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 