To not finish a book I'm not enjoying?

[PlasticPotPlant]

I was always taught that if I started a book I had to finish it (Aurora and the little blue car and Miss B when I was 7, I'm looking at you)

Now, after a friend pointed out I have statistically already used over half my allotted weeks on planet earth, I'm wondering if I should abandon books I'm not enjoying, but cracking on through is very engrained in me, and the books I find least enjoyable are often non-fiction ones that do increase my general knowledge, and often I do enjoy them, eventually.

So wise ones, AIBU to start abandoning books or should I carry on persisting to the end?

The day I passed what I thought might realistically be half my life, I allowed myself to not finish books I was not enjoying on the basis that it was a waste of the life I have left.

I always thought that the phrase "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover" as wrong.

I mean do I have to read the entire book to judge whether it was any good. And if so which book do I choose to read to find out if they are any good- all of them?

I agree with all the sensible people here saying it isn't worth it, but I feel a real sense of failure if I abandon a book. It's silly really. Every now and then when I'm in the right headspace I pick a classic and force myself to read it. Often I am very pleasantly surprised. I struggled with Crime and punishment but got there and actually liked it. I want to read Ulysses and War and peace in the next year.

Why would anyone finish a book they weren't enjoying??

I love reading, its what I do for enjoyment. If I'm finding a book boring I will usually read 100 pages to give it a decent shot, then if I am still not interested stop there.

Ie "We Need to Talk About Kevin" I almost quit, but by 100 pages in was hooked.

The last book I didn't finish was I Am Pilgrim. I forced myself through a bit of it, but the final straw was when the main character started bragging about the size of his penis. I knew I couldn't stand another 500 pages of him.

My advice is to get books through the library rather than buying them. Either choose one off the shelf (you get the pleasure and gratification of shopping but it costs nothing, or if you want one that's not on the shelf it costs £1 to order through the library service and then you pick it up from your local branch. Then if you hate it you can abandon it and you've only lost £1, and if you love it you can buy a copy later.

Me too. Was reading it for book club but just dreaded coming back to it each time so admitted defeat. Some of the others in our book group thought it was the best book we've read so a bit of a marmite book I guess. But definitely for me life is too short, I want to enjoy the books I read

Literature and philosophy student here. I listened to Wuthering Hights on audible, skim read loads of others and absolutely bin off stuff I'm not enjoying I am reading for pleasure.

Would I carry on watching a shite film, or listen to music I was not enjoying? Nope. Reading a novel takes a significantly greater amount of time and energy than a film or album, I've possibly already spent the money buying it so that's gone and all I can do.is save my time and energy for something I will enjoy.

I give you 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz.

Reader, I read it to the end.

I regret it.

The Silmarillion and War and Peace are the only two books I have never completed. Since moving to a kindle I do find it easier to leave something part way and then come back later; though I do come back for the frisson of completion and moving them to the archive.
I have always envied people who can walk out of the cinema. I have forced myself to sit through some absolute dross!

Absolutely not. I read on Kindle so possibly don’t have the same emotional attachment as when I read paper books - but if I’m not liking a book I move on.

I didn't even read one of my O level set books (showing my age). It was Hard Times by Dickens, so boring.
I went to W H Smith and bought the revision notes, got an A.
These days I do try harder but after a couple of chapters, will give up.
Perhaps I am shallow but I read for entertainment. Life really is too short.

I was just thinking the same thing yesterday. I don't even have time to read & I'm wasting so much time reading rubbish I'm not enjoying because I don't like leaving things half done. I'm going to archive everything in my kindle now that I haven't finished. Nobody will ever know 😅

About 5 years ago I decided life was too short to read rubbish books. I read on Kindle unlimited and no problem moving on if not interesting me. I some times read the last page to see if it's worth pursuing.

Yes! Give up!
There are too many great books out there to read rather than waste time on one that you're not enjoying.

I try to finish non-fiction even if it's dull as it comes less naturally to me. Novels, if I'm really not liking it by the first third, I'll move onto the next.

Reclaim your time. I opened two books last year that I stopped within one chapter. No regrets.

I'm yes and no on this. I'll stop reading if I find the writing bad or I feel scammed by the blurb - but I nearly stopped reading Piranesi after 2 chapters thinking 'WTF?' and I'm SO GLAD I kept going. One of my all time favourites now.

God no. My dad was an avid reader and he always ploughed doggedly to the end of a book he wasn't enjoying. Life is very definitely too short to do that. You wouldn't continue to wear an item of clothing you disliked or watch a tv show. Pass the books on to someone else who may like them and try another.

Also podcasts exist. I learn loads in the car.

😂😂😂I'm not a fan of Koontz. Poor man's Stephen King. VERY poor!!

I'm struggling with it too. It's sat on my bookshelf, only a chapter in, exuding tragic accusations.

Giving up what you aren’t enjoying isn’t the same as sticking to what you know though. I’m in a book club, so even if just through that I get loads of books I’d never have thought to try. I don’t finish them all, but I read enough to be able to explain why I couldn’t finish in the discussion later. (Only not finished 3 in the 3 years I’ve been going though).
I’m aware some books take a while to get going/adjust to/whatever so I have a 100 page rule. If they haven’t made me want to read the rest by page 100 I stop. Too many books, too little time. Move on to something else. (Full disclosure - I’m an English teacher by trade, so books are very important to me)

I used to live by the silly rule of 'I've started so I have to finish it'. Have come to my senses now and will abandon a book if I don't like it (though I do feel bit guilty about it).

@idrinkandiknowthings Do yourself a favour and move it on. If you're not gripped by half way you're never going to be, and to be honest it just gets more ghastly as it goes on.

I've found I just don't have the patience for something that's dull and miserable, or badly written, or the SPaG isn't up to scratch. There's better stuff out there that suits me better, so why waste my time on something I'm not enjoying? I might get hit by a bus tomorrow, and spend eternity on a cloud with a harp thinking of how much time I squandered on A Little Life. I will not have a pleased expression, that's for sure.