To Finish or Not to Finish?

[jenieliser]

I have a bad habit of begining a book, losing interest or just shifting my interest to another book, and dropping the original. I wasn't always like this, but recently I developed this habit. Just wondering if anyone else had this habit? And what do you think-is it a "bad habit" or just a regular ol habit?

EDIT I noticed the wording on option 2, but how do I edit the poll? Thanks.

[AgentBEATS]

I think it's a common habit in almost everything we do today. It is very clear that a lot of people just stop doing something when they lose interest. Of course this applies to reading books as well.

For me though even if I lose interest in a book, I will eventually finish it. That's just how I am, once I start a book I want to see it through to the end.

Unfortunately I cannot seem to apply that logic to other aspects of my life. I have many an unfinished project still waiting to be finished.

[Andanzas]

I never stop reading a book, I just leave it for later.

[Ea]

Before getting an ereader I used to mainly read library books. Somehow knowing I don't have them around forever, makes me more intent to finish it.

I can always get back to a book I own, and since I've started to buy e-books, I feel I've had a greater tendency to not quite finish a book - or perhaps I just notice it more - a library book is free, while I feel I should get my money's worth on books I buy

[opitzs]

I usually finish books I start, but there are some exceptions, a book about popular science, that suddenly turned out to support Intelligent Design (I don't read esoteric books), a nature book, that was just warning about dangers to nature (I knew that already, I wanted to learn more about insects) and a thriller about people using the internet (I hate it, if they have no idea how it works).

Otherwise I prefer to finish.

[neilmarr]

An author who can't impress you with his/her story, characters or style in a first chapter doesn't deserve your attention for a second chapter. Reading time's too precious to waste. It's the author's job to interest you, not your chore to complete what an author wants to put your way. I'd rather throw away or delete a book after a few disappointing pages than see it as some kind of marathon challenge that takes up valuable time that could be better spent on a more deserving work. Good authors with worthwhile offerings will grab you within five hundred words and hold you spellbound right the way to an unwelcome *The End*. Neil

[Solicitous]

There has been the odd book throughout my life I have not finished. Years ago I was one of those people who would start a book, stop, then start another, thus leaving a great variety of books half-read on my bookshelf (which I carried with me from house to house when I moved).

I have gone back and finished reading (in most cases started the book again) most of those books. The odd exception has been where my reading tastes have changed dramatically and the genre of book just doesn't interest me anymore. One tactic I have used to stop the collection of half-read books is to limit the number I will buy. I worked hard at restricting myself to no more than 2 unread books on my bookshelf at any one time. Worked fine for me....until now when the e-reader came along. I now have a HUGE collection of ebooks. I think I have enough there to outlast the life of this e-reader.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Andanzas

I never stop reading a book, I just leave it for later.

Yep, same here.

Originally Posted by neilmarr

An author who can't impress you with his/her story, characters or style in a first chapter doesn't deserve your attention for a second chapter. Reading time's too precious to waste. It's the author's job to interest you, not your chore to complete what an author wants to put your way. I'd rather throw away or delete a book after a few disappointing pages than see it as some kind of marathon challenge that takes up valuable time that could be better spent on a more deserving work. Good authors with worthwhile offerings will grab you within five hundred words and hold you spellbound right the way to an unwelcome *The End*. Neil

Not necessarily. I've read books that were slow to start but in the end I couldn't put the book away and had to finish it before doing something else. Those are generally the books I start to read, put away for a month or two and then finish.

I finish all books I start. It might take some time, but I do finish them.

[Format C:]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

An author who can't impress you with his/her story, characters or style in a first chapter doesn't deserve your attention for a second chapter. Reading time's too precious to waste. It's the author's job to interest you, not your chore to complete what an author wants to put your way. I'd rather throw away or delete a book after a few disappointing pages than see it as some kind of marathon challenge that takes up valuable time that could be better spent on a more deserving work. Good authors with worthwhile offerings will grab you within five hundred words and hold you spellbound right the way to an unwelcome *The End*. Neil

[Sorry for the missing "t"]


The list of books I've thrown away before chapter three (I usually give the author a second chance) is way longer than the list of books I re-read.

[Format C:]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Not necessarily. I've read books that were slow to start but in the end I couldn't put the book away and had to finish it before doing something else. Those are generally the books I start to read, put away for a month or two and then finish.

I finish all books I start. It might take some time, but I do finish them.

A slow start is a thing, a bad book a totally different matter...

The Lord of the Rings has a very slow start, but it is a good book.
Angels and Demons has got a slow start and it's rubbish.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

An author who can't impress you with his/her story, characters or style in a first chapter doesn't deserve your attention for a second chapter. Reading time's too precious to waste. It's the author's job to interest you, not your chore to complete what an author wants to put your way. I'd rather throw away or delete a book after a few disappointing pages than see it as some kind of marathon challenge that takes up valuable time that could be better spent on a more deserving work. Good authors with worthwhile offerings will grab you within five hundred words and hold you spellbound right the way to an unwelcome *The End*. Neil

Agreed. I'll generally give it 2-3 chapters in a novel but if at that point I'm not interested or annoyed at the style or writing then, that's it -- like the recent "South of Broad" by Pat Conroy -- the hokey and contrived character interactions and dialog totally turned me off to the point where if it had been a paperback I would have thrown it across the room.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

I've finished just about every book I've started, even if it takes several goes (LoTR took quite a few...). For the most part it irks me to not finish a book, but if the book is that bad, I will still not read it.

I have, however, only ever thrown one book clean across the room in frustration before I'd got past chapter 2.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

I've finished just about every book I've started, even if it takes several goes (LoTR took quite a few...). For the most part it irks me to not finish a book, but if the book is that bad, I will still not read it.

I have, however, only ever thrown one book clean across the room in frustration before I'd got past chapter 2.

Inquiring minds must know????

[Ea]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

An author who can't impress you with his/her story, characters or style in a first chapter doesn't deserve your attention for a second chapter. Reading time's too precious to waste. It's the author's job to interest you, not your chore to complete what an author wants to put your way. I'd rather throw away or delete a book after a few disappointing pages than see it as some kind of marathon challenge that takes up valuable time that could be better spent on a more deserving work. Good authors with worthwhile offerings will grab you within five hundred words and hold you spellbound right the way to an unwelcome *The End*. Neil

An author can certainly impress and still be tough going. Thomas Mann impressed the hell out of me with the first pages of "Joseph and his Brothers", but I still haven't managed to get into it, after several tries. Nor some of his other books, but I still like the little I've read

I recently read a book that it took me four or five tries to get into. I loved it and I couldn't put it down once I go over that stopping point.

Some books needs time. It's a bit like art, I think. Especially modern art. It sometimes takes time and patience for it to reveal itself, but great experiences hide there.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Inquiring minds must know????

I can't remember!

It had anthromorphic animals in, but that wasn't the reason... (I know it wasn't any of the Magic Kingdom For Sale/Sold books, and that I read it around the same time. Which helps not a bit!)