Do you finish every book you read?

Camy here! I had an interesting conversation with my friend Danica a few weeks ago about finishing books.

Danica reads super fast and she says she will almost always finish a book, even if it’s so bad that it’s torturous. She can’t not finish a book.

I, on the other hand, feel that my life is too short to waste on a book that doesn’t interest me (for whatever reason). So if I’m not really into the book by the end of chapter three, I’ll put the book down and pick up a new one.

Not all those books that I don’t finish are BAD. Many of them just aren’t to my taste. Sometimes I’m not that nuts about the plot premise—for example, I tend to not like romances where the heroine is older than the hero, or stories where the hero and/or heroine are both over 45. I have plenty of friends who like those plot premises, but I’ve tried reading books with those plot premises and just don’t enjoy them that much.

Or maybe I’m a bit bored because I personally don’t care that much for the main characters—but often, many of my friends liked the characters of that book, so I know it’s just my own personal taste. On the flip side, sometimes I’ll like characters in a particular book that my friends only find so-so.

So here’s what I’m asking—do you complete every book you start like Danica, or do you put a book down like me?

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she runs the Story Sensei critique service. Her humorous romance, Single Sashimi, and her romantic suspense, Deadly Intent, are both out now. She also gives away Christian fiction on her blog and her newsletter YahooGroup.

Comments

[Sasafras]

I don't have a straight record for the "read every single book ever picked up" award; however, I can say that most of the books I've started I've enjoyed, and therefore finished.

What I've been doing since last August, and am really enjoying, is tracking my reading. Every time I finish a book, I write down the name and author under the year I finished it. My purpose is to see how much fiction vs. nonfiction I'm reading. Fiction is winning, lol, but nonfiction isn't too far behind.

Sorry, deviated from the topic there. If a book has too much descriptive passages, I'll usually put the book down. But I have made exceptions, like with Jane Austen's books. The first time I read Pride and Prejudice [and I may be opening a can of worms here], I thought that while the plot was good, there was too much extra stuff that got in the way. Although, the more I've read that book the easier it gets to read.

Another book I had that problem with was the first [chronologically] of the Leatherstocking Tales, the Deerslayer. I read about the first 100-150 pg., and found it at the same time immensely boring and strangely amusing. The first sixty pages involved two guys arguing with each other about which of two girls was better, and one guy actually throttled the other several times. I only kept reading 'cause I wanted to see if he'd finish him off.

So, usually if a book doesn't grab me I'll forget it and move on. But most of the time, eventually, I'll finish them.

[Juju]

That was awesome!

[Katie P.]

I have a friend like Danica, (named Deanna) who always finishes a book. I, on the other hand figure that if it doesn't appeal to me, why bother? With those books, I usually look to the ending. If I own the book, (which I got from a yard sale), and don't like it (it contains too much cursing, sex, etc.), then I am fine to throw the book out. But Deanna never throws a book out. She says that the author spent time to write it. It's all opinion.

[PatriciaW]

I'm more like Danica. I've been known to start a book, put it down, and reiterate--reading other books in between--until I get through the book. It has to really offend me in some way for me not to finish it.

[Holly]

It's taken me a long time to learn that I don't need to finish a book, but it was a very liberating lesson. One of the reasons I love blogging and Goodreads, is that I can usually get a good feel for a book before I pick it up. I try to choose books I think I will enjoy, rather than any book that comes my way. Having said that, I still get a few duds here and there, but I have no issues setting them aside and moving on!

Life is definitely too short to read books we don't enjoy.

[Jim Rubart]

I'm with you, Camy. A book has to grab me and I admit, I get bored easily.

I finish about one in ten.

[FredTownWard]

I almost always finish every book I read, especially since I started writing reviews on Amazon. A truly awful book that I must force myself to finish deserves a review every bit as much as a truly wonderful book that I just fly through (one of Camy Tang's for example) and honor requires that I finish a book before I review it. Besides, some books I considered awful at first have redeemed themselves by the end just as some wonderful beginnings have turned into garbage. On the other hand if I fight my way to the end and discover the book was every bit as awful as I first thought, I REALLY let it have it in the review!

You cannot truly judge a book by its cover...

nor by a partial reading.

[Need A Nap2]

I finish most of the books I pick up. I can't think of any right now that I haven't finished but I'm sure there are a few. The ones I have the hardest time finishing are the ones my husband picks out for me to read! :)

[Hannah]

Hey Camy!
I think it's safe to say that I can literally only think of ONE book that I haven't finished : D I find it difficult to not finish books. Plus, I feel like I know myself well enough to pick out good books for myself, so I don't have to leave them incomplete....not sure, just a theory!
Hannah

[Camy Tang]

I'm so glad you guys weighed in on this! I didn't realize how many of you (mostly) finish the books you read.

I think that because I have so MANY books--I have literally several hundred Regency novels I bought super cheap from garage sales or thrift shops--then it makes me feel like I don't have to finish the book if I don't like it. It didn't cost me much, and I have so many more books to read, that in my head I feel free to not to finish if the book doesn't grab me. The ones that really grab me are like precious pearls!

Camy

[Casey]

I tend to finish a good portion of the books I start, unless there is something in it that goes against my morals, like excesive swearing or innapropriate (can't spell :) moments. The trick will be: will I read anything else by that author again? I find it interesting on just the variation in reader's taste. :)

[Crystal Laine Miller]

If I'm reading a book for review, I HAVE to finish it, no matter what. (And usually fast.)

But if I pick up a book for my own pleasure and that book isn't getting my attention, I have little time to waste on it. I will give it away or put it away to try another time (if I really committed to read it for whatever reason.)

With all that said, I'm a fast reader and can get through even a boring book in short time.

I'm only dogmatic about review books. :)

[Cheryl C. Malandrinos]

I have only abandoned two books in my adult life. I feel, especially if I am given a book to review, I must finish it, no matter what. Thankfully, I can say that I have reviewed many more good or great books than bad ones.

Cheryl

[Brenda B. Hill]

I have put books down that I could not get into even one by my favorite author but later I will probably pick up the favorite author book and try to read again. I also find my self skimming through books because of excessive cursing, or other things I don't like and then finally putting the book down.
All in all, out of thousands of books I have read in the 55 plus yrs of reading probably only 3-4 that I just quit and did not go back to read.

[Camy Tang]

Okay, you guys are all going to hate me, but I put down TWO books last night after only 3 chapters. (Collective gasp sucks all the oxygen out of the cyberroom.) One was a Regency romance by a publisher that no longer exists, and I was bored silly by chapter three with all the people being so agreeable to each other.

Now I love Regency romances, especially the older ones. Norma Lee Clark and Mary Ann Gibbs are two of my favs. But they have really great conflict and 3-dimensional characters. Not cardboard cutouts being sickeningly nice to each other.

The other book was a contemporary category romance (I don't know the author personally) which was actually very well written, and I've liked one other of this author's books a lot, but in this particular one, I didn't really like the heroine that much. Just personal preference. And so I laid it down because I didn't feel a desire to read about this heroine for an entire book.

There! I've confessed! Do you all hate me now?

[Amy @ Experience Imagination]

I'm with you. Life is too short to read something I'm not enjoying. If the story is compelling, but the prose is just interminable, I have been known to skip to the last few pages, just to see how it all turns out.

[Holly]

I think there's only been two books of the last 221 I've started that I just couldn't finish. There have been only 2 or 3 more that I finished simply because I felt like I "had to." Thanks to the book giveaways and the ACFW reading group I've found some great books that I didn't expect to enjoy.
But if it doesn't grab me within the first 3 or 4 chapters it takes me forever to finish!

[Veronica]

Often if I'm not enjoying a book then I put it aside and often try to read it later. I currently have a pile of 10 books just waiting for the time when the story grabs me and then it will be finished. 95% of the books i buy i do end up reading all the way through.

[Diane Marie Shaw]

I was like Danica, feeling like I should finish every book I start. I am not a fast reader like Danica. I have finally come to the place in my life that I allow myself not to finish a book that I just can't get into or when I feel the writing is not up to par. I am reading for pleasure but also to learn the craft of writing by reading good writing. Funny that before I felt guily not finishing a book but I don't feel that way any more. Freedom.

[Veronica]

I'm with you Camy if I don't like a character then I'm not likely to continue reading i've had one where the heroine feel for a guy I felt was boring so I never finished reading it. Good thing it was a library book. Though book excerpts are great and let me know if i'm into the story or not.

[Camy Tang]

Actually, that's a good point--I will almost always read an excerpt of the book before I buy it online, because if the excerpt is intriguing, there's a good chance I'll like the rest of the book, but if the excerpt isn't great, the chances of me also liking the rest of it is slimmer. It could be simply that I don't care for the author's writing style, or the characters, which is all personal preference.