Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Do you continue reading books you aren't enjoying?

Most books I read are ones that I enjoy reading and have no problem finishing in the least.

However, every so often there is a book that I come across that ends up being one that I'm not enjoying for any number of reasons. The question that always comes to mind when I'm reading a book that I'm not enjoying is whether or not I should even continue reading it. 

My first instinct is to quit reading the book altogether if I'm not enjoying it at all and move on to the next book. After all life is short and there are way too many wonderful books out there waiting to be read... So, skip the bad ones and move on to the next one. But this seems to be easier said than done.,, at least for me anyway.

Sometimes I do stop reading books I don't like and move on to the next book. Other times I keep reading a book that I don't like because it is written by an author whose writing I've enjoyed in the past and I keep hoping that the book will get better. Or perhaps a friend has recommended a book to me and I want to see what my friend liked about it or the various other reasons I have for continuing to read a book that is less than captivating. So, whether to continue reading a book or not has no simply answer for me.

How do you decide whether or not to continue reading a book that doesn't capture your interest?

2 comments:

  1. I have found that with books I'm not enjoying I slowly stop reading them; with the full intention of finishing them. For example: '11-22-63' by Stephen King. I bought it in November - the week it came out - and began reading it immediately. However, the moment I hit around halfway, the book's plot slid quickly and I found it was becoming very boring and slow. He was becoming bogged down (again - like in 'Under The Dome') in the details. SK is trying something very different and I have to say: it doesn't suit him. So, I've put the book down; the second one he's written of literature - and not horror - that I haven't enjoyed.

    So, when I do come upon a book I can't read for the sheer joy of it, I simply put it down. Life is most certainly too short for badly written books. :)

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