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Original poster

No wonder I don’t read books..

74 replies

Dowser · 19/12/2019 09:46

AfteR investing a couple of hours in a book on holiday last week, the ending I felt was just absolute pants.
Does anyone else feel the same
Or are we so used to mnetting and other sites ...getting a quick resolution, a quick fix that reading a book is just slow and can feel a bit unrewarding
If that makes sense?

OP posts:
OneTooManyBathtimes · 19/12/2019 09:51

I know how you feel, which is why I've taken to reading the last page before I buy a book to see whether I genuinely want to invest my time into it.

I say this as an absolutely avid reader, who studied Creative Writing and had to read a ton of books for her course.

AShaveAndAHarecutHalfPrice · 19/12/2019 10:17

Surely that just means it was a bad book?

JacquesHammer · 19/12/2019 10:18

Wasn’t it just a bad book?! They’re not all like that.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Books
SurpriseSparDay · 19/12/2019 10:22

That’s two separate threads!

Shall we discuss the disappointing book?

Or how the Internet is making us stupid?

Divebar · 19/12/2019 10:23

Ending was pants in what way? Unsatisfyingly? Not well written? May I suggest you try a few more ( better) books before you write off books / reading forever.

Abraid2 · 19/12/2019 10:23

So you read ONE book with an ending you didn't like and that's it--reading is not for you?

Words fail me.

BonnyConnie · 19/12/2019 10:25

I read for the writing rather than the plot so the ending is fairly irrelevant. Except in Hardy. His endings are absolute pants. I stop reading his novels when things start going downhill.

Divebar · 19/12/2019 10:26

The internet is not making me stupid personally but it’s eroding my ability to concentrate.... making it hard to read in the way I used to. ( which is definitely not making me any cleverer). I intend to address that in 2020.

lazylinguist · 19/12/2019 10:27

I would never read the last pages of a book first, but I do read a lot of reviews first, unless it's an author I totally trust. I read every day and always have done. I'd never think reading a book had been a waste of time, even if I didn't like the ending tbh. It was a bad book, OP. There are lots of good ones!

TwiddleMuff · 19/12/2019 10:29

I’m guessing that one bad TV show or film wouldn’t put you off those mediums?

I agree that the Internet is making us dumber though. When was the last time you stood at a bus stop and stared into space instead of at your phone? We are constantly engaged and our attention spans are short.

lazylinguist · 19/12/2019 10:31

Oh and the internet thing is an excuse imo. I spend waaay too much time on the internet and I also read lots. They aren't mutually exclusive. If as well as social media, you still keep doing other things that require proper concentration, you won't lose your powers of concentration.

EcocabbyRickShaw · 19/12/2019 10:31

I'm like BonnieConnie and lazylinguist. I've always got a book on the go and I read for the writing not the ending. So, for example, Rose Tremain's books always have really limp endings, but all the preceding pages are well worth the time I spend on them.

Don't give up on books, try some different ones, and try to enjoy the journey more, rather than racing to the finale!

YouJustDoYou · 19/12/2019 10:32

Er...not all books are the same? Read reviews first on Amazon etc to get a better gauge?

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 19/12/2019 10:34

'After investing a couple of hours on a TV show last week, I didn't like the ending so I'm probably never going to watch any other film ever again.' Come on OP, it was either a bad book or you didn't like it (which is also fine). You can't write off (ooh see what I did there?) every single book ever written on that basis.

PeriComoToes · 19/12/2019 10:35

What was the book?

YABU!

Original poster
Dowser · 19/12/2019 10:42

It started off really well actually.
Had all the makings of a good Agatha Christie type who done it thriller
Then half way through..it just seemed to unravel .
It was like a book in two halves.

OP posts:
Radardodgingninga · 19/12/2019 10:43

Once you’ve read a lot of books you get a sense of which ones are well written and therefore likely to have a ‘good ending’ and which are not. Occasionally even a reading guru such as myself might get it wrong and that can be disappointing but just because the last 2% of a book isn’t great, that doesn’t negate the pleasure I got from the first 98%.

And what constitutes a good ending is debatable. I read Sally Rooney’s Normal People this year and thought it had a fantastic ending, but my daughter, best mate and most Amazon reviews strongly disagreed with me.

Seeline · 19/12/2019 10:43

What was it?

SurpriseSparDay · 19/12/2019 10:51

Dowser are you wanting to get your revenge on words by prompting 900 posts pleading for the title of the book? Xmas Grin

Come on - I’ve got things to do!

Sirzy · 19/12/2019 10:54

I always have a book on the go, it’s a great escape from reality and the instant nature of the internet. But I have no qualms about putting down a book if I’m not enjoying it and moving to something else even short term or giving up on it altogether if I really don’t like it

SoundofSilence · 19/12/2019 10:54

I've found reading difficult since having small children, and the internet certainly doesn't help. I've largely stopped reading books because I don't have the big chunks of available time which would allow me to really immerse myself in the book and I know I'll be grouchy and feel robbed if I'm interrupted. I look at Mumsnet and Facebook and play games on my phone instead precisely because I don't care about them that much and it's no hardship to stop after a few minutes and get on with something else or to let the youngest join in and 'help'.

I promise myself that I'll start reading again properly one day because it really is my favourite thing in the world.

Different books definitely give you different experiences, though. If you have time to read, don't judge them all by just one. Once upon a time I decided that my book choices of the time were popcorn for the mind and that I should make a big effort to improve my habits. I got 11% into War and Peace (thanks, Kindle) before going back to the popcorn. It wasn't for me, but no doubt thousands of people would differ.

coconuttelegraph · 19/12/2019 10:55

I read a book once, didn't like it, never read another because they're all the same I've heard

Pinkblueberry · 19/12/2019 10:59

One the best series of books I’ve ever enjoyed had the shittest ending I’ve ever read - I was pretty miffed about it, but it’s the journey that counts. It’s still one of my favourite books.

Patroclus · 19/12/2019 11:05

Its happening with a lot of things. Theres massive worry in football at the moment that audiences cant watch it for 90 minutes anymore and the format needs to change. Likewsie with 300plus page books.

lazylinguist · 19/12/2019 11:15

The thing is, it doesn't matter two hoots if people can't concentrate on a football match. Pilots, surgeons etc though - it would be pretty bad if they couldn't concentrate for very long.

I've recently noticed that my dd and her friends cannot sit in front of a film without doing something at the same time (mostly on their phones, but dd often draws while watching). Obviously it's their choice, but it does bother me slightly.