Life's to short to read shit books... Or...

I'll abandon without any remorse. I used to pride myself on persevering but now I'm with lancashire - life's too short! But I do try and get round that by doing as mentioned upthread and vetting to get a feel of a book to gauge whether I'll get on with it. No point in even starting if you know you're going to loathe it

@Lancashirebornandbred - I once went to an Author Event for Fay Weldon and she said very much the same, that there are more books available than you could ever possibly read so if it doesn't grab you in the first 30 minutes, move on to something else and don't feel bad as we all have different tastes!

If a book hasn’t grabbed me after say 10 pages, it goes to the charity shop. I CBA to waste time on it.

@mylittleyumyum Does your library membership give you access to Borrowbox? Lots of e and e audio books to download.

I never used to give up on a book, ever. I forced myself to finish even Atlas Shrugged! But these days I don't see the point. It still feels rude though and I mentally apologise to the author.

Happy to abandon library books. If I bought it, I'm more likely to plot grimly through to get my money's worth.

I joined a book club to make me start reading more. Coincidentally (or maybe not) I have also abandoned more books since joining! Nothing could make me endure more than the first third of Frankenstein and Absolute Proof by Peter James was like a bad Dan Brown and that's saying something - I think I got to page 12. But I read both Jane Eyre and The Great Gatsby for the first time in years and enjoyed both. I was almost put off the latest one (Blood Orange) by the number of dubious ecstatic reviews by fellow authors which were almost longer than the book itself. Unfortunately I didn't heed my instincts. Big mistake.

I’m in my sixties and now work on the basis that, even if I read 40 books a year, and live to be 100 there are only about 1300 books I can fit in. So now I think is it worthy of being one of those 1300. If not, out it goes. There are millions of books to be enjoyed, I don’t see the point of enduring any.

I love the concept of ghosting books. I so do this, I never officially stop reading a book I just read a different book for a while and then another one. I won’t go back to later

I don’t understand the “must persevere” thing. I don’t watch films I dislike all the way through, or stick to a full series of a tv show I don’t warm to. I mean, maybe when books were rare and expensive, but I can, from the comfort of my sofa, access hundreds of books for free in seconds so why would I plough through some drivel?

I take the view that there are enough things obligations in life without making finishing books I'm not enjoying another one!

If the book is an old classic I will park it and try again at a later date. Anything contemporary I will give up on but that will mainly be writing style over content e.g. trying to be clever with words, too descriptive, writing in the present tense etc. I have people telling me I SHOULD persevere. Why??

I always give up - as others have said, life is too short and there are thousands of brilliant novels just waiting to be read. BUT - I always feel guilty when I give up on something which everyone else thinks is a masterpiece and an absolute must read. Have tried to read Captain Corelli's Mandolin 3 or 4 times but can't get past the first half dozen chapters, I just find the whole thing so dull and boring!

I don't think you'll really feel your time was that we'll spent if you press on with The Testaments.

Another who's of the view that life's too short to finish a book you aren't enjoying. So many books, so little time.

Life is too short for crap literature.

I have a rule of 50. I give every book a chance by reading to page 50.

If I'm not enjoying it by page 50 I give it the push.

Life is definitely too short to persevere with books you're not enjoying.

If I'm not enjoying a book, I make the conscious decision to abandon it. There's no point in reading if it becomes a chore.

I give abandoned books to the charity shop so they don't go to waste.

Give up the book and move on. The guilt might linger for a bit but you'll get over it.

I've had this policy going for about 2 years now. I really love a crime writer and was so excited about the release of her new book this year. I couldn't past the first quarter. Then about a week ago I ended up finishing a single book in one evening it was so good.

@dementedma, I agree, I loved the Night Circus so much, which is why I stuck with The Starless Sea - kept hoping the magic would kick in.

Bin. Life's too short. I do think that my concentration span is rubbish lately but I have ditched a lot recently.

Just grudgingly finished a Jojo Moyes (and I usually love her books) called The Horse Dancer...god it was turgid, but usually I take them to the free library down the road.

I don't make myself read a book I'm not enjoying. There are enough things we have to do in life, without inflicting more on myself. Disclaimer. I tend to have library books, or charity shop books. Or 99p kindle type books. I can't remember the last time I had a full price book. Apart from one I had bought for my birthday, which I had requested and researched and knew I'd like it. :)

@CountFosco they’re usually library books, so not out of pocket. I read so much I’d be bankrupt if I bought all my books!

The Starless Sea was one I gave up on after several valiant attempts. Such a shame as her first book "The Night Circus" is one of my all time favourites.