# Bad books - how long do you perservere?



## TheRiddler (Nov 11, 2010)

Ok, this is related to either digi-books, or 'real' books.

How long do you perservere with a book you are not enjoying?

Mostly, once I've got a fewe chapters into a book, I usually finish, even if it's just to find out what happened at the end.

Is there a 'tipping point' for you, that once you have read a certain amount, you have to finish?
Does it depend how much the book cost?
Do you give authors you have read before more or less leeway then ones you've never heard of?


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

No particular stopping point. When I'm done, I'm done.  It may be a page, it may be a chapter, it may be 20%, it may be 50%.  As they say, "I knows it when I sees it."   

About the only time I'll push through something that's slogging at the front-end, is if I've read *multiple* reviews that say "it's a little slow in the first couple of chapters, but stick with it, it kicks in gear after that and it's worth it in the end."


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## FrankZubek (Aug 31, 2010)

I agree with Steph
If several reviews say that it takes time to warm up, I'll give it a go, but usually I give a bad book 100 pages

If it doesn't get going by then I stop, read the last 5 pages to know how it ends and pass it on or trade it in at a used books store. Life's too short to follow through on anything that doesn't interest me (unless it's a job, THAT's needed to pay the bills, but nearly anything else had better worth my time)


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I've had a few novels only grab me on the third or fourth try, but that's only when the problem is not the writing itself. If the style grates on me, will try a couple of chapters before giving up. If it just doesn't hook me, may give it a few tries until I'm in a different frame of mind. Seems like a lot of that is subjective.


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## derek alvah (Jul 2, 2010)

Depends.If it's the story I'm not liking,I may give it a little longer to grab my interest.If for some reason it's the writing that bothers me,I'll usually stop immediately.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

(sung to the "COPS" theme song)

Bad books, bad books,
whatcha' gonna' do?
Will you waste an hour on Chapter Two?

Bad books, bad books,
whatcha' gonna' do?
Will you waste an hour on Chapter Two?


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## Andrew Kaufman (Jun 16, 2010)

I used to stick with them until the end, then at some point I finally decided life is too short and there are too many books to read. I usually try to give the  book a chance--that is to say, I won't necessarily fall away if the first two chapters don't grab me. But somewhere to the halfway point, if I'm losing interest, I usually will stop reading. Of course, there are other factors. If a friend has recommended the book, then I tend to stick with it longer, as well as if it's received a lot of good reviews. 

Drew


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

Bravo, Hooded Claw! I just did a spit-take.

If it's just not sucking me in, I'll keep going for a good long while. If the writing is bad or the characters are ridiculous, I'll stop ASAP. I think I got five pages into The Da Vinci Code!


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## derek alvah (Jul 2, 2010)

Andrew Kaufman said:


> If a friend has recommended the book, then I tend to stick with it longer, as well as if it's received a lot of good reviews.
> 
> Drew


Yeah,that's another factor that comes into play.A friend recommended the Dark Tower series to me and I tried to like it but only made it part way into the second book.Characters/story just didn't grab me.


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## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

I don't have a cut-off point really.  If it kills me to look at the book then I let myself off the hook.

Although if it's a book by someone I know, I'll make a serious effort to finish it.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I'm heartless. If the author doesn't establish he/she knows what the heck they're doing within the first two paragraphs, I'm done.


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## Sandra Edwards (May 10, 2010)

If I get past the first page, there's about a 90% chance that I'll finish the book. Occasionally, I've gotten to about mid-point in some books and completely lost interest. 

If the author loses me, I move on. Life's too short to spend my time reading something that I just don't find entertaining.

Sandy


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## jhanel (Dec 22, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> I'm heartless. If the author doesn't establish he/she knows what the heck they're doing within the first two paragraphs, I'm done.


Ouch! That *IS* heartless... but hey, to each their own. I usually give a book at least the second chapter. The first chapter may have dragged because it was a set-up for the rest of the book. But a set-up that requires more than two chapters is just too painful for me to read.


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## terryr (Apr 24, 2010)

Reading for pleasure-- if I'm not in by the first page, I'm out. When I read for pleasure, I want to be able to turn off the editor part of me that I am (lately) 93% of the time. Depending on my mood and tolerance levels after an editing session, one misused word (e.g., reign for rein) in the first paragraph or even a capitalized pronoun after dialogue (e.g., "He did what?" She asked.) can have me skittering off a sampled book, never to return.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

For me it is rarely a conscience decision to not finish.  I usually loose interest, start something else and just never get around to finishing.  How long that takes depends on what else I got going on.


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## James Roy Daley (Dec 10, 2010)

I read several books at a time and find that some books are always second fiddle to something else. After a while, I know I don't plan on finishing.


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

The older I get, the faster I give up. Too many books suit me to be wasting time on those that don't. So I don't persist one sentence beyond the point where I decide the book isn't my cup of tea.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

I usually try to give the book a second chance, i.e., I will come back to it later on when I am in a different frame of mind and see if it appeals to me. If it still doesn't then I usually give it up as a bad job and grab something else to read.

I use to finish them no matter what but now, I figure I have so many other books on my TBR list that I would much rather spend my free time doing something I enjoy instead of something I feel I should finish.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

I have given a book a hundred pages, but usually no more than fifty pages (or the equivalent in an ebook).

If a book appears to have not been edited/proofread and has errors on every page, I drop it like a hot potato.

Cheers,
JimC


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## Iwritelotsofbooks (Nov 17, 2010)

Depends.  When I'm at the bookstore and something looks interesting, I'll read a couple pages.  If I really like it, I'll buy it, but if not, I'll never go near it again.

If I've already bought it and it slows after the first few good pages, I'll give it a few chapters.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

jhanel said:


> Ouch! That *IS* heartless... but hey, to each their own. I usually give a book at least the second chapter. The first chapter may have dragged because it was a set-up for the rest of the book. But a set-up that requires more than two chapters is just too painful for me to read.


I don't mean the story has to start off blazing fast, or I need to see a dead body by sentence three. But usually you can tell if the author knows what they're doing by how the set the very first scene. More than anything, I just don't want to waste my time, and if that's what it seems like the author will do, then I'm done.


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## sandynight (Sep 26, 2010)

If there is no conflict or motive in the first chapter and it's all character development and backstory, and no hook at end of chapter one, I dont start chapter two.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Depends on how bad they are, and why they are bad, and if I have somethig better available. If a book is badly written, or full of errors then I won't be able to read it. If it's a book that doesn't really grab me then I'll give it a few chapters to see if it improves. If it's an ok book I'll carry on reading unless I have something available that I know I will enjoy more. 
I haven't forced myself to read all the way through a book since my schooldays. Too many books, too little time.


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## theraven (Dec 30, 2009)

Depends on the why I think it's bad. If it's the formating or a lot of editing mistakes then I don't read very far. If it's the style or voice of the story that's not feeling right to me, I'll usually commit to the first chapter or two if it's short. Sometimes it's more because I'm not familar in reading that genre and need to 'settle' into the way the book is being told. Especially classics. I'm used to the high paced stories of thrillers and suspense so need to remind myself to just adjust my expectations.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

If after the first few chapters and I'm still asking myself the question "When is this story going to start?" then it's time for me to put hte book aside.


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## DavidRM (Sep 21, 2010)

When I'm tired of mentally editing the text, I stop reading. That can be after just a few pages, or a few chapters, or even halfway through the book.

Because, yeah, like terryr said, I want to turn *off* my mental editor. But if the writing keeps activating Editor Mode, it wears me out.

-David


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## Laura Lond (Nov 6, 2010)

I have a thing about finishing what I've started, LOL, so I usually try to finish the book. It has to be really, really bad for me to drop it. 

If you remember how slow The Lord of the Ring is at the beginning, this would be a great example of when perseverance pays off.  Of course, not every slow, not-grabbing story turns into a masterpiece later, but I always wonder whether the author had a reason for writing it this way - a reason I might not have yet perceived.


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

it all depends on the writing, for me.  If I'm reading a book that is badly written or doesn't really hook me in early on in the story line (and we're talking less than 2% of the story), I'm outta there.  At the same time, if I'm reading a book that's pretty good, but doesn't fit the idea of the book I'm wanting to read, I lose interest and stop reading it.  Recently, I stopped reading a book I was almost half way thru when I realized that although it was supposed to be a bodice ripper (blush!) there was only one scene of lovin' and then the heroine got sick.  That was not my impression of the book when I bought it and even though I was 40-45% of the way thru, I stopped reading it.


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

With so many free books, I usually stop reading the book when I know that I don't like it at any place in the book. Also, I tell myself, why waste time reading something that I don't like. However, 1 of the books I am reading is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - 1 of Oprah's Book Club Selections & I am not enjoying it. I am at 60-70% done now, & it seems to be just starting to pick up for me. All I keep hearing, TTS, is violence, prisons, various ways of torturing people before or after death by violence, & starving people. It's downright depressing. So last night, I went to the Amazon's book's page & read what others say. Majority of the reviewers love this book, so I persevere, thinking, what am I missing? The next "Oprah" book is Great Expectations.


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## CathyQuinn (Dec 9, 2010)

It can be anywhere from page 2 to page 534.... If I'm close to the end I tend to flip through just to "finish"...  But I don't have a lot of tolerance, so if I give up, it's usually by chapter 2...


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## windyrdg (Sep 20, 2010)

I have no hard and fast criteria. If the book has been well-rated or a best seller, I usually stick in there longer hoping to see if I can find what others saw in it. (and I'll admit in some cases I never did!) If the writing's poor or I see typos and factual error, I'm much moe likely to jump ship. Also, if I'm reading it for a specific reason...say to understand a particular writer's style...then I'll just keep reading and learning whether I'm "getting it" or not.
Peace and Blessings


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## Lambert (Nov 12, 2010)

I hate it when the first chapter is very interesting, then the next chapter gets boring. If the next few chapters don't pick up  I usually stop. This happened to me recently, and I wondered... Why?

If they can write such an interesting first chapter then why not continue? Even if the end was great I won't  know...  I can see maybe one chapter may not be too great, but they'd better gotten back to it soon.

Lambert


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## ClickNextPage (Oct 15, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> I'm heartless. If the author doesn't establish he/she knows what the heck they're doing within the first two paragraphs, I'm done.


You're not alone.


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## Will Write for Gruel (Oct 16, 2010)

If I think the writing is poor but I am interested in seeing how the plot unfolds, I'll skim ruthlessly. If the plot hasn't grabbed me in anyway, I'll toss the book aside.


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> I'm heartless. If the author doesn't establish he/she knows what the heck they're doing within the first two paragraphs, I'm done.


I'm not quite that heartless, but pretty darned close. And this is one of the primary reasons I have such a hard time reading Clancy; the guy really _doesn't_ know what he's doing. Indeed, I got into _The Sum of All Fears_ to the point where he described the totally ridiculous scenario in which the Israeli's 'lose' that nuclear bomb and couldn't go any further. I tossed the book aside right at that point never to return. Absolutely had to slog my way one paragraph at a time through _Patriot Games_ and the completely unbelievable dialog between the Prince of Wales and Jack Ryan, and only did that because I so enjoyed the movie.


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## WilliamEsmont (May 3, 2010)

Not very long, I'm afraid. I read outside of the genre that I'm writing in at the moment, mostly to escape, to 'reset' my mind and get away from the mental trauma of creating and editing my own content. If a book doesn't do that for me then out it goes.


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## JennaAnderson (Dec 25, 2009)

I try to make it to 30% before I give up. Although I've done that for a few books and the sheer awfulness is still stuck in my mind. Perhaps I should give up sooner. One example that comes to mind is Booth's Sister. The description was completely different than the actual book. 

Exception to this 30% rule is when one of my deal breakers appears in the book - a frame up plot (sorry, can't handle them) or a nasty abusive husband or boyfriend that will be a large part of the story. 

Jenna


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## Lee Sinclair (Dec 19, 2010)

Interesting question and interesting replies.  I used to finish everything and never, ever skimmed a book.  Now I have bunches and bunches of unfinished books (paperbacks & Kindle books).  I also tend to start skimming if the book is blah, but there's one part of it that is still holding my interest.  There's usually a question that piqued my interest or a reason I picked up the book in the first place, so I read until that question or reason no longer exists or I'm so bored/irritated I just don't care any more.  Of course, I actually read more nonfiction than fiction these days, and I'm more willing to slog through a nonfiction book.

It makes me wonder if novels used to be better when I first started reading or am I getting smarter/more efficient about where I spend my reading time?


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

Lee Sinclair said:


> It makes me wonder if novels used to be better when I first started reading or am I getting smarter/more efficient about where I spend my reading time?


It's probably the latter, Lee. Although, considering the herd mentality coming out of the major New York houses and the propensity for some indies to jump onto the latest perceived 'hot thing,' it could also be a measure of the former.


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## Lee Sinclair (Dec 19, 2010)

I would certainly like to think that I'm getting smarter or more efficient.


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## ClickNextPage (Oct 15, 2009)

DavidRM said:


> When I'm tired of mentally editing the text, I stop reading. That can be after just a few pages, or a few chapters, or even halfway through the book.
> 
> Because, yeah, like terryr said, I want to turn *off* my mental editor. But if the writing keeps activating Editor Mode, it wears me out.


Exactly. If I'm critiquing the writing and errors as I go and can't completely just disappear into the story, Houston, there's a problem. I thought it was me just being too persnickety.


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## Dawn McCullough White (Feb 24, 2010)

About 3 or 4 chapters.  The plot could be golden but if the characters are bland I'm done.  

Dawn


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## mareyeka (Sep 21, 2010)

It depends on what makes it bad. If the writing itself is bad, I stop within pages. If it's the story, I read until I just can't take it any more. I used to do what someone else mentioned - I figured I had to finish the book. But life really IS too short. What is the point of reading a book you're not enjoying?


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