Do you finish reading every book you start reading? - Page 4

Laine · 08-07-2010, 06:31 PM

I usually finish most books I start even if I'm not enjoying them.

Occasionally I'll be reading a book when a book or books I've been looking forward to become available. So I start on the new book/s and sometimes I just never make it back.

A couple of years ago I started keeping a list of every book I bought in my phone and marking them off when I read them. There's a LOT still to be read. If I never bought another book I think I'd have enough to last me for the rest of my life.

eric11210 · 08-07-2010, 06:36 PM

I voted no, but when I think about it, it is rare that I start reading a book I don't finish. Typically, if I make it past the first few pages, I'll keep reading because I want to know how it comes out. If the first few pages bore me, it goes back onto a virtual shelf (well, really a real shelf since I only recently got a reader).

Eric

kcmay · 08-07-2010, 06:58 PM

I voted no. If a book doesn't seem like it's going anywhere or is poorly written/edited and I can't take it anymore, I'll abandon it. That said, there are books I didn't enjoy that I read to the end, hoping that they'd redeem themselves. Empress by Karen Miller was one of those. I've no interest in reading the other books in the series.

hgwlackey · 08-08-2010, 02:43 PM

While I start every book hoping that we will enjoy our time together, it doesn't always turn out to be the case. Sometimes we have to go our separate ways.

ficbot · 08-08-2010, 05:42 PM

I just added a new 'status' tag to Calibre. 1 star means the book was read, 2 stars means it was read in paper and will be re-read later, and 3 stars means I didn't finish it. Now, no more guilt. Library books and freebies can be deleted, but now I have a way to deal with paid-for books.

Mickey330 · 08-08-2010, 09:59 PM

To paraphrase my mom: "Life's too short to read bad books!"

Before getting an ereader, I was picky in choosing either purchased books or library books (before I lugged library books back and forth - I wanted to be doubly sure I'd read them ... they're heavy!).

Now that I have an ereader (and a 125+ To Be Read "pile" - that never seems to get shorter), I no longer have to worry about running out of books to read.

So, if a book doesn't catch my interest, I'll dump it and move on to another, whether its free, paid for or a library book.

And, I'm definitely not very discriminatory in downloading free e-books. If it sounds remotely interesting, I'll download it (hence, the big TBR list). Then, when I get to it, I'll either enjoy it or "throw it away." Guilt-free.

I don't throw them away though - still can't do that, even with e-books. Paper books I keep (for library/garage sales); e-books get archived in Calibre.

Just can't throw them out - even if I only read the first chapter...

Marilyn

catsittingstill · 08-09-2010, 08:41 AM

When I was a kid it was a point of pride with me to finish every book I started.

Even the complete pieces of dreck.

Then I tried to read the Bible. That put a stop to that. It wasn't very many pages in that I got so angry for poor Hagar that I--didn't quite throw the book across the room (it was a *book*; only barbarians would damage a *book*). But I slammed it shut, slapped it down on a shelf and didn't read another word of it for years.

It still makes me mad to think of it.

Since then I've gotten a lot less focused on finishing every book I start. Especially now that I read e-books, since the freebie e-books mean I end up with a lot of stuff that's outside my usual genres. Sure I'll give them a try, but if I don't like them, I don't see the point of dragging myself through them. Reading is supposed to be fun.

And every now and then I'll run into something that's just *so* offensive (torture scenes are a real sore point, or books where female characters are just caricatures, there to be strings to get the real people moving) that I'm not interested in subjecting myself to any more of that.

LCF · 08-09-2010, 09:04 AM

Not always. Sometimes a boring book, sometimes there isn't enough time. Once because it was the seventh book of the Dark Tower sequence

mjhudston · 08-09-2010, 01:17 PM

depends if a book grabs me. When I read about a boy, I read it one sitting. others I struggle to get into, and eventually put down, and don't bother again.

JSWolf · 08-12-2010, 01:53 PM

I don't stop too many books. But if a book is really dreadful (IMHO), I will stop for sure.

kindlekitten · 08-12-2010, 05:01 PM

you know Jon, for someone who fusses so much about there being duplicate threads about topics, I'm amazed that you started a duplicate thread just because you didn't like the way the other poll was phrased.

so, duplicate thread, duplicate answer;

it took a long time but I finally learned how to give myself permission to walk away from a book. somehow I grew up with this onus of "once started, must finish". the Seattle NPR station does a weekly (?) show with the main librarian from the Seattle public library where she gives book suggestions. oddly enough (and this was pre e-book for me), it was a comment from her that finally sealed the deal. it was along the lines of; "there is no reason to put yourself through the misery of reading a book that is supposed to be for entertainment and you simply do not enjoy it. put it down, find something else." since then it has been a LOT easier to walk away from some. I still try to give them a bit of a chance, but can now walk away. unless I figure out I've been duped into a romance. then it's dropped like a hot potato!
__________________

SteveEisenberg · 08-12-2010, 05:52 PM

I'm an outlier here, rarely buying books, and only finishing maybe one of four of the many books I take out of local libraries. Some I barely start, and a lot I abandon after a couple chapters. And I don't think I have ever read an eBook that wasn't from Project Gutenberg.

One reason I'm different is that I mostly read non-fiction. With one of my few favorite fiction authors (Richard Russo, Archer Mayor, Anthony Trollope, Brontës), I'm sure to finish.

If it is really true that Amazon losses money on $9.99 books (http://www.teleread.com/2009/05/13/a...n-999-e-books/), I guess it is good news for them that I ordered the Kindle 3.

Ordering the Kindle 3 was a luxury move totally not like me. Usually I would wait until a used discontinued model costs little, which is what I did with PDA's.

View Poll Results: Do you finish every book you start reading?
Yes, I finish every book I start reading	30	28.30%
No, I do not always finish every book I read. (please explain)	76	71.70%
Voters: 106. You may not vote on this poll

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Do you finish all the books that you start?	socal9	General Discussions	29	09-24-2010 07:25 PM
Do you finish every book you start?	banjobama	General Discussions	77	09-24-2010 03:30 PM
How did you start reading?	HorridRedDog	Reading Recommendations	92	04-28-2010 03:17 PM
Did an ereader help kick start a reading habit	manchuia	Which one should I buy?	24	07-04-2008 10:12 PM
What do you do after you finish reading a book?	TheEternalVortex	Lounge	12	04-25-2008 02:12 PM

08-07-2010, 06:31 PM	#46
Laine Addict Posts: 341 Karma: 1162396 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cabramatta, Sydney, Australia Device: Aura H2O, Voyage	I usually finish most books I start even if I'm not enjoying them. Occasionally I'll be reading a book when a book or books I've been looking forward to become available. So I start on the new book/s and sometimes I just never make it back. A couple of years ago I started keeping a list of every book I bought in my phone and marking them off when I read them. There's a LOT still to be read. If I never bought another book I think I'd have enough to last me for the rest of my life.

08-07-2010, 06:36 PM	#47
eric11210 Addict Posts: 295 Karma: 400001 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Sony Reader PRS-600	I voted no, but when I think about it, it is rare that I start reading a book I don't finish. Typically, if I make it past the first few pages, I'll keep reading because I want to know how it comes out. If the first few pages bore me, it goes back onto a virtual shelf (well, really a real shelf since I only recently got a reader). Eric

08-07-2010, 06:58 PM	#48
kcmay Addict Posts: 363 Karma: 500001 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Georgia, USA Device: Kindle2	I voted no. If a book doesn't seem like it's going anywhere or is poorly written/edited and I can't take it anymore, I'll abandon it. That said, there are books I didn't enjoy that I read to the end, hoping that they'd redeem themselves. Empress by Karen Miller was one of those. I've no interest in reading the other books in the series.

08-08-2010, 02:43 PM	#49
hgwlackey Zealot Posts: 123 Karma: 9550 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Tennessee, USA Device: Kindle Touch, HTC Thunderbolt	While I start every book hoping that we will enjoy our time together, it doesn't always turn out to be the case. Sometimes we have to go our separate ways.

08-08-2010, 05:42 PM	#50
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	I just added a new 'status' tag to Calibre. 1 star means the book was read, 2 stars means it was read in paper and will be re-read later, and 3 stars means I didn't finish it. Now, no more guilt. Library books and freebies can be deleted, but now I have a way to deal with paid-for books.

08-08-2010, 09:59 PM	#51
Mickey330 Addict Posts: 378 Karma: 1107420 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Western New York state (USA) Device: Kindle Oasis & the Kindle app on iDevices	To paraphrase my mom: "Life's too short to read bad books!" Before getting an ereader, I was picky in choosing either purchased books or library books (before I lugged library books back and forth - I wanted to be doubly sure I'd read them ... they're heavy!). Now that I have an ereader (and a 125+ To Be Read "pile" - that never seems to get shorter), I no longer have to worry about running out of books to read. So, if a book doesn't catch my interest, I'll dump it and move on to another, whether its free, paid for or a library book. And, I'm definitely not very discriminatory in downloading free e-books. If it sounds remotely interesting, I'll download it (hence, the big TBR list). Then, when I get to it, I'll either enjoy it or "throw it away." Guilt-free. I don't throw them away though - still can't do that, even with e-books. Paper books I keep (for library/garage sales); e-books get archived in Calibre. Just can't throw them out - even if I only read the first chapter... Marilyn

08-09-2010, 08:41 AM	#52
catsittingstill Guru Posts: 643 Karma: 551634 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle 1.0.8, iPod Touch, Kindle Keyboard	When I was a kid it was a point of pride with me to finish every book I started. Even the complete pieces of dreck. Then I tried to read the Bible. That put a stop to that. It wasn't very many pages in that I got so angry for poor Hagar that I--didn't quite throw the book across the room (it was a book; only barbarians would damage a book). But I slammed it shut, slapped it down on a shelf and didn't read another word of it for years. It still makes me mad to think of it. Since then I've gotten a lot less focused on finishing every book I start. Especially now that I read e-books, since the freebie e-books mean I end up with a lot of stuff that's outside my usual genres. Sure I'll give them a try, but if I don't like them, I don't see the point of dragging myself through them. Reading is supposed to be fun. And every now and then I'll run into something that's just so offensive (torture scenes are a real sore point, or books where female characters are just caricatures, there to be strings to get the real people moving) that I'm not interested in subjecting myself to any more of that.

08-09-2010, 09:04 AM	#53
LCF Wizard Posts: 1,472 Karma: 9795311 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germany Device: Hanlin V3 (LBook), GS3	Not always. Sometimes a boring book, sometimes there isn't enough time. Once because it was the seventh book of the Dark Tower sequence

08-09-2010, 01:17 PM	#54
mjhudston All round good egg Posts: 229 Karma: 1005039 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: Apple Ipad 3rd Generation	depends if a book grabs me. When I read about a boy, I read it one sitting. others I struggle to get into, and eventually put down, and don't bother again.

08-12-2010, 01:53 PM	#55
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,037 Karma: 129333114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I don't stop too many books. But if a book is really dreadful (IMHO), I will stop for sure.

08-12-2010, 05:01 PM	#56
kindlekitten Professional Adventuress Posts: 13,368 Karma: 50260224 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Olympic Peninsula on the OTHER Washington! (the big green clean one on the west coast!) Device: Kindle, the original! Times Two! and gifting an International Kindle	you know Jon, for someone who fusses so much about there being duplicate threads about topics, I'm amazed that you started a duplicate thread just because you didn't like the way the other poll was phrased. so, duplicate thread, duplicate answer; it took a long time but I finally learned how to give myself permission to walk away from a book. somehow I grew up with this onus of "once started, must finish". the Seattle NPR station does a weekly (?) show with the main librarian from the Seattle public library where she gives book suggestions. oddly enough (and this was pre e-book for me), it was a comment from her that finally sealed the deal. it was along the lines of; "there is no reason to put yourself through the misery of reading a book that is supposed to be for entertainment and you simply do not enjoy it. put it down, find something else." since then it has been a LOT easier to walk away from some. I still try to give them a bit of a chance, but can now walk away. unless I figure out I've been duped into a romance. then it's dropped like a hot potato! __________________

08-12-2010, 05:52 PM	#57
SteveEisenberg Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,038 Karma: 39379388 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: near Philadelphia USA Device: Kindle Kids Edition, Fire HD 10 (11th generation)	I'm an outlier here, rarely buying books, and only finishing maybe one of four of the many books I take out of local libraries. Some I barely start, and a lot I abandon after a couple chapters. And I don't think I have ever read an eBook that wasn't from Project Gutenberg. One reason I'm different is that I mostly read non-fiction. With one of my few favorite fiction authors (Richard Russo, Archer Mayor, Anthony Trollope, Brontës), I'm sure to finish. If it is really true that Amazon losses money on $9.99 books (http://www.teleread.com/2009/05/13/a...n-999-e-books/), I guess it is good news for them that I ordered the Kindle 3. Ordering the Kindle 3 was a luxury move totally not like me. Usually I would wait until a used discontinued model costs little, which is what I did with PDA's.