This weeks Booking Through Thursday asks: If you’re not enjoying a book, will you stop mid-way? Or do you push through to the end? What makes you decide to stop?
I rarely give up on books. This years DNF file contains exactly one book: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. In that case it was the main character that I found to annoying to continue. And this seems to be my most common reason for abandoning books. It was the reason why I gave up on Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and Cather in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (both pre-blogging). I don’t need to be able to relate to the characters in the book but I also need to be able to not feel like I want to hit them over the head. That said I did stick with Emma by Jane Austen even though I wanted to yell at the title character.
The only other time I can see myself not finishing a book is if I see no inherent value in the book. It isn’t teaching me anything, not entertaining me or I find it offensive. Even the not teaching me thing isn’t a done deal, because to be quite honest with you, when I first read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (some 10 years ago) I found little inherent value in it. Then we discussed it in class, and the rest is as they say, history. I now count it as one of my favourite books.
I choose my books carefully. Books is one of the things I rarely by on impulse (strangely enough). I have a tonne of books sitting in my wishlists (Amazon, BookDepository and Adlibris) and I haven’t bought them not because I don’t have the money, but rather because I want to consider them a bit longer. Because I consider books carefully, read reviews, ask people I trust on how they found the books etc. I rarely, even when trying new genres or authors, pick books I don’t like. Thus I rarely abandon books. Plus, I stubborn and often feel that I have to finish something when I have started it.
Copyright ©2010 Zee from Notes from the North. This post was originally posted by Zee from Notes from the North. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.
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6 comments:
Unlike you, I do abandon books after the first 50-75 pages if they are boring. Life is just to short to waste time reading a boring book. There are too many good books waiting to be read.
I do a lot of research, too, before I decide to give a book a try. So I really don't abandon many, either. But if I do happen to pick a loser, I don't feel bad at all about letting it go and moving on to something more appealing.
I try to only pick books that I really want to read and have heard great things about - this way there's less of a chance of having to give it up because I don't like it.
Here's my BTT post.
Well done for not impulse buying books! If I could manage that, maybe I wouldn't give up on as many lol. I have a bad habit of buying books just because the cover is pretty - even though I know that's often a big mistake to make.
My answer is here
Hi. I'm curious where you are from. I noted the children's books that you like are Norwegian, aren't they? And you will only speak English to your niece, what language will your sister be speaking. I am always so impressed by bilingual people, especially ones who have a blog in a second language. Anyway, here is my reply to Booking Through Thursday.
http://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/
-Anne
I have seen SO many people say exactly what you said about The Great Gatsby. I guess I need to pick that book up again because I couldn't stand it when I read it in high school. I wonder if I'd feel differently now.
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