Books that I have started but not finished are finished, by which I mean they will never be looked at again. I delete them from my Sony so they aren't taking up space and so I don't inadvertently start reading them again. The reason I stop is either the book is downright dull or so riddled with errors that the book would best serve everyone if it simply self-destructed or it is so badly written (e.g., meandering everywhere and getting nowhere) that self-destruction is actively prayed for.
There is one exception:
Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch, which I won in both hardcover and ebook form. Sadly the writing is dense, so I can only take a few pages at a time. I go back to it about once a week and read 20-30 pages. At that rate, it will take me 40+ weeks to finish the book (it's 1200 pages), but I'm interested in the subject matter and the approach is good, perhaps a bit more than I really want/need to know.
BTW, for those of you who like good nonfiction, I highly recommend
Moral Combat: Good and Evil in World War II by Michael Burleigh. It is a fascinating book viewed from the perspective of each of the major participants. The book is described as:
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By exploring the moral sentiments of entire societies and their leaders, and how such attitudes changed under the impact of total war, Burleigh presents readers with a fresh and powerful perspective on a conflict that continues to shape world politics. Whereas previous histories of the war have tended to focus on grand strategy or major battles, Burleigh brings his painstaking scholarship and profound sensibility to bear on the factors that shaped choices that were life-and-death decisions. These choices were made in real time, without the benefit of a philosopher’s reflection, giving a moral content to the war that shaped it as decisively as any battle.
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