In modern society we put a lot of emphasis on persevering and seeing things through to the bitter end, but this shouldn’t apply to books.
There are some things in life we should do, even if we aren’t enjoying the experience. Eating vegetables, cleaning your teeth, and doing some exercise now and then are all things that are good for us. But finishing a book is neither good nor bad. It’s not a reflection of your character if you choose not to finish a book.
People often tell me they always finish books—they’re known as completists—but I’ve never been able to get them to articulate why they think it’s so important. My guess is that they think there is something honourable about finishing something once they’ve started. They probably don’t have any half-finished knitting projects in the back of the cupboard either!
Good for them, but I prefer to make my reading time count. I agree there’s value in doing activities that require effort and self-discipline, but that doesn’t apply to reading unless you are studying or reading for work. If you’re reading for pleasure, it shouldn’t be a chore. There’s no gold star for finishing a book you aren’t actually enjoying.
I was talking to a friend about this, and she said she often keeps reading because she’s a hopeful person and she likes to think the book will get better. I admire her attitude and agree that you need to give a book a fair chance, but I can usually tell after the first few pages whether a book is for me. I’m getting better at choosing as I get older, but I’m also more ruthless and less likely to spend time on books that aren’t for me.
Sometimes I speed read to the end so I can find out what happens, but often I just stop reading and take it back to the library. I never feel guilty and I’m prepared to accept the possibility that I might miss out on a gem. It will be there in the library if I feel like reading it some other time.
People often talk about abandoning books, which makes them sound oddly like children they no longer care for. But books don’t have feelings and the author will never know you didn’t make it to the end if you keep your mouth shut and don’t start posting negative reviews on Goodreads. Writing a book is hard and just because you didn’t love it doesn’t mean it won’t be perfect for someone else. If we all loved the same books, the world would be a very boring place.
I’m happy to discuss the merits of certain books with my sisters and a few close friends (we can be harsh critics), but I only ever recommend books I like in BOOK CHAT, my newsletter for readers and eaters. I once heard Anne Bogle (book recommender) say she stopped mentioning books she didn’t like because people would often recall the title but forget what she had said about it. They’d see it in a bookshop, buy it, and then message her to say they were disappointed. So when I started my newsletter, I adopted the same approach. I figured my subscribers didn’t need to know what books I hadn’t enjoyed. I read about 50 books a year, but only half of them make it into BOOK CHAT.
I also know that we don’t always ‘enjoy’ books. Some books are hard going and confronting but they open our eyes to other worlds and other people’s experiences. If a book makes you feel uncomfortable, but is well-written, honest and true, then maybe you should keep reading so you don’t exist in a bubble. But if a book is poorly written, with thin one-dimensional characters and a silly plot, or if it bores you, put it down and pick up another. There are literally millions of excellent books in the world, and you only have a limited amount of time.
It’s okay to choose wisely. Read for pleasure, information or inspiration, but don’t make it a chore.
Margaret Moon 
Nice discussion and I’m sure you’re right. Unfortunately I’m a habitual “completer” and it’s a hard habit to break. I’ve only begun reading more in retirement and as a result I’ve tried to catch up on the classics which I never read in my youth. Because of their status I’ve felt compelled to finish them, but it hasn’t been a chore except for the occasional one or two. Those I’ve put aside for ‘another time’.
Mostly I feel that I get a lot out of the books I read, different points of view, insights into life or history, and generally I find them very enjoyable and often enlightening, but there have been a couple recently that I’ve thought to stop more than once. In both cases I wanted to find out how they ended so I kept going. (I can’t speed read to the end just for that!) I did however give up on a Peter Mayles book recently, rather surprisingly as I’ve loved a number of his books, but I suspect this one was just a money-spinner towards the end of his career and did nothing for me. So maybe there’s hope yet!
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I’ve just realised I could have written a lot more about when and why to stop reading as a generalised ‘I’m not enjoying it’ isn’t very helpful. There are books I have stuck with, despite them being hard to get into, and I’ve been glad in the end, but others just leave me cold. Sometimes I stop reading because I think a book is having a negative impact on my mental health, for example too much violence or grief, and sometimes I think the plot is silly and nonsensical and the writer should have tried harder.
It has taken me years to stop feeling embarrassed that I haven’t read many of the classics, but I like to think I’ve read most of the modern classics.
I’m a “finisher” on the whole but that just reflects my list-orientated personality and you can’t tick off something that you haven’t finished. I have abandoned a few books recently – one was 600 pages and when I got halfway I thought: enough’s enough!
I usually feel I need to persevere with my bookclub book so I can contribute to the discussion.
Interesting about people remembering books that people DIDN’T like. I was reading a blog recently called Books Everyone Loved Except You and I was gratified to see some of my unfavourite books there.
Oh yes I love it when that happens, especially if it’s one that everyone seems to love. You feel like you’re in a special little club.
I also make a special effort with book group books, but sometimes I just read really fast. I’ve always been grateful I learnt speed-reading at school. It’s come in really handy on many occasions.
Agree. When I wrote Books Can Save a Life my book blog I only wrote about books I liked.
I miss your blog, but I’m glad we are friends so we can still talk about books we love.
I find it difficult to give up on a book – especially one I’ve bought! But you’re right – life is too short to carry on reading something you’re not enjoying when there are so many other books on the tbr pile/list
I think it’s relevant that I don’t buy my books so I’m not worried about getting my money’s worth. I might feel differently if that were the case. I should probably have acknowledged that.
But it’s true that there are just so many good books out there. Not enough time to keep persevering if it’s not floating your boat.