Anyway I'm guessing you all are wondering what is the point of all this crazy chicka's endless babbling and when is she going to get to the point of this post...yea I was wondering the same thing too, but my typing fingerss (which just got a lovely french manicure) seem to have a mind of their own...
Seriously though, I want to know what makes you stop reading a book? I have this insane idea that I have to finish every book I start no matter how much I dislike it. But what about you? Are there certain themes such as abuse, bullying, too much sexual content that makes you stop reading or is it all about if the novel catches your interest or not?
I will stop reading a book if I don't have some sort of connection with at least 1 of the characters. This has happened to me recently with a book that everyone who has read it so far has loved...I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters so I quit while I was ahead and went on to read something I enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI usually try to finish a book once I have started it , but there have been a few that I just stopped reading. The main reason for me not finishing a book is boredom.
ReplyDeleteLisa... when are you going to get to the point? :P
ReplyDeleteJ/K
Okay, I'm a bit of a nut. I have a hard time not finishing a book, even if I don't like it. I think in this past two years of reading avidly, I've DNF less than 5 books. I know, it's crazy, because most times if I start a book and don't like it, I still believe that it's going to get better if I just stick it out. But most times, it doesn't and I'm supremely disappointed. I hate that feeling because then I feel like I've wasted my time. But then again, there have been those moments when I have been pleasantly surprised and glad I stayed with the story.
Okay... now I'm rambling... and thinking I need a pedi/mani. And, I guess I'm not the best person to ask about this subject. Sorry for being so unhelpful. :\
I am the same as you. I just have a really hard time not finishing a book. I just have to know what happens!
ReplyDeleteI'm like you, I HATE not finishing books. But, I'm getting better at it, mainly because I have a pile of 200+ books waiting to be read so it makes me less and less willing to waste time reading something I'm not enjoying. I've actually given up on two books lately, which is more than I've given up on in the past 10 years collectively! And I feel so much better, I have to say - I HATE struggling through books and forcing myself to read them, so I'm not going to do it to myself anymore. It's hard at first but I just distract myself with the next book and get over it :)
ReplyDeleteThere are very few books that I have started and haven't finished. I'm like you in that once I start I feel like I'm obligated to push through til the end. I think I can name on one hand the ones I haven't finished (and they still sit in my library hoping for their hayday...) If they just annoy me too much - if I feel no attachment at all to the characters. Sometimes its a mood thing. If I picked up the wrong book for my mood. I have hundreds of books on my shelves waiting for their day in the sun. I browse them everyday saying "what do I feel like today". Then it's their moment. Sometimes I overnight order a book that i want to read RIGHT now - then that day it arrives it's moment has past and onto the shelf it goes. Sad right? Though the ones that haven't been finished are usually the ones that have just ticked me off in some way. Overuse of simile will do that for me. Totally unrealistic behavior (say if its set in a schoolroom and the authority figure is being outrageous in such a way as you know they would lose their job if they did that in real life*) or if I haven't formed an attachment to the characters enough to care about what happens to them. Thats when the speed reading comes into play.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! enjoy your future ones to come!
At least I'm not alone in this crazy thought that I have to finish every book I pick up. I think that I just hold out hope that the book is going to get better and that I will curse myself for not finishing it. I'm also worried that I'm going to miss out on some epic ending just because I wasn't fond of the beginning. This has happened a few times but not often.
ReplyDeleteLike you I feel like I have to finish it. I'll either just skim the rest or just skip to the end and then go on online to see what happened in the parts I didn't read. Ummm, but mostly I can't finish a book if the story is so blah and everything that's happening is just so unrealistic and insane. IDK. This is actually a hard question to answer.
ReplyDeleteIf a book makes me want to strangle all the characters, stab my eyes out, or put down the book and not read anything for days, I will stop reading and pick something else.
ReplyDeleteI loooooooooove the cool weather :)
ReplyDeleteWhat stops me? Excessive profanity and social commentary stop me in my tracks.