# How long do you give a book? - COMBINED thread (with poll)



## libbyfh (Feb 11, 2010)

When I was young, I used to think I had to finish a book, no matter if I enjoyed it or not. After all, somebody thought it was a good book, right? 

Then I started editing and heard about the 50 page rule. I obediently followed it, because it seemed fair. There were books I put down after 50 pages, others I sailed through to the end. 

Then I started writing and discovered the craft of fiction. I realized there were plenty of books that didn't make the 50 page rule. So I went down to 20. Years passed and I went down to 10. 

These days, there are so many books and so many writers that committing to an entire book is a substantial investment. I need to feel the writer is worth that investment. I need to be seduced by the plot, the characters, or the writing.  And I can usually tell within 2 or 3 pages whether I'm ready to make that investment. 

What about you? How many pages do you give a book?


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

If I buy a kindlebook without sampling, I am afraid I am one of those that still reads to the bitter end and then says "I can't believe I wasted my time reading that book."  

If it is a free book that I picked up because I thought I might like it, I will delete after about 10 pages if I'm not into the story yet or there is something I don't like about it.


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## jackblaine (May 22, 2011)

Wow.  I am not a person who will slog through to the end for no reason, but 2-3 pages?  If I applied that rule to any number of books I have read and LOVED, I would have truly missed out.  The Road. Never Let Me Go.  The Cage. Into the Forest.  All would have flunked.  And all are what I consider great books.  

I think we tend to miss out on a lot now, because we have become so accustomed to being engaged in some snappy way immediately.  I've been reading a lot of interesting stuff about the effects of the Internet, computers and before that, MTV (fast cuts in film soon followed) and how all these things are preventing us from appreciating anything that takes a little time.  

What do you guys think about this?


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## lpking (Feb 12, 2011)

In genre fiction, a quick hook is practically mandatory. Otherwise, not so much.

Therefore, it depends what I pick up. If certain genres haven't hooked me in by the third or fourth page, I give up unless the storytelling is otherwise charming/fascinating/compelling/horrifying (depending on genre) so far.

With non-genre fiction, I'll give it a chapter. That presumes it's well written to begin with. For example, I remember having the most awful time with the Yaya Sisterhood book, but in the end I was glad I persisted.


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## libbyfh (Feb 11, 2010)

Good point, LP... I started THE HELP and nearly put it down because of the dialect in the prose. Couldnt seem to get through it. But I persevered, and I'm glad I did. After about page 40. the dialect seemed to disappear. But I'd been captured by the premise, and the fact that everyone thought it was so great made me want to continue. 

Hi, Jack. For me, I think it's the prose. And the voice. I like to feel that I'm in the hands of a master, so that I can relax and go wherever the author leads. Usually, the quality of the prose is apparent after a page or so.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

I was at the Sydney Writers' Festival last week and the editors discussed this as the 10 page and 100 page cutoffs, which pretty much fall into line with how long a book has to get me hooked (more at my blog).

My rules are 10 pages to make me read further, 50 pages it better have improved if I was dubious at page 10, and at 100 pages or 1/3 of the book I'd better be convinced the book is worth finishing.


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## jackblaine (May 22, 2011)

Hi LP, yep, me too on the prose.  But I do have to say, I was so irritated by the stylistic choices (namely sentence fragmentation to the point where you are gritting your teeth) in The Road I wanted to put it down.  Until I read the whole book, I didn't understand that the stylistic choices made PERFECT sense.


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

What are these "pages" things you refer to?    


Mike


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## jackblaine (May 22, 2011)

> What are these "pages" things you refer to?


LOL! Wonder if it will soon come to this?


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## Doug DePew (Mar 26, 2011)

I don't really have a rule. I just read until I'm either finished or I don't feel like finishing. Some great books haven't really hooked me until half-way through, but then I love them. Some supposedly "great" books lose me by the end of the first chapter. I don't have a rule at all. It's more like a timer in my head. 

I often leave a book mark in a book and put it back on the shelf. Sometimes I'll go back years later and finish one. I still read regular books.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I don't think there is a set amount of pages that I give a book.  I just go along until I can't stand it anymore.  Unfortunately, I have had two of those over the last few weeks.  One, I gave about 20 pages, and could not stand it.  The other I gave a bit longer before finally quitting in frustration.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I don't have any set rule, but when I read a sample, sometimes I finish the entire sample and then don't buy it, often after a rather difficult go/no-go internal debate. Other times, maybe by halfway through the sample I delete it and look for the next candidate. Occasionally I may just read two or three pages' worth and decide right away it's not for me: probably for some combination of poor/uninteresting writing, tone, or a "been there, done that, don't care to read it again" sense.

But that's what I love about sampling: I can take a chance on something that may not be solidly in my comfort zone or by an unknown (to me) author, and feel no obligation to continue if it doesn't work for me. It's not as if there's nothing out there for me to read if I give up on a book. (Well, okay, these days I seem to be getting pickier, so maybe not?  )


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## Jenni (Feb 20, 2011)

It is very rare that I don't finish a book that I have purchased or even borrowed from a friend. The way I look at it is I've always got something to learn and I can always learn something from even a book that doesn't do it for me.

I'm also a bit compulsive about things like this. I can't just dust a room, I have to dust and vacuum the room.


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## Guest (May 30, 2011)

At least 10-15 pages, or at least until I decide it isn't going anywhere.

But you're right. You've got to give a book a chance. Putting it down after one sentence, or one paragraph, isn't fair.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

Phil Stern said:


> At least 10-15 pages, or at least until I decide it isn't going anywhere.
> 
> But you're right. You've got to give a book a chance. Putting it down after one sentence, or one paragraph, isn't fair.


My new book starts with: It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times.

Will that keep you reading?


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## kCopeseeley (Mar 15, 2011)

I don't have a set amount of pages, because my reasons for reading each book are different.  If a friend or family member recommended it strongly, I tend to give it more of a chance than if I saw it mentioned on goodreads or a book blog.  On the other hand, if it's an author who posts frequently here in the kindleboards, I'm also more likely to give a book a chance, because I feel like I want to see what they are all about.  What better way to do that than to read their work?

That being said, there have been some books where I got to a certain point and just put the book away in disgust.  That is a really rare scenario for me, though.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

libbyfh said:


> What about you? How many pages do you give a book?


It depends on the situation. If I've already bought the book (especially if it's an expensive hardback) I'll give it 30-50 pages. If I'm browsing in the book store trying to decide what to buy, the book has to grab me from the first page because that's usually as far as I read before purchasing. If it's by a favorite author or it's part of a series I've stuck with loyally through the first dozen books (like Wheel of Time) I'm going to finish the whole thing no matter whether I'm enjoying it or not.


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## lpking (Feb 12, 2011)

jackblaine said:


> <snip> the stylistic choices (namely sentence fragmentation to the point where you are gritting your teeth) in The Road I wanted to put it down. Until I read the whole book, I didn't understand that the stylistic choices made PERFECT sense.


Now I'm intrigued. I knew it's a book to which people have strong reactions, but didn't realize stylistic choices might be part of that.


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## jackblaine (May 22, 2011)

lpking--I really view it as a masterpiece--I've read it three times now, two closely, and it's stunning.


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## lpking (Feb 12, 2011)

I thought of Cormac McCarthy as a "men's writer" (don't ask me what I mean by that; it's an ill defined subjective category peculiar to me) until I saw the move of _No Country for Old Men_, which I thought was brilliant.

At the time it came out, I heard some people loved the movie of _The Road_, but lots hated it. As I haven't seen it, maybe I should give the book a try.

[Edit: Ooops! Sorry for the off-topic. I forgot which thread I was writing in. Thought we were in the book recommends thread.]


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## Tess St John (Feb 1, 2011)

I don't have a rule, but the shortest amount of pages I've given a story is 7...and this was a high profile writer.


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## Rainha (Sep 20, 2010)

I'm heartless   I read the first sentence.  If there's nothing about the first sentence that I find compelling, I almost never read the book.  I only really make exceptions if someone I trust is pushing me to read it.  Writing style is almost more important to me than plot.  You know how they say some authors could publish their shopping lists, because nobody can stand in their way anymore?  I'd be the one at the bookstore buying the shopping list.  The first sentence doesn't need to be eventful, or anything, but it tells me a lot about the author's style and how they'll approach the story.

Now and then, the first 50 pages or so of a book really drag, but I find that if I make it through the rough start, it almost always gets better (so long as it's passed the first sentence test).  I can think of very very few books that have passed the first sentence test, that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed.  There's a chance I've missed some perfectly good books because of bad first sentences, but it seems to work for me.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

I don't have a rule - I read the sample and if something in the sample really bothers me or just doesn't grab me, I won't buy it. If I buy a book, I tend to finish it unless it's really, really awful (but samples tend to weed those out) especially if it's short. Because if it's disappointing but not at the bottom of the barrel, I want to give it a completely fair chance by finishing it. But if it's really, really bad and I just can't stand it, it just depends at what point I think "I've had enough" and that could be at any point in the book.


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## Peppa Swanz (May 30, 2011)

For me it seems to depend on where I am and what sort of mood I'm in.  Sometimes I'll get halfway through a book before I finally admit that I'm not enjoying it and sometimes I don't get past the first page.  I try to slog through the first five pages if I can before putting it down - If I have nothing else to read I might keep at it.  But now I'm thinking about it I can remember a few books where I hated the first page, couldn't get into the story and had no interest in the characters but after the first chapter really go into... *shrug*


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## kellymcclymer (Apr 22, 2010)

I almost always read the book all the way through. I'd have to feel disgusted to put the book down (because of *really* poor writing, disjointed plot, loathesome use of prejudice, etc.). However, I mastered the art of skimming in grammar school   .

To me, it feels like the author had a plan, followed it, and I should respect that enough to see whether it worked or not. I don't think this philosophy works for most readers, though. I learn a lot from a book that didn't work for me, but for those who read only for enjoyment I recommend giving a book three chapters, if it doesn't grab you, turn to the middle and read a scene. If still no, the book is probably not the right one for you. Life is short, and there are many, many books.


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## Marc Johnson (Feb 25, 2011)

100 pages.

If I didn't follow that rule, I wouldn't have gotten into The Dresden Files. Conversely, as much as I loved the prologue, I couldn't get into The Wheel of Time.

With e-readers, I don't have that rule anymore because if I buy a book, I will read it. It doesn't matter how much it costs. However, I'm even more selective in my book buying. Because of this, I'm still trying to get through King's Black House on my old e-reader. It has taken me awhile but I will get there.

Strangely enough, I only sample ebooks for non-fiction.


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## Christopher Hunter (Apr 11, 2011)

I'm a first impression type of guy. If it's a hardback or paperback, I'll pick a random page and start reading. If it captures me I will read the rest. With e-books, it's all about the sample. I'll know if the book is worth my time by the end of the third page.


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## lpking (Feb 12, 2011)

Christopher, your book has a doppelgänger.


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## Mel Comley (Oct 13, 2010)

This is where the beauty of sampling comes into play.

I'm like you Libby I can usually tell if I like a book within the first few pages or not.

I'm afraid if I don't like it I won't finish it.


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## gina1230 (Nov 29, 2009)

I follow the 100 page rule, then I feel guilty about not finishing a book.


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## Doug Lance (Sep 20, 2010)

Zero. Every word must enchant me.


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## Tamara Rose Blodgett (Apr 1, 2011)

Wow! 2-3 pages...not enough for me. Thirty pages is what [most] get. That's how I "lured" my boys into reading. I'd say, "...just give it the 30-page test, if it doesn't work...no big deal." I made a religion out of hand-feeding them books that I had personally loved and usually, they'd get sucked right in. The thirty page test is more that, when I begin reading, I don't look at how much time I've spent reading and suddenly...I'm on page 50 or something...that's how it has to be, I lose track of time because the book is that good. If that criterion is met, the whole book gets read.


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## Dolorous Edd Tollett (May 29, 2011)

It depends, if I have read other works by an author I may stick with a book if it drags a little. I am having that problem with a Tad Williams book (Shadowmarch), however after fighting through half of the book it is starting to pick up. Terry Goodkind is another author I struggle with, I know where he is trying to go but I am not sure how he is trying to get there.


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

I read until I lose interest. It may be 5 pages or 50 or 150. If I lose interest past the half-way point, sometimes I skim through the rest to see how the writer resolved things. Usually I just close it and move on. The only time I ever finish a book out of obligation is when I've volunteered to lead the follow-up book discussion.
L.J.


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## lpking (Feb 12, 2011)

Dolorous Edd Tollet said:


> I am having that problem with a Tad Williams book (Shadowmarch), however after fighting through half of the book it is starting to pick up.


My brother gave my son _The Dragonbone Chair_, which my son assured me was brilliant. He insisted I read it. Boy, did the first 50 (or maybe it was even 100) pages move slowly! But once I got through that, it drew me in. Had to read _To Green Angel Tower_, too. And I thought there was a third...


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

I don't usually go by pages so much as scenes. I think after just a few scenes I can tell if I'm going to like the flow of the book. Also if the character doesn't grab me from the very beginning I'll most likely give up way sooner than 100 pages. I can't read a book where I dislike or find the main characters boring.


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## jherrick (Apr 1, 2011)

I used to force myself to finish any book I started. Now I'll give the book about 1/3 to hook me in, in case it's a slow starter.


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## LeonardDHilleyII (May 23, 2011)

Generally, I will read through the first chapter.  If the storyline has kept my attention and there's an urgency to read more, I usually finish the novel.


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## kellymcclymer (Apr 22, 2010)

Phil Stern said:


> But you're right. You've got to give a book a chance. Putting it down after one sentence, or one paragraph, isn't fair.


I really can't resist: Picture me in scolding mom mode: "Reading isn't fair."  Sorry, couldn't help myself. I hate it when people use the "Life's not fair" argument, because I always want to counter with "But people can try to be fair!" ...but, really, reading isn't fair. If it was then the writers who pour their hearts and souls into a book would triumph and those who don't, wouldn't.


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## HeidiHall (Sep 5, 2010)

It is incredibly rare for me not to finish a book. Even if the story is mediocre, I usually end up finishing it eventually because I'm stubborn(it just takes me A LOT longer). Since getting a Kindle I've branched out in my reading choices, and while I don't enjoy everything, the lower cost of indie books has really opened up my options and introduced me to themes I would have never guessed that I'd enjoy. Are they all great? No, but since I was used to paying six bucks or more for a new paperback release, there's not much investment. I am probably not the "average" reader though because I read about a book per day when not writing.

In all my years of reading I can only think of two instances of not finishing a book I paid for (I'm ignoring freebies I've downloaded). I'll name, names because they are NY Times Bestsellers and my one little post won't hurt them... The Constant Gardener - OMG, so boring... I can't remember the title of the next book, but it was an attempt at dark humor by Patricia Cornwell. I love her writing, but this one I just couldn't get through. Like others have said though, everything is subjective.


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## Colin Taber (Apr 4, 2011)

For me every book gets about 50 pages as a standard, but if it comes highly recommended by friends or I'm particularly interested for what ever reason (ie. in the subject matter), I'll head on to about 100 pages before I give up if it doesn't grip me. 

I write and read a bit of fantasy. Most books in that genre are over 500 pages, so spend a good 100 pages in set up. Personally, I think that's a bit indulgent, but for the genre you need to allow for it. 

I'd probably not finish half the books I start to read.


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## dmburnett (Feb 4, 2011)

I'm still stuck with the 50 page rule, but to me the summary has to catch me, otherwise I won't even get to reading 50 pages!


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

If the writing is stiff and stilted, I may not make it past the first page. Life's to short, there are an awful lot of books out there.


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## Marie August (May 16, 2011)

I try to finish a book even if I hate it. I figure if I have to defend my low opinion of a book, at least I can say I fully tried it. Because of that I usually only read books based on recommendation or from an author I'm familiar with. I wish I was more adventurous with my book picking, but it's just so much of a risk.


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## Mike McIntyre (Jan 19, 2011)

I like the rule of thumb set forth by Anthony Hopkins in the movie "Hearts in Atlantis" (based on the Stephen King novella "Low Men in Yellow Coats"):

"Just give a writer an hour to hook you, and if he can't, wish him the best of luck and find someone else."


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## libbyfh (Feb 11, 2010)

An hour is a lot of time, Mike. 

I with you tkkenyon: "It's the writing, stupid..."


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## KyahCA (Mar 7, 2011)

Usually within about 5 pages I can figure out if I'm going to like it or not.


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## Ilyria Moon (May 14, 2011)

I try to give a new book three or four chapters before quitting. Often, I'm distracted, or just not in the right frame of mind to take the information in, and so I give novels extra time. I found the opening chapters of some of my favourite books to be quite hard going; I like to get right into the action, and they have a lot of backstory and scene setting. I don't care what the sideboard looks like, or what colour the curtains are; I prefer to make that sort of stuff up in my head. Give me action, baby! And that goes for lit fic, too. If I'm settled into a book, I'll enjoy long, descriptive passages, but not near the beginning. I want to meet everyone and see how they interact with one another.


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## spidermanfan (Dec 28, 2010)

I follow my 100 page rule, the only exception was A Game of Thrones, put the book down many times only to come back to it.


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## jimbronyaur (Feb 9, 2011)

I try to stay with it.  For me, I feel weird if I don't finish a book.  It's tough sometimes, but at least I can see the whole picture... and make a decision if I'm going to read that author again.

-jb


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## WFMeyer (Apr 14, 2011)

With a printed book I'll go 30-50 pages

On the Kindle, I'll give an ebook to the 10-15% mark - max. If it gets me involved I stick with it. If not, it's gone.


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## Mark E. Cooper (May 29, 2011)

Relying upon just 2 or 3 pages is, in my opinion, doing a disservice to the author. If you're reading a short story, then maybe reading less than a chapter is ok, but only maybe. A full length book will have 300 or 400 pages. Give it at least 10% to lay out some background and characterisation. So 30 or 40 pages would be good, but i think Amazon have it just right with their samples for kindle. If you don't want to continue reading when you finish the sample, then don't. Samples seem to be always? 3 chapters, so I vote for that.

Mark E. Cooper


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## Amera (May 22, 2011)

I'm admittedly fairly impatient when it comes to this. If I'm not interested within a chapter or two, I'm not buying it (or finishing it if I already bought it). 

I'm sure some of that is just a response to what I feel is a problem in my particular genre (fantasy). A lot of authors slam their readers with tons of weird names and (often) pointless exposition right at the start, which I find very offputting. Show me what's interesting first, then back off and start to develop.


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## GraceKrispy (Mar 28, 2011)

Growing up, I had to eat everything on my plate. I feel similarly about books. Honestly, it's only recently that I've given myself "permission" to leave a book unfinished, and I still hate to do it. If the story's remotely interesting and the writing is bad, I'll skim until I get the gist of the entire story, because I really don't like to leave stories unfinished, even if I don't finish the "book." I have also stopped reading stories where the writing was actually pretty good, but I just could not get interested in the story. If I do give up on a book, it's usually after I've read a good 100 pages, or up to half the book.


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## Ryne Billings (May 15, 2011)

I don't really have a rule. There are only three books that I have ever given up on reading. All of them were written by people who are considered talented fantasy authors. I'll leave it at that. After all, I don't want to upset any fans.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

markecooper said:


> Relying upon just 2 or 3 pages is, in my opinion, doing a disservice to the author. If you're reading a short story, then maybe reading less than a chapter is ok, but only maybe. A full length book will have 300 or 400 pages. Give it at least 10% to lay out some background and characterisation. So 30 or 40 pages would be good, but i think Amazon have it just right with their samples for kindle. If you don't want to continue reading when you finish the sample, then don't. Samples seem to be always? 3 chapters, so I vote for that.
> 
> Mark E. Cooper


Why is it a disservice? If I find the initial paragraph dull, then the second paragraph stupid, and the third paragraph laughable, why should I keep going? I've been given books, taken books out of the library, bought books based solely on other people's recommendations (something I don't do anymore unless they read heavily in my own genres of choice)...why on earth would I torture myself?

I blame my university degree, personally. Years of slogging through painfully dry textbooks has cured me of any desire to ever be fair to any writer, publisher, book, anthology, newspaper, magazine, so on and so forth.

Oh, and I blame slush reading novels. That also cured me 

These days, I generally like whatever I pick up because I've really narrowed in on publishers/authors/themes that I know I'll always enjoy. It's made reading a whole lot more fun!

So to answer the initial question, I give you the first words. I want to fundamentally enjoy the book from beginning to end. Otherwise, I toss it for another one. Like someone else said, there are far too many good books for me to languish over something that makes me want to pull my hair out.


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## Guest (Jun 3, 2011)

I almost always read a book through once I've got it. However, I tend to give samples a few pages and if I don't enjoy them I won't buy the book. I tend to avoid ebooks that don't offer samples.


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## Mark E. Cooper (May 29, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> Why is it a disservice? If I find the initial paragraph dull, then the second paragraph stupid, and the third paragraph laughable, why should I keep going?


Well I would keep going because to me the story and the characters are more important than a few paragraphs of text. When I read, I turn the words into a play in my head. I am seeing the world and things described, I am not analyzing the wordage. What would make me quit and stop reading a book? Something jarring to throw me out of the world of the story and back to reality so all I am seeing is words again. Or a character so undeserving as to make me want to skim past (and thus back to reality to page forward) Or something that is just plain boring. If after 3 chapters I am not interested in what is happening, then I can stop.

I know i am not saying this right. This is not a criticism of you or how you decide what is good to read.

I am just saying that the craft of writing a good story is more than just the mechanics of putting words on paper. Its important of course. Its important to make the process of slipping into the world of the story as easy as possible, but its not the end of things. I guess its the same for any art. An artist paints a picture, and the brush strokes are important, but how many of us want to see them? We stand back to see the whole picture and enjoy it.

Mark E. Cooper


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## TomBale (Jun 3, 2011)

I think as you get older there's definitely a growing feeling that life's too short, and there are too many other books out there to waste time persisting with one you don't enjoy, or that doesn't engage you. Far better to put it aside and move on to the next one. Having said that, I still find it difficult to make that decision. As a newcomer to ereader, it does seem that it's maybe easier to sample and dismiss an ebook compared to a physical one: whether that's a good thing if you also happen to write and publish is another matter!


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

TomBale said:


> I think as you get older there's definitely a growing feeling that life's too short...


Are you calling me old?


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## navythriller (Mar 11, 2011)

I usually give a book about 100 pages, because some of the best books ever written get off to slow starts.  I make an exception if the writing itself doesn't work for me.  If I'm not enjoying the writing, I might give up about halfway through page 3.


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

For me it depends on why I'm not enjoying it. If it's really poor writing, well that's not likely to change and honestly my time is worth too much to spend on a book like that. Those books I only give a few pages. If it's because of the story line, well I usually will give that some times. Maybe 2-3 chapters. Just to see if it builds up. I'm just not much for forcing myself to finish a book.


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## TomBale (Jun 3, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> Are you calling me old?


Referring to myself, I assure you! But I'd add that sometimes the nagging voice telling you to "finish what you started" turns out to be right. I recently started The Cold Six Thousand by James Ellroy and really struggled with the frankly bizarre writing style (He said this. He said that. He said something else. Stuff happens). On several occasions I was close to abandoning it, but I persevered and now, about halfway through, I'm gripped.


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## scl (Feb 19, 2011)

I thought almost always finished a book once I started, but now looking
back at 2010 I see I finished 142 books and didn't finish 11.  Usually
I read until I can't stand the thought of reading any more.  Sometimes
it's because things are getting too tense, sometimes things are just
to sicky sweet, sometime the protagonist is too stupidly self destructive
for me to take any more, and once the book was just too anti-Christian
for me to want to read another word.  At the book store I usually read
the first page, and if it doesn't hook me I move on, probably because I'm 
cheap.  With 99 cent ebooks if the description is good I tend to buy it, and 
my major disappointments with them has been length.  I feel a novel 
should take me more than 1 or 2 hours to read or is isn't a novel.  If it's
a short story it should say so in the description.


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## Lisa J. Yarde (Jul 15, 2010)

I download samples, but usually by the end of the third chapter, I know whether or not  something will be a good read IMO. There has been only one book that sort of broke this 'third chapter rule'; something I reviewed for my book blog. The first three chapters were ho-hum but the next twenty or so just took off. I was so stoked, I stayed up the whole night to finish it. Only to find a ho-hum ending tacked on.


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

I can't give up on a book. I am always to curious to see how the plot will develop or what the ending will be like, even if it is awful.

Some books go on "hold" indefinitely, because a bad book will slow me down and my reading will drop off. But I almost always return to them.

I know it's a stupid policy, because I could read way more books if I just stuck to continuing books I liked, but I can't help it.

Dave


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## ogzy97 (Jun 1, 2011)

I almost always get a sample of any book before I buy it. Getting samples is one of the features about my kindle that I have enjoyed the most. It keeps me from standing in a bookstore reading and reading and trying to decide whether to buy a book or not. Once I have purchased a book after I have read the sample, I almost always finish the book. It is rare that I don't finish what I have bought.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

My answer: depends on the type of book, and the reputation of the author.

I would have different standards for a thriller (must grab me immediately), a literary novel (the voice must interest me), and a book of essays (it should be well-written, and at least the second essay should be very good). 

Many great novels of earlier times take at least 20 or 30 pages of throat-clearing before the beauty of the book dawns on you.

My novel "The Revised Kama Sutra" starts with a child being bitten by a dog, and then, the child's brief childhood before it is separated from its parents. If you are interested in a Catholic childhood, you would be grabbed by around Page 20, and if sex is what turns you on, then you would have to wait till Page 100 . . . after which it gets real interesting.  This is why I wonder if I should have the reviews (there are at least 50) in the front of the book, because they promise the reader what is to come, or whether I should have them at the back.

In other books, there is a Preface--the preface is saying something mostly to those who already know me as a writer. It is a kind of speech about the book. One probably could read that quickly and then go on to Chapter 1.

My new book of humorous essays, "I Will Not Go the F*** to Sleep" will, I hope, grab people by the middle of Chapter 1. 

The quality of writing always matters--simple dull sentences do not hold me. Well, that's me.

Richard


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## emilyward (Mar 5, 2011)

When I'm reading books on my Kindle, I give them the sample to decide to buy it, and 75% of the time I'll finish it. If it just gets boring and I put it down with no desire to pick it up again, chances are, I won't. 

Print books are different. . .a lot of it depends on what I've heard about the book. If it's popular, I will give it more chances than obscure books because I figure it's popular for a reason. I'd say 40 pages can determine whether I'll finish it or not, 50-60 if I've heard really good things about it.


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## wm ollie (Aug 9, 2010)

I don't have a cutoff point, but I'll eventually stop if something isn't cutting it, or skip ahead and see how it ends and toss it.


before kindle, i rarely gave up on a book, but now with sampling (which is an awesome feature), I find myself turning down stuff from time to time.


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

I think the Amazon sample length is spot on. If I'm still interested at the end of the sample, I buy it. 

But all too often I get turned off by something before I get that far.


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## Ann Herrick (Sep 24, 2010)

If I've bought a book, I'll almost always stick with it.  If I've borrowed a book, it depends. A few books I've read only 10 pages and realized I've made a mistake, but more often I'll read at least a couple of chapters. A friend lent me "The Book Thief," and warned me about it being narrated by "Death," but said how good it was. Without that comment from her I might not have stuck with it. As it was, it took me about 50 pages to settle in and get used to the narration, but after that I was hooked.


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## briezee (Feb 16, 2011)

lpking said:


> My brother gave my son _The Dragonbone Chair_, which my son assured me was brilliant. He insisted I read it. Boy, did the first 50 (or maybe it was even 100) pages move slowly! But once I got through that, it drew me in. Had to read _To Green Angel Tower_, too. And I thought there was a third...


You actually read the third. The middle book is called _Stone of Farewell_. I loved that series, but yes, it started off very slow.

I have a hard time sitting still, and constantly get up to move around and do other things. If I notice that I've spent a lot of time wandering the room, or fiddling in the first hour of reading a book, I'll put it aside, as it hasn't grabbed me. It's quite possible I'll come back later and finish it.

For a book that I honestly just don't like, I can generally get a gut feeling pretty quick.


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## lpking (Feb 12, 2011)

briezee said:


> You actually read the third. The middle book is called _Stone of Farewell_. I loved that series, but yes, it started off very slow.


Yes! Thank you!

It's been a while. I did read all three. Perhaps even in the right order.


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## Zachery Richardson (Jun 5, 2011)

My ADD makes reading an interesting challenge for me. I find this incredibly ironic given that I'm an author, but I digress.

For me, a book has to get me at least slightly interested within the first chapter, and then keep me interested throughout the rest of the story. Lord of the Rings was a great exception to this. I has seen Fellowship before reading the book, so I knew the story got good at the end. But the first half of the book was so mind-numbingly boring that had I not seen the film, I would never have finished the first book, let alone the trilogy!

I feel like I might get shot for saying this, but the three books I put down after the first chapter were The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and The Catcher in the Rye. I found those books boring to the point of almost painful and never finished them. To be fair though, they well outside my preferred genres of fantasy and young adult. Within those genres, I've finished every book I've started.


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## Colin Taber (Apr 4, 2011)

I know what you mean about Fellowship of the Ring, but it's worth hanging in there.

People will always disagree about how good (or bad) a book is. You just need to look at the Amazon reviews to see the diversity of opinion. Titles deemed as classics would particularly fall victim to this as they have wide readerships (think of all those students and book club members forced to read titles they otherwise never would touch. I doubt you're alone in abandoning those reads. At least you've tried them!


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## Rainha (Sep 20, 2010)

markecooper said:


> Relying upon just 2 or 3 pages is, in my opinion, doing a disservice to the author.


Honestly, though, I don't see how I owe the author anything. If anything, since I've (probably) paid for the book, the author owes me . First impressions are important. The first sentence or paragraph or page are the author's chance to introduce me to the story, the writing style, and maybe a character or two. If the author doesn't take the importance of the first sentence or paragraph or page seriously (or, as sometimes happens, if they're clearly trying too hard), I'd say they're doing themselves and their potential readers a disservice. I'm much more forgiving of a slow first fifty pages or so if the initial impact of the book strikes me. It's hard to write fifty engaging pages, but one great sentence or paragraph should be an attainable goal for someone who considers himself an author worthy of publication.


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## Arthur Slade (Jan 20, 2011)

It really varies for me. Sometimes as few as three pages. Sometimes I'll get 3/4's of the way through a book. It really depends on whether or not there's something that is bothering me about the writing that keeps growing as I read. Usually I fool myself and say, "I'm just setting this down for a bit." Then never pick it up again.


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## libbyfh (Feb 11, 2010)

I know what you mean... some books are in the "gray" area for me. They're okay. Not bad. But they just don't grab me for one reason or another. So I put them down ... just for a while... and rarely pick them up again. I feel badly.. for a little bit.. Then again, there are so many wonderful books out there, and not enough time.


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## BethCaudill (Mar 22, 2011)

These days I read the first chapter.  

If you haven't caught me I either give up or if it's a book everyone raves about I will read the last chapter.  If I you don't make me want to figure out how we got the end, I'm done.  I used to try giving 50 to 100 pages to my scifi and fantasy books since they are usually 800+ pages but I don't really see the need.  It's still torture to read through when I could have stopped and enjoyed something else.


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## fictionwriter (Nov 2, 2010)

Okay, sounds like I'm in the minority here, but if I'm not sold by the end of page 1, that's it. If there's no action, conflict, character development and sense of place, I'm not hooked. 

I'd never read a book to the end if I wasn't hooked. 'Course I have a lot of unread books on my shelves and am slowly giving them away. I also Goggle to read an excerpt of books before I buy them to see if they're of interest. There are just too many great books I'll never have time to read, so why waste time reading books I don't even like?

Great question, though...

All Best,

Carolyn


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## JCF (Feb 16, 2011)

My wife gives 50 pages.  Having a Kindle, I give a book until the end of the sample.  If the sample turns out to be all front matter, it tends to fall off my to-be-read list unless I run across a copy I can look at in a library or book store.

Love that sample feature.  I've got only about 100 books on my Kindle, but I've got about 300 samples, categorized by Fiction and Non-fiction.


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## Kali.Amanda (Apr 30, 2011)

I don't have a set of rules for this. It largely depends on my breadth of patience at the time. Sometimes I'm willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt that s/he had to start the story where it did and perhaps it is a little complicated or slow to get into the heart of the matter. In those cases, the language has to be flawless and I'll tolerate one or two typos, at most. There are book that I have put down after 5 pages and will never pick up again.


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## SJCress (Jun 5, 2011)

Back in the day, I almost never put down a book once I'd started. If I'm more than halfway through, though, and I'm still "lost" on the plot, etc, I put it down. And I do feel guilty about it...but I get over it  Although, now with some of the, um, "editor-free" books in the digital world... I see the issue of too many typos or grammar/punctuation errors and I definitely go no further. I just start to twitch too much. And not in the fun way.

I agree about the wondermous-ness of the Kindle's free samples. It really helps weed out the stinkers...


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## John Zunski (Jun 8, 2011)

I fall on the side of not having a rule. I always give a book a fair shake, often reading after I've lost interest. There's always the hope of the story rekindling (couldn't avoid the pun) and sweeping me into an awesome conclusion.  That being said, the older I get, the less patient I am - or maybe its because being a writer I can sense when the author's heart is in it - if it isn't, the read is toast.  

I always hope for another Prayer for Owen Meany... My favorite book and the worst beginning of a novel ever... IMO....

JAZ


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## Colin Taber (Apr 4, 2011)

SCiofalo said:


> now with some of the, um, "editor-free" books in the digital world... I see the issue of too many typos or grammar/punctuation errors and I definitely go no further. I just start to twitch too much. And not in the fun way.
> 
> I agree about the wondermous-ness of the Kindle's free samples. It really helps weed out the stinkers...


I agree. A typo I can live with, even some elements of 'quirky' style. But I can't get past something that someone has published without even a competent proof read. I can live with clunky, but not if I have to re-read every tenth sentence three times to work out what an author means.


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## Trina Lee (May 4, 2011)

It really depends for me. I've tossed books aside in the first chapter and others I have given 50 pages or so. Now that I read mostly on my Kindle I try to hang in there for at least 25%. If it hasn't won me over by then it's doubtful I will go much further.


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## Adam Kisiel (Jun 20, 2011)

My rule is even simpler - i am always reading the whole book, unless i feel i should not.


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## Joseph.Garraty (May 20, 2011)

If it's really bad or something I'm really not going to be into for whatever reason, I can tell on the first page. If it's done well at first glance and seems like it might be something I'd like, it probably takes me forty or fifty pages before I can tell if I just don't want it anymore. 

Very occasionally, I'll stop reading a book after two or three hundred pages. Usually those are well-executed, well-written books that don't have enough of a "spark" or whatever in them to keep me curious enough to finish--I just sort of wear out. 

I used to always read the whole book, but I stopped that about ten years ago because I realized I was reading a lot of books I didn't enjoy and not getting to the good stuff.


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## sheakins (Jun 4, 2011)

libbyfh said:


> How many pages do you give a book?


One. That should be enough to tell you whether the author knows how to tell a story... sometimes it takes even less.


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## Jeff Rivera (Jun 22, 2011)

I usually try to give any book a full chapter or two before I stop reading. There are exceptions of course and have been a few times when only one or two pages in I just had to stop.


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

libbyfh said:


> What about you? How many pages do you give a book?


I give a book as far as the end of the free sample. If that doesn't grab me, I move on.


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## Theresaragan (Jul 1, 2011)

If a book has been highly recommended to me, I will push myself through the first 100 pages. Dan Brown's _The Da Vinci Code_ took a while for me to get into and I ended up loving it. I also had to plod through the first 100 pages of Stieg Larsson's series and I am so glad I did. I loved that series.


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## helenscotttaylor (Jul 13, 2011)

I used to keep going to the bitter end like many other people. But spare time to read is so precious these days that I only read all the way through if a book captures me. My rule of thumb to be fair is to give a book five chapters, but I have given up on some after only a few pages when I realised the writer's style is not for me. There are some books I went on to love that I found difficult to start with (The Iron Duke by maljean Brook comes to mind. First few pages confused me.) So I always try to give a book a chance.

Helen


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## RuthMadison (Jul 9, 2011)

Life is too short to struggle through a book you don't enjoy!  I usually give about a chapter.  There have been some books, though, where I've gotten through 75% of it, and then somehow just lost interest and never picked it back up!


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## Todd Russell (Mar 27, 2011)

A story sample, excerpt and/or opening hooked you enough to buy the book. How long will you keep reading if the story isn't keeping your interest before giving up?

For me, I'll give books I've bought around 100 pages, maybe up to the 50% mark in some cases. Just because I spent money on a book doesn't mean I'm going to struggle through it if it gets boring.

What about you? How long will you give a book? 

(Note: the poll above allows two answers because I'm also curious if you ever quit reading a book because a scene/situation/subplot/character,etc offends you?)


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

_***have merged this new thread (with a poll!  ) with the existing thread for this topic. ***_


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## fancynancy (Aug 9, 2009)

I don't think I saw an option for the sample size or less, unless I missed something.  The sample size is more than enough for me.  I need to be hooked right up front or it's a no go.


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## That one girl (Apr 12, 2011)

My nightstand is stacked with books I've given up on that I think I will one day give another chance. I sometimes feel guilty about this because I know how hard it is to write a book. But, as a single mom, I hardly have time to cook for my daughter. I don't have time to waste reading a book I don't enjoy. If a book doesn't hook me by page 100, I'll usually set it aside and hope that something (maybe a review of the book or word of mouth) will re-spark my interest in the book later. However, I've never returned a book (except for the one time I got two copies of Eat, Pray, Love for my birthday, I returned one).


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

Time is an issue. Because I spend so much time writing I don't have as much time as I used to, to read so I'm pretty picky. Not only am I reading for pleasure but to learn and be inspired from other writers so if the book doesn't grab me pretty quickly then i don't give it much more than a couple of chapters. I usually know by the second chapter or even sometimes the prologue if it's something I'm going to commit to or not.


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## Victoria J (Jul 5, 2011)

kellymcclymer said:


> if it doesn't grab you, turn to the middle and read a scene.


This is usually what I do if I'm not really getting into the first two or three chapters. I'll give a book three chapters before I give up. Sometimes a story takes a little while to build and I don't want to miss out on a great story over simple impatience.

On the other hand, years ago I tried to make my way through a trilogy written by an acclaimed author who has won quite a few awards. I made it through his first book thinking that it was merely ok but might get more interesting by the second book. By the middle of the second book I just gave up. Just couldn't get through it. But I think most books deserve at least two chapters before you move on.


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## ewmacenulty (Jun 10, 2011)

Great thread. My writer friends and I talk about this quite a lot... we are all at very different conclusions with this. As with this fine bunch, responses all over the map.

For myself, I will usually read the first 5-10 pages. If the voice hasn't hooked me, then I don't bother. I may not necessarily understand the story or the characters by this point, but, I'm looking for a voice that I connect with. 

Then, if I connect with the voice, I commit to 25 pages.

Once, I get to 25 pages, if I'm not thinking about the book when I put it down, I don't return. 

What usually happens for me in a book that "has" me is I get into it, forget my rule, look up and see that I'm on page 40 or 50 then I know I've got a book I'll finish.

I do the same with any book: fiction, non-fiction.

I'm not mean-spirited about it, I understand that there are great books (even classics) that I just didn't connect to for whatever reason. I wish them the best and move on. For me, it's very hard to struggle through a book that I'm not connecting to whether its poor or great writing.


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## Todd Russell (Mar 27, 2011)

fancynancy said:


> I don't think I saw an option for the sample size or less, unless I missed something. The sample size is more than enough for me. I need to be hooked right up front or it's a no go.


The moderator merged my separate thread which was a similar discussion as this but with a key difference. My question involved _after buying _ how long do you stay with something you've bought?


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## leearco (Jul 17, 2011)

I pretty much have to read 100%. I think I have some ocd sometimes.


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## WriterCTaylor (Jul 11, 2011)

I started reading a novel last year and about 30 pages in I knew I would never finish it. It was the first time I have ever thought that.


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