Finishing books that you aren't really fussed about.

[Greenbeanmcgee]

I have a huge TBR list and I've been struggling to read for a while now so I'm allowing myself to not finish books if I stop and don't especially care if I finish them. It seems to be helping. Some of them are books that I'm quite enjoying but if I take a break and realise that I don't care if I don't finish it then it's ok to move on to another.

I'm curious to know if others do the same with books that they don't dislike and may even enjoy or if you feel that you have to finish a book, as I used to do so until recently.

I used to read on regardless but as I've got older I've realised life is too short, and if I'm bored or not enjoying the book, I stop and move on. I normally give it around 5/6 chapters.

I also stop reading books if I want to. I want reading to be a pleasure, not a chore.

I stop reading if a book is not doing it for me. Life's too short and my TBR pile is too big.

I can usually tell within a few pages if I'm not going to enjoy a book so I stop reading it, I've always done that.
I heard someone on Booktube say that she finished every book she started out of respect for the author even if she hated it. I think that's ridiculous, the author doesn't know and why would you punish yourself with a terrible book?

I can usually tell early on if I’m going to hate a book and will stop reading but tend to keep going with one’s that are just ok. I made the mistake recently of keeping going with a book that I should have loved but didn’t, thinking it would get better. It didn’t!

It is a revelation when you realise you don’t have to get to the end!

With both books and overly long TV series, if I’m not gripped I stop and just read the synopsis on Wiki … That way I haven’t completely wasted the time already invested.

I totally cannot be arsed to continue with a book that I'm not enjoying. If it hasn't got me by page 80, it goes in the charity pile and I move on to something else.

i'm part way through one at the moment that i'm just not enjoying.

Any recommendations for a new book to read during a camping holiday ? I enjoy a thriller eg martina cole but also happy with a bit of thrash eg marion keys

I'm halfway through A Little Life and absolutely hating it. Loth to give up as so many people love it but don't think I can go on. Aside from the relentless misery I have no attachment to any of the characters and the writing is just a big, long, meandering mess. I hate giving up on books but it's bringing me no pleasure!

@massistar I started that and never finished..I just cou5 be bothered with it and its quite long.

@LostThestral I love thrillers by. Jane harper (the lost man is great) , Lucy Clarke, j p delaney and Catherine ryan howard

It's soooooo long. I keep looking at my kindle progress bar willing it along!

I stop reading books I'm not into, I used to push on but life's too short in my opinion. Better to give up and get a book you can't wait to pick up again than force yourself to read when it's full and boring

Yeah I give up whenever I want! So many books, too little time. The only exception is I keep going with the book club books so I can rate them accurately (we do marks out of 10)!

Frequently given up on books between 0 and 100 pages but now happy to give up on books much later than that if necessary.

I can't imagine thinking you'd have to keep reading "out of respect for author". I'm not even sure if that's the way to go if you're paid to do a review. If you can't finish it, isn't that part of the reading experience?

I used to push myself to read a book, and then beginning of this year I thought fuck that, life is too short and TBR too long to force myself to finish something i’m not enjoying.

reading is my downtime/me time/ happy thing to do, reading something i dont like isnt serving this purpose.

I can't read books unless I'm enjoying them.....I end up reading the words but not concentrating at all!

I rarely give up on a book, but have just stopped reading Shadow Girls by Carol Birch. The other one that I can remember is On Beauty by Zadie Smith.

Same here.
I put one down yesterday that I wasn't enjoying, but I'd tried hard with it for far too long. I just thought to myself what's the point, I'm not enjoying this and I don't actually care what happens in the end.
Now started a new one that I'm loving already, so it was a good decision!

This one doesn’t get any better! I have to ask if your copy is the paperback with the closeup of an agonised man’s face on it? Every time I see it in a bookshop pile it makes me want to laugh - OTT misery porn perfectly captured in a single image.

@RashOfBees it's on my kindle but still has stupid agonised face!

I used to feel I had to read to the end. It was quite a revelation when I gave myself permission to not finish, and that includes books I was reading for bookclub (including much hyped books).

Same here, up to my mid-twenties I would always finish a book. Not anymore, time's running out!

I used to feel so guilty if I gave up on a book, but not now. Reading shouldn't be a chore, it's supposed to bring us pleasure and escapism. I now give myself permission to give up on a book I'm not enjoying, I usually give it to 50 or 60% just incase it picks up in pace or interest