Do you finish reading every book you start reading?

[Rich_D]

It's like deja vue! If I don't like a book after a chapter or two, I stop reading. There are too many worthy books out there to waste time on a loser!

[karenr_nz]

If a book doesn't hold my interest I won't finish it. Life is too short to spend your leisure time doing something you don't enjoy (like reading a book you don't like).

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Mike L

Why would anyone force themself to continue with a book if it turns out to be boring, disagreeable, offensive, trivial, unbelievable, irrelevant - or you just can't be bothered with it?

Why would you start a book if it's offensive, irrelevant, disagreeable? I always read what the books is about before buying/downloading it.

I always finish all books. It might take some time, but I will finish it. That's the biggest advantage of ereaders, the device will remember where I was when I want to continue reading it...

If a book is boring at the start, doesn't mean it's boring at the end. I've read plenty of books I just couldn't really get started, but once I reached that halfway point couldn't put away.

[afa]

I voted "Yes", but I admit there are a couple of exceptions.

A few years ago, when I was in my 'read anything by Michael Crichton' phase, I bought a book of his called Five Patients. Turns out it was a non-fiction book where Crichton recalled the events of one day in the hospital back when he was still a practicing physician. I fell asleep about 30 pages in, and never bothered picking it up again. Sometimes I think I should have at least tried; who knows, it might have ended up interesting.

The only other instance of my not finishing a novel was the one and only time I tried Tom Clancy. The book was called Red Rabbit, and I think I got about 150 or so pages through, and just couldn't read any more. Mind-numbingly boring. I never bothered with another Clancy again.

Apart from these two incidences, however, I always finish whatever book I'm reading. I know what kind of books will interest me, and am generally quite picky about which books I buy, so the odds of starting a book that I abandon midway are pretty low.

[Poppa1956]

Indeed, some books are boring beyond all reason, offensive (usually not offencive and boring, its either/or), predictable (a whodunnit that I have figured out when the author throws out the first stiff) so laden with clichés (without trying to be humorous) There are some of my reasons (assuming I have to have a reason) to quit a book.

[estrial]

I tend to stop reading a book if my head gets lost and I have no idea of what I am reading anymore. "boring beyond all reason" as poppa1956 says is definitely what happens every so often.

[nohmi2]

Life is too short to be involved with books that don't interest you.

I feel the same about some recipes. "Life is too short to stuff a mushroom." (Erma Bombeck)

Cheers.

[Mrraow]

I voted yes, but... out of maybe 10,000 books read, there are two exceptions... both were by Brian Aldiss, and in both cases, I reached a point where I would rather gnaw my leg off than continue.

Someone is bound to ask, so (from memory, titles may be wrong):
Report on Probability A
Heliconia Spring

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by afa

I voted "Yes", but I admit there are a couple of exceptions.

A few years ago, when I was in my 'read anything by Michael Crichton' phase, I bought a book of his called Five Patients. Turns out it was a non-fiction book where Crichton recalled the events of one day in the hospital back when he was still a practicing physician. I fell asleep about 30 pages in, and never bothered picking it up again. Sometimes I think I should have at least tried; who knows, it might have ended up interesting.

The only other instance of my not finishing a novel was the one and only time I tried Tom Clancy. The book was called Red Rabbit, and I think I got about 150 or so pages through, and just couldn't read any more. Mind-numbingly boring. I never bothered with another Clancy again.

Apart from these two incidences, however, I always finish whatever book I'm reading. I know what kind of books will interest me, and am generally quite picky about which books I buy, so the odds of starting a book that I abandon midway are pretty low.

I liked Five Patients. It was the one on his travels that stunk. I'll grant you Red Rabbit was a slow starter but it eventually picked up. Red Rabbit is part of a series so if you hadn't already read the previous books in the series, much of it might have not made much sense. Clancy's books can stand alone but they are much better if read sequentially.

[Quake1028]

Yeah, I do, but sometimes I wish I didn't have the habit.

[Pookeysgirl]

[QUOTE=Sweetpea;1042794]Why would you start a book if it's offensive, irrelevant, disagreeable? I always read what the books is about before buying/downloading it.

Sorry, I have to disagree with you on that one. They don't tell you what is in every part of the book when you read the description. I have read a lot of books that had horrid rape and child abuse scenes in it that were not part of the description that I read before purchasing the book.

[kittydelicious]

Life is too short to finish a book I'm not "into". If I don't like the book but want to know the ending, I'll flip to the end and be done with it.

[jgray]

I finish most. Some I really can't get into, so I stop (Lord of the Rings). Others, I make myself finish and at the end, wonder why the story never got better (The Scarlett Letter). A few have entire chapters that could be removed, but are otherwise very good (Moby Dick).

[Poppa1956]

[QUOTE=Pookeysgirl;1043435]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Why would you start a book if it's offensive, irrelevant, disagreeable? I always read what the books is about before buying/downloading it.

Sorry, I have to disagree with you on that one. They don't tell you what is in every part of the book when you read the description. I have read a lot of books that had horrid rape and child abuse scenes in it that were not part of the description that I read before purchasing the book.

A book may be offensive to some because it supports a good cause. Case in point: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe carries strongly anti-slavery/pro-abolitionist views. It was even banned at some point.
In the present day some on the political extremes would silence opposing viewpoints.
I would suggest attaining prudent familiarity with that some offensive materials. Simply put Know thy enemy. WE are almost constantly barraged with data and opinions, they cannot all be right (it is possible they can all be wrong), and no one person can know all there is to know. So you need to be selective.
While I wouldn't suggest Mein Kampf for most people, or what ever books and article were written in favor of slavery in America, I would recommend that everyone have some kind of grasp on the extent evil can reach by reading something about those two awful eras.
I am not Muslim, but I decided to have nothing to do with Satanic Verses from the time it first came out because of the level of offence it (seemingly with purpose and spite) carries with it. For the most part, books that are (or appear to have been) written the the intent to offend, make their way off my reading list post haste.

BTW, did you know that the late Senator Alan Cranston was sued by Hitler for Copyright Infringement, and The Fuhrer won? Cranston (and I believe one other) noticed the English translation had been "clean up" (the antisemitism being removed, among other things) and he decided that Americans had a right to know everything Hitler had to say.

[Pookeysgirl]

[QUOTE=Poppa1956;1044756]

Originally Posted by Pookeysgirl

A book may be offensive to some because it supports a good cause. Case in point: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe carries strongly anti-slavery/pro-abolitionist views. It was even banned at some point.
In the present day some on the political extremes would silence opposing viewpoints.
I would suggest attaining prudent familiarity with that some offensive materials. Simply put Know thy enemy. WE are almost constantly barraged with data and opinions, they cannot all be right (it is possible they can all be wrong), and no one person can know all there is to know. So you need to be selective.
While I wouldn't suggest Mein Kampf for most people, or what ever books and article were written in favor of slavery in America, I would recommend that everyone have some kind of grasp on the extent evil can reach by reading something about those two awful eras.
I am not Muslim, but I decided to have nothing to do with Satanic Verses from the time it first came out because of the level of offence it (seemingly with purpose and spite) carries with it. For the most part, books that are (or appear to have been) written the the intent to offend, make their way off my reading list post haste.

BTW, did you know that the late Senator Alan Cranston was sued by Hitler for Copyright Infringement, and The Fuhrer won? Cranston (and I believe one other) noticed the English translation had been "clean up" (the antisemitism being removed, among other things) and he decided that Americans had a right to know everything Hitler had to say.

The books I had to put down were a Stephen King (Lisey's Story) and a Greg Iles (The Devils Punchbowl), just plain old fiction books. I ended up finishing the latter after skipping some pages.