughly the 5% mark, I abandon it. Sometimes because the writing is lousy, but usually it's just not my thing. My reading time is limited and I don't want to waste it on a lost cause or something that's just irritating me.

I only review books I've read all the way through, FWIW.


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## MWhateley (Jun 4, 2016)

Depends for me. If the story idea is good, but the execution is poor, I will usually carry on. If the idea is bad, and execution is poor, then I may very well execute the book.  

Now, of course I worry how people react to my stories, so I have sympathy with the Author. However, some of the books I have given up on have been by established, traditional, authors. Authors that I have loved, and read for years, but have just had a bad year I guess.


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## cagnes (Oct 13, 2009)

Another "NEVER USED TO, DO NOW". Life is too short & I have way too many books on my tbr pile to waste time on an unenjoyable read.


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## Maggie Brooke (Jan 30, 2016)

In KU I'm pretty ruthless, because there's a seemingly limitless amount to choose from and I'm not paying for each and every book. In fact, I would say I only finish 50% of the KU books I borrow. Maybe less.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I only have so much time, so I vet the KU books about the same as non KU books...though I've abandoned a KU book just recently--it's one I've had on my TBR list for some time but I just couldn't do it--the dialog bothered me and the book seemed pretty much a downer.  I did skim through to the end though to learn how it ended.

Betsy


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I give up pretty easily these days.  Some of that is the plethora of cheap books, some of it is time.  I also will skim a few chapters, read some, see if it catches my interest, maybe skim a bit more, etc.  Most of the time I just regret bothering though because if I'm skimming, I'm just hoping to close out a few plot issues and they are SO RARELY closed to my satisfaction that I may as well just have moved on.  The last two books where that happened, I shut the kindle off and wrote a satisfactory plot summary in my head.


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## A past poster (Oct 23, 2013)

German_Translator said:


> Life is too short for reading bad books ....


I agree!


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## ancaiovita (Feb 13, 2016)

I never bothered with reading a book where after a couple of pages I realized it was just not my thing. Maybe the title sounded interesting, maybe the table of contents too, but if for some reason I'm not that into it, I feel no guilt about letting it go. Reading is supposed to be fun. Nobody pays me to read, so why make it sound like work? Life is too short for that.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Why stick with a bad book when there are so many good ones you could be reading instead?


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## passerby (Oct 18, 2015)

If the book is really bad, I just give up on it.
If it begins well but then gets boring later on, I'll skim the middle and read the ending. If the ending is good, I'll go back and read the middle. Sounds crazy, but it works for me!


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## Donna White Glaser (Jan 12, 2011)

crebel said:


> I do still have a "slight" problem with a series that starts going downhill. I still feel the need to complete/continue series for some reason. The only series I have completely abandoned is Patricia Cornwall; after Black Notice I quit and have never returned.


Oh my gosh, THIS ^^. If a series starts to tank, I usually still check out the new book just in case the author regained that ol' magic. I think it has to do with my addictive nature. I'm always chasing that first "high."  But I've had no problem completely dumping Cornwall's series and not looking back. Loved her early stuff, but hate the 1st person POV. More than that, though, she'd gotten so negative I couldn't bear staying in that world.


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## Jim Johnson (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm an abandoner. I'll read a sample or 3-5 chapters of a book. If it holds my interest, I'll keep reading. If not, I'll delete it or return it and then go on to the next book on my list. There are too many books to read for me to spend valuable reading time plowing through something I'm not enjoying.


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## Patricia (Dec 30, 2008)

I used to feel obligated to finish a book once I started.  Now that I'm getting older, I've decided life is too short and there are too many books I'll never get to.  But it also depends on whether I've paid for the book or if the book is borrowed or a freebie.


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## Mskeakelso (Jun 27, 2016)

I used to feel some kind of moral obligation to finish a book, but now I abandon it if after a short(ish) time it hasn't grabbed me. I'm now very grateful for the look inside feature on Amazon - I can usually tell from the preview whether I'm going to want to read, though not always. Biggest turn-offs for me are strong language, explicit sex and gratuitous violence - graphic, if necessary, is ok in moderation. Would be interested to know what others feel? What their turn-offs are?


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

I usually plow through, even though I sometimes regret doing so. As an author I know that sometimes the story starts slow, then build to an interesting or even exciting climax. That doesn't always happen, but I try to give the author the benefit of the doubt. 

One thing I can say, is that when I plow through a novel that ends up being less than satisfying, I have to think twice about picking up the author's next book.


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## JeanetteRaleigh (Jan 1, 2013)

Give up, unless it's something like a classic or something that is more educational than for fun.  Sometimes I'll slog my way through something like that...

For fiction, I usually read a page or two and can tell.  The furthest I've gotten was around book 3 of 4 of a series that I was actually really enjoying.  The MC (the hero, not a villain) started torturing a lesser being, and I dropped the series and author then and there.

Mostly I read all the way through, because I can tell in the first few pages if I'll be interested...


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## rchapman1 (Dec 5, 2012)

I'm the 'plough through' type - I always think it must get better!  The only one in recent memory that I gave up on was Jane Austin's Emma.  She was way too self-involved.  I could never, ever, read the end before I got there!


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## C.M.Estopare (Jul 20, 2016)

Oh boy, I have plowed through my share of bad books. I remember when Twilight first came out years ago and my girlfriends pressured me into reading it--no offense to Twilight fans, of course, but that is the _one_ bad book I _had_ to put down. I remember feeling physically sick after forcing myself to read through half of it. Yikes.


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## JanUK (Aug 7, 2016)

I abandon immediately if the book doesn't grab me in the first paragraph and grip my attention right the way through to the last page. But I'm pretty lucky with books, and I spend quite a bit of time choosing them and looking around for recommendations, and so I don't end up abandoning a book very often.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I am so proud of myself, I finally dnf'd a book that I would have normally plowed through. It did take me to like 40% before I gave up, but at least I did. 

Not sure if it opened the flood gates now, we will see. I do a lot of vetting before I read anything, so hopefully it will still be a rare occurrence.


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## Richard Langridge (Mar 30, 2016)

I try to finish everything I pick up, but sometimes the interest just isn't there. I've often wondered if the easy accessibility of books nowadays has changed the way we read/write them. People just seem to have less time these days, and might not want to commit themselves to a full novel if their interest isn't well and truly piqued from the outset. Even more so if acquiring a new book to read is literally a button-click away.


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## Alohamora (Nov 28, 2011)

I never felt compelled to finish a book I wasn't enjoying.  When I was younger, most of my books came from the local library, and if if not finished by the due date, they were returned without a second thought. 

Purchased books, if they don't grab my interest right away are likely to go back in the TBR pile and tried again at a later time.  There's a Terry Pratchet book I've started at least 3 times and never gotten more than a few chapters in. Based on the author's reputation, I still think there's chance I'll eventually finish it. I've finished and enjoyed many other books on a second try. 

However, if a book annoys me with too much violence, it won't get a second chance. 

Just plain bad writing will loose me in the first chapter or get ignored for the sake of a good story.


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

I am very proud of myself because I've just reached the next level - not only I abandon bad, no-second-chance books but also delete them from my Kindle. It took me a few years to reach this level of enlightenment 
It is much less painful than throwing away printed books, I must say.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

anguabell said:


> I am very proud of myself because I've just reached the next level - not only I abandon bad, no-second-chance books but also delete them from my Kindle. It took me a few years to reach this level of enlightenment
> It is much less painful than throwing away printed books, I must say.





Atunah said:


> I am so proud of myself, I finally dnf'd a book that I would have normally plowed through. It did take me to like 40% before I gave up, but at least I did.
> 
> Not sure if it opened the flood gates now, we will see. I do a lot of vetting before I read anything, so hopefully it will still be a rare occurrence.


Welcome to the dark side!


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## Marc Rokoff (Aug 17, 2016)

readingril said:


> if I lose interest in a book, I also lose interest in the author.


I feel the same way. I definitely don't plow through books I don't like. I try a little harder for well respected books with big buzz.
Although that is changing too now - I'll go to forums and find people with same complaints I have to see if they read to the end and if 
it was worth it!

If the writer can't keep me curious about what happens next, I won't pick up their other stuff either. It's usually dull prose that kills it for me.


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## spellscribe (Nov 5, 2015)

I've Lemmed a whole lot lately. I think I just feel too busy to dedicate time to something that could be better. I've read so many books, I *know* the good ones elicit heart palpitations, tears, roars of laughter. It's rare that I've stuck one out and loved it more at the end (though Ancillary Mercy was a recent one that started slow for me and totally, utterly hooked me around half way through). 

My standards have gone up, my time has disappeared. Slow stories, confusing, flat, forced, overdone... All major reasons for dropping a book, for me. I try not to let it affect my perception of the author though-I hated Butchers fantasy book, loved Dresden and ADORED his steampunk. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

I used to read books all the way through, but I could count on them being good books. Sometimes a book is a challenge for me in a good way - as in something I normally don't read - and I will finish it. But over the past couple of years I've bought some really atrocious books that I give up on quickly. I usually buy from authors I am already familiar with. When I don't know the author, I can be disappointed that the blurb doesn't match the prose. I need to read the free portions available before purchasing. That way I am less likely to be disappointed.


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## nicole.mcguire (Sep 1, 2016)

I tend to abandon if it's really bad. Sometimes I'd pick up something for $0.99 at my local bookstore and if it's bad I'd just abandon it and give the book away to someone else. 

I try to give multiple chances before I'm finally done. Read few pages, then skip and read few more just to see if there's going to be an improvement. If not then SKIP.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

As I've posted before, I'll give up on a book anywhere from the first page to the next to last. However, I don't give up on authors I like that easily. I've also posted before that Dick Francis was long my favorite author (the real thing, not his son's books that use the father's name) and that I reread his books every five years or so. However, that's not absolutely true. I can think of 3 of his offhand that I don't reread and never will for one reason or another. New-to-me authors don't get that tolerant treatment. If the first book by a new author doesn't work, I never try anything of theirs again, which may mean missed opportunities, but there it is.


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## William Peter Grasso (May 1, 2011)

I can not recall a time I cast aside a work of fiction, no matter how unappealing I ultimately found it. I suppose I feel I owe it to the writer's art to experience the whole effort. To not do so would be like only looking at one edge of a painting. 
Non-fiction, however, is a different story. If the non-fiction author's slant is something I find either nonsensical (which rarely happens) or doctrinally suspect (again, happens rarely), I'll bail on the book in a heartbeat. _Rarely happens_ is, no doubt, the result of filtering books long before I add them to my queue.


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## Chinese Writer (Mar 25, 2014)

I used to finish everything I start, but with children, I don't have the luxury of time anymore. So when I can't get into the book after three chapters, I'm done with it. I don't necessarily need an explosion or flight in the first three chapters, but something has to happen. When were still in the set up stage of introducing the character and the settings, then that's it for me.


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## Mikeb71 (Sep 30, 2016)

I'm pretty bad at dumping books early on that don't grab me, be it the story or the writing style. There are so many books I want to read - I just don't have time for the ones I can't get into.


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## Denae C (Oct 8, 2016)

I've gotten better and better at recognizing when I'll like a book.  So, yeah, I give up on them sometimes before opening the cover (does that count?), sometimes in the first sentence, and sometimes halfway through.  I even started a DNF shelf on goodreads (no star ranking, but I felt I had to keep track of my thoughts somehow) just for this purpose.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Denae C said:


> I've gotten better and better at recognizing when I'll like a book. So, yeah, I give up on them sometimes before opening the cover (does that count?), sometimes in the first sentence, and sometimes halfway through. I even started a DNF shelf on goodreads (no star ranking, but I felt I had to keep track of my thoughts somehow) just for this purpose.


I have a DNF shelf as well . . . because I don't want the ones I couldn't finish to be part of may 'challenge' count. It's not frequent. I get a lot of books from the library, and I almost always finish those, especially if they're fiction. Occasionally I borrow some non fiction and I don't always finish those. I find a lot of non fiction has all the new, interesting stuff in the first 25%to 30% and after that it just feels like padding anyway. So I don't sweat it.

I have been borrowing a lot of books through Kindle Unlimited. Frankly, the value in the program is that I don't have to actually buy a book that turns out unsatisfactory. I could read samples, but then I'd have to keep track of what I'd sampled. And sometimes 10% isn't enough for me to know they're not going anywhere. I canned one just the other day that I'd gotten through about a third -- when I realized I'd rather go fold laundry than sit and read it, I knew it was a DNF.  I'd have to spend a lot of time to be sure, but I'd estimate about a quarter of what I borrow ends up being DNF. Partly because I will try books that I'm unsure about since there's no additional charge. Books that, if I had to BUY them to try them, I probably wouldn't.

Of the books I actually BUY, almost none are DNF because I'm really careful about vetting them before I plop down my money.  Every now and then, though, I'll get a clunker . . . usually the problem is that the blurb, etc. have done a very poor job of actually saying what the book is about.


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## avppublishing (Oct 5, 2016)

I had to go with your middle 'depends' answer. In total, I've given up on one book in my life, _Moby Dick_. That said, I've tried at least three different times, managing to make it over halfway at one point before I finally asked myself why.

I have completed some stinkers, as I've been known to have trouble resisting the allure of a thick hardback book for $1.00 at the dollar store (a heavy hardback is a weakness). I remind myself that they're usually there for a reason , but the temptation is too great some days!

That said, I will give an author a chance 99 times out of a hundred. Sometimes they can pull it out as it goes. On one of my husband's books, he got a review... 'This is just the same old story of x, where x does x.' The funny thing was, about 20 pages into the book, the story completely turned over, making it painfully obvious that the reviewer abandoned it after just a few pages, but was bemoaning it because of how they 'thought' it was going to go.


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## Heffnerh (Feb 1, 2013)

I typically will read the entire book, but if it doesn't catch my attention, then I just start skim reading to see if anything exciting is coming down the pipeline.


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## 5ngela (Sep 7, 2015)

I try to finish all my books but if for some reason I find the book not suited for my taste, logic, feeling, emotion then I will not finished it.


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## lauramg_1406 (Oct 15, 2016)

I don't like giving up on books, but sometimes I just have to! Most of the time if I don't like it but there is something redeeming about it then I'll keep going!


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2016)

My available free time for recreational reading is woefully limited, so no, I do not waste my time and force myself to finish a book that I am not enjoying. Time is a commodity that I spend carefully. If a book can't keep my interest, I am moving on to something else.


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## ronvitale (Mar 11, 2011)

When I was younger, I'd finish every book that I started, but I would say that things changed over the last few years. I was reading a science fiction book (one of the spin off Dune books) and I just couldn't take the bad plot. Normally, I would plow through and finish, but then I thought: I don't have time to waste on a bad book. I'm going to put this away and find something else to read.

I often read in phases. Sometimes I want to read non-fiction (Malcolm Gladwell, Brenee Brown, etc.) while sometimes I want fantasy or science fiction. I'll read a book depending on my mood and what's going on in my life (summertime is often a great time for me to get a good beach book and to relax and have a more popcorn style book).

With so many books, so many ways to read, I realized that it's okay for me to put a book down and to switch to something else.

When I stop to think about it though, my reading habits have changed because I do most of my reading on the Kindle app on my phone. When I used to carry a physical book around, I'd feel more inclined to finish the book. Now because an ebook is just a digital file on my phone, I don't think twice about stopping.

But I do stop and think about price and enjoyment. I'm not going to spend $14 for an ebook and then not read it all the way through.


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## Brownskins (Nov 18, 2011)

Receiving ARCs has changed my perspective on this... Previously, I always finished every book I started.

Nowadays, I am actually able to set aside and discontinue books that just cannot keep my attention.  Rather than drag my feet, I cut my losses.  Sometimes, during a dull moment on a sunday afternoon, I may decide to skim through the rest of the DNF books just to see if I judged the book too early... but more often than not, I end up even more convinced that I made the right decision to discontinue the book...  yeah, I really AM older now.


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## quiet chick writes (Oct 19, 2012)

If I've gotten past the 50% point, I have to at least speed read/skim the rest. I need to know the ending!  But, usually, if I've made it to the 50% point, I couldn't have disliked it that much. 

I also know some people who read the endings first. I could never, lol!


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## JamieL (Feb 23, 2009)

For me, it definitely depends on the book. Mostly I prefer to finish but occasionally I give up. Usually unfinished books sit on my Kindle for a while and I'll usually give them at least one more try before deleting them. I also agree with Laura that if I've reached 50% I have to know how it ends, although for me sometimes that's just reading the last couple of chapters.


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## Jennifer R P (Oct 19, 2012)

I have very, very few DNFs. A book has to be absolutely terrible for me to give up on it. Or it has to really hit one of my phobias/squicks.


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## Lummox JR (Jul 1, 2012)

I tend to finish books, with very few exceptions, although a couple of years ago I tried out a freebie first-in-a-series that I thought I would like, and never made it to the end. It just didn't hold me, even though I love the genre. (Before that, there was a particular Dickens book I tried to read in high school, and again in college. Couldn't do it.)

I still own the worst book I ever read; I have a thought now and then that I should read it again just to revel in how awful it is, MST3K style. The plot went nowhere; the characters were all unlikable and _so so stupid_, even ignoring things that were serious threats to their survival (but ultimately didn't hurt them). It preached on the merits of a subject that I regard as the gravest stupidity, and went out of its way to humiliate the one character with common sense. It was interspersed with dry text excerpts, including--in the same listless style--a play-by-play of a porn movie. (It's as awful as it sounds.) I'm glad I finished, if only because the utter ridiculousness of the final act put such a perfect punctuation mark on my contempt for the book. I swear I enjoy complaining about it way more than I enjoyed reading it.


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## Shanna Moncuse (Jan 26, 2016)

I can't remember if I've posted in this thread or not. Oh, well...

I do give up on books I can't get into. I usually give it more time than I want to, just to see if it improves.
I guess the reason I give up on the books is because if I can't enjoy it, it takes me forever to finish, when I could be spending that time reading a book I enjoy. It just feels...agonizing to finish. Maybe that sounds a little dramatic, but that's the best way to describe it.

However, I never write a negative review on a book. I know the author truly worked hard to put out the best book they could, and I know it took so much time to write, that I feel awful if I even think about writing a bad review. I just can't do it.


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## ariter (Nov 1, 2016)

Most books I read for pleasure, I don't finish anymore, because few can sustain my interest.


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## Joseph M. Erhardt (Oct 31, 2016)

Most of the time I'll finish even a "bad" book--one that's not that well written, if it at least contains some characters that I can care about. Sometimes I'll finish a "bad" book just to see how spectacular the train wreck winds up being.

You want me to stop reading? Have chapters in first person and in third person. This will not only get me to stop reading the book, it will also put the writer on my Do-Not-Read list. I despise this practice. It means the writer failed at managing his or her points-of-view and took the easy way out.

Are you listening, Michael Connelly? (_The Scarecrow_.) Nah, you're too busy rolling your wheelbarrow full of money to the bank.


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## TromboneAl (Mar 20, 2015)

I wonder whether many of those of you who always plow through are fast readers.

If I could read an 80K-word book in four hours, as some of my friends can, I'd be more likely to plow through.


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## cafecorner (Nov 15, 2016)

I give up after the first 20 pages, I guess you can sense it straight away


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## Kay7979 (Aug 20, 2016)

If a book has slow parts but is technically well written I skim, but I'll finish it. If it's full of syntax errors and other grammatical errors I dump it and move on.


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## hlawrence (Dec 6, 2016)

I have at times read a book I didn't care too much about.  I usually try to finish reading the book because it may get better or may not.  I just like to see how the book end.
There has been times I didn't finish because of lack of interest.


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## amiblackwelder (Mar 19, 2010)

I picked C.

I don't like to give up on books. In fact, I read FALLEN and by 1/3 in decided it still sucked, but had to finish, because I felt obligated. Also, it had so many people liking it I figured I should at least try. But by the end it still sucked. Not sure why, it just wasn't for me at all.

Now, Twilight I liked though, so I definitely still like cheesy stuff and paranormal stuff.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Seeing this thread pop up again, it occurs to me that my response is not quite correct. Not only do I give up on bad books, but these days I'll give up on mediocre books, too. My reading time gets more and more valuable to me as time goes by, and I want to spend it on really good books.


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

TromboneAl said:


> I wonder whether many of those of you who always plow through are fast readers.
> 
> If I could read an 80K-word book in four hours, as some of my friends can, I'd be more likely to plow through.


I don't give up on bad books and I'm a super-fast-reader. I suspect my reading speed is part of why I don't give up on books.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

NogDog said:


> Seeing this thread pop up again, it occurs to me that my response is not quite correct. Not only do I give up on bad books, but these days I'll give up on mediocre books, too. My reading time gets more and more valuable to me as time goes by, and I want to spend it on really good books.


Yeah . . . I think that's true for me, too.

Also, when I was younger and had less money, books were harder to come by. So I savored them. And, even if it wasn't that great, it was what I had to read. Now there are plenty; I can afford them without hardship. So if it's not working for me I'll dump it.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Yeah . . . I think that's true for me, too.
> 
> Also, when I was younger and had less money, books were harder to come by. So I savored them. And, even if it wasn't that great, it was what I had to read. Now there are plenty; I can afford them without hardship. So if it's not working for me I'll dump it.


Good points, and they contribute to it being so easy for me to pick up something else if what I'm trying to read isn't working for me -- as opposed to going to the library or a bookstore to get something else.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

NogDog said:


> Good points, and they contribute to it being so easy for me to pick up something else if what I'm trying to read isn't working for me -- as opposed to going to the library or a bookstore to get something else.


Right! In days past even when I did have money for books . . . . it generally required travel to somewhere. Even when Amazon started, though you could order in your pajamas, you still had to wait a few days for delivery. Now it's so instantaneous to get something different, why bother to read what you're not enjoying?


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