There are two types of people in this world.
There are those who, when they realize they’re not enjoying a book, fling it against the wall or “lose” it on the subway or let it languish on a nightstand gathering dust. They don’t look back and consider life to short to waste on substandard reading experiences.
And there are those who, whether through guilt, optimism, or thriftiness, power through even the most excruciating of books and don’t feel at peace until they know how it ends. Even if they stopped caring somewhere around Page 5.
Which kind are you? Poll below, you’ll need to click through to see it if you’re in an RSS reader or reading by e-mail.
Me: I used to be a power through-er, but in my old age I’ve become a stopper.
annie diamond says
i've got eye problems so i cant afford to power through a book that's going nowhere.
Nick Lewandowski says
Usually I power through, but recently I stopped halfway through James Clavell's Whirlwind due to its extraordinary length and my general indifference.
Granted after 600 pages I felt like I'd read a whole book anyway…
abc says
If it is YA and I'm not into it or don't connect with the writing, then I can give up, but for some reason if it is literary fiction then I feel I have to power through. Especially if someone I respect likes it or I feel I SHOULD like it. I assume it will be one of those books I just have to give some time to, that I'll get hooked in eventually. And then by page 50 I feel I've gone too far to give up, I might as well find out how it ends. Then I spend about 2 weeks to a month trying to finish it (reading other books besides) and accruing library fines. This sounds complicated and pathetic. Perhaps I need therapy.
Annikka Woods says
I read the first 4-5 chapters. If I've made it that far, I'll keep going. But if I get to chapter five and I've had to put the book down every few pages because I can't get into it or the author/characters irritate me…or it's just really bad writing, I put it down and don't pick it back up.
I've stopped reading a few series like that. If I can't make it through an earlier book in a series, I won't waste time/money on the rest of the series. The only exception to that was "Twilight", and only because my friend who loaned the books to me told me that by book 4 it got REALLY GOOD.
No, it never did.
Elen Grey says
I only ever power through a bad movie looking for some redeeming quality. Sadly, I rarely find it. I'm a book stopper.
Katy Bell says
I voted that I stop, but actually now that I think about it, I do often come back to the book although it's often years later. I gave up on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance which I'm pretty disappointed with myself about. War and Peace has had a steadfast place on my nightstand for the past year and a half. I will get back to it eventually….
John Jack says
Neither power through nor stop. What's with these either/or worlds?
I read according to the text. If it's quiet, I read silently. If it's loud, I read furiously. And all the worlds between.
A long time ago, I'd lay a book aside when my reading skills weren't up to snuff. I've since come up to speed. There's still one or two writing aesthetics that escape me, although they too will come within reach soon enough.
Sure, there's too many novels for any one reader to read in a lifetime. Each novel, though, that comes into focus I will read. I've made a pretty good dent in more than one library.
Nath Jones says
lol~! I love that you're aging into a stopper. I'm aging into a finisher. Ethan Frome was a snore until the ending. So glad I stuck it out.
Robin_Lucas says
Tough one. I usually skim through it to the end, then fling it across the room in anger.
Khanada says
I think all you "life's too short to waste on a bad book" people are right on, but for some reason, I'm still not one of you. I can usually find something to like. Recently, I picked up a book on recommendation that didn't work for me. I ended up skimming through much of it — I still, somehow, cared about what happened.
And every now and then, I'm greatly rewarded. I HATED the first chapter of Pullman's THE GOLDEN COMPASS – must've been bad timing for me when I read it or something. But I stuck with it and it became one of my favorite books ever.
Steve says
Both, and for different reasons.
A bad book badly written, stop.
A good book is different. I couldn't read Dostoevsky for 15 years. Just didn't get him. I started and stopped all 4 of his big novels, stopped them early, too. Dostoevsky was my problem; there was no way I could argue Dostoevsky was a bad writer, because history and millions of literate people have said he's great. And then one day I got him. I got through CRIME AND PUNISHMENT and could not believe how great it was. The other novels came easy after that.
It's important to know why you stop or power through, which really means why you're not enjoying your reading experience. Maybe it's the author's fault; but many times it's down to you.
The Writers' Salon says
Look, it's not you. It's me. I gave you a chance. Fifty pages, in fact. But it's just not working out. I think deep in your heart you know it's true. Life it too short for us to continue when we know it's not right.
Cheryl says
I almost always keep reading so I voted that I'll plug through it but I have thrown out books. Typically I'll stop reading a so-so book and pick it back up when I've run out of great books. I have to really *hate* a book to put it down forever and I usually get that intense feeling of disgust rather early. In the last year I put down 3 books which is unheard of for me so either my tolerance is going down or my ability to choose books has gotten worse. Anyway, I won't really consider myself a "Life's too shorter" until I see a clear pattern – I'll find out this year, I suppose. I guess I need more data before changing my vote! 🙂
Marlan says
It depends on how far along I am. I have gotten into books only to be disappointed in the last act. In that case I usually power through.
If the book blows in the first couple chapters, I will just put it down.
Kerrie T. says
I used to power through, but like you, I now stop.
Mim says
For me I'll give it a few chapters, and if I don't like it I skip to the end. If I like the end I might read it, I might now. If it is a book by an author I previously loved, I'll try again in a month or two. If it has a premise that I think is awesome, and I'm not digging the writing, I read it until I figure out what's wrong with it. If the book is getting lots of buzz I might try again. I might not.
Joy D. Fanning says
I stop. It just kind of happens. Like I forget I was ever reading it and I'll find a new book and when I go to set it down on my nightstand I am reminded of the one I left behind, because it is just sitting there with dust.
Now, on occasion I have gone back and tried a book again and have had a successful experience. Sometimes you just have to wait for the right timing.
Arief_Zainal says
I usually stop and let it sit for awhile until I think I can handle the story and try again.
Misha says
I power through.
Shoot me if I know why, though.
:-/
gordonzola.net says
First I get mad at the author. Then I stop
Jessica says
Usually I'll finish it anyway. I don't often come across a published book that doesn't at least leave me wondering about how SOMETHING will end.
But last week I put down a book that I got about 30 pages into. I'm sure the idea was great, and apparently lots of people respected the authors as being the guru's of the genre. But in 30 pages I didn't wonder if the characters would succeed, or get hit by a bus. Then I finally gave up trying to parse the convoluted sentece structure.
I like to learn from what I read. I don't like to get a headache from it. Usually I get guilty, or eaten up about "wait, how did she resolve…" but there was really nothing TO resolve, not in 30 pages at least.
TraciB says
Depends on the book and why I'm reading it. If it's for a review for my blog or because a friend asked my opinion of it, I'll finish it eventually. If I'm reading it just for myself, then I'll power through a book that starts slow, but I'll put aside one that has a lot of typos or just doesn't live up to its blurb and cover art.
Word verification: gonasing
Deb says
I'm like you, Nathan. I used to suffer through. But now, I invoke the words of Milan Kundera (told to me by a fellow-writer friend) … "Life is short; reading is long."
That being said, I think about the books that I have suffered through only to be completely wowed by at the end (A.S. Byatt's POSSESSION) and wonder if there are gems I'm currently tossing aside. Oh well.
J. R. McLemore says
I have to admit, I power through. While there have been times when I've wanted to quit, there is always the voice in my head chastising me for entertaining thoughts of quitting something that I've started. The only book I've ever stopped in the middle of was THE HISTORIAN. No matter how much I tried to power through, I just couldn't do it. The story was too arduous to finish.
jimgraham says
people admitting that they power through things they don't like doing are need in psychological help ….
stop before you make yourself sick
Skipetty says
If nothing about the book grabs me at all, or I dislike the writing, I just put it down and don't bother with it again. Usually before the end of the first chapter.
If I have read a few chapters and then decide I can't bear to read anymore I might first skip to near the end – to see how it finished, without having to go through any sort of reading torture first!
Ashley says
I won't stop right away, but I'll definitely stop before just powering through. Maybe at the 30-70 page mark, if it's not showing signs of life or if there are plot gaps and typos everywhere, I'm just done.
If it's considered a classic, however, I might just read it through to say I've read it.
Aurlumen says
It really depends. If I borrowed it from the library I'll stop anywhere from page 50 to 100 (to give it a chance) and just let it go.
If I bought it and it's too late to return (I often buy books in bulks of like, you know…6 or something) I'll finish it (and cringe the whole time or criticize it, etc).
MJR says
I sometimes stop after a few pages, and sometimes even 50 pages toward the end if I've lost interest in the characters (or if a major character dies for no particular reason except to add some drama to the story and it isn't a mystery–I hate that!)
Sometimes I'll power through a book if I have nothing else in the house to read or if it's a book everyone's talking about. I put down FREEDOM and was about to take it back to library and then powered through and was glad I did.
David says
I do both. It really depends on whether I have something else more interesting to read at the moment. I'll rarely give up on a book entirely, though, unless I need to return it to a library.
Mira says
Lol. Something about this whole poll just tickles me.
For me, a book has about 2 pages to lure me, or it's a goner.
Except classics. Classics, I'll read the whole way through even if it's torture. I want to see what the big deal is. I read Lawrence's Women in Love that way, and I hated every single second of it – that book makes no sense whatsoever. I still hate that book. Just typing its name makes me see red. But hey – I read it. Yay!
Fun poll. 🙂
D.G. Hudson says
I've only powered through on a couple of books by new writers, but by the end it didn't get better.
I don't throw books, why destroy a book that may not be to my liking? I give them away hoping they may appeal to someone else's taste. That said, I don't keep reading it.
I usually look for authors who write on their own, who don't piggyback off a successful author. I've never found one to be as good as the original. I tend to read through an author's list if I find a writing style I like.
Right now I'm reading two books that are old – a French historical – Madame Bovary, and an early Agatha story. Makes me wonder why some books stand the test of time better – maybe because the writers put more quality in their writing?
Doug says
I read mostly free e-books, so "I bought it and I'm danged well gonna read it" doesn't factor in. Also, I have hundreds of free e-books waiting to be read. There's no reason for me to waste time reading stuff that's either awful or simply not to my taste.
There are two spots I'll typically bail out: about page 30, and about 1/3 through.
There are occasional exceptions. "Everyone" raved about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, so I pushed on through. That didn't pay off.
I recently pushed through "How to Write a Sentence" because I thought there had to be a pony in all of that manure. Nope, no pony.
It's often been said that life is too short to read good books–one should only read great books. Reading books that aren't even good seems like a poor usage of one's time.
Cynthia Lee says
I never have as much time to read as I'd like so I just have to stick with books that I'm enjoying.
I do skim through chapters that are boring me and sometimes I skip them entirely. I do this quite a bit with Dickens, who I LOVE, but, let's face it, sometimes he was boring.
Kiki says
I usually know if I'm going to like something after a page or two but I'll give it 20 pages or so before I chuck it. I used to power through but I realised I'd never have enough time to read all the books I DO enjoy in my lifetime so why waste time on ones I don't like.
Gina says
If it's really unbearable I'll cheat and read the ending. If it has any redeeming qualities at all, I'll go back and read more to figure out how they got to the conclusion.
Meg says
As long as the book isn't really long, I keep reading unless I absolutely hate the book with a passion.
Maybe it's the obsessive writer in me, but I like to get a firm concept of why the book isn't working for me and what I would have liked to see done differently.
Also, I like to see what happens at the end for some reason, even if I'm not enjoying the book.
Maybe I should just start skipping to the last chapter like some others have mentioned …
CageFightingBlogger says
Even if the book is awful, I don't believe you can pass judgement until you've read through to the last page. I powered through The Shining and it was a harrowing experience. Don't read it. But if I found myself in a similar book I'll still finish it. You've gotta read a few stinkers to appreciate fine lit sometimes.
kathrynleighaz says
I generally weigh my expectations for the book against my experience of it. If it's a classic that everyone loves, I'm way more likely to power through. But if I'm reading a little-known story with no literary merit, I'm flinging it in the fire for sure.
Rebecca Stroud says
I always stop after about the first three chapters if I can't bear any more but I will read the last page just to see if it's as awful as the beginning.
There have been exceptions, though. As in: I used to be a major James Patterson fan until he went off on an exclamation-point tangent. So I read a couple all the way through just to see how many !!!! there were…both times, I lost count and never read any of his books again.
Kathleen@so much to say says
Actually, the answer is "it depends." If it's something I really WANT to get through, I muscle through. Most of the time, though, I give up.
Kristin Laughtin says
Ugh, it depends so much on context. If it's a book I have to read, for some work-related function or because somebody is expecting me to discuss it with them, then I try to power through. I'll also try to power through if it's a book I feel I should have read, usually a classic. As I get older, I find I give up on a few more books if they really irritate me, but I still finish the majority of them, gritting my teeth if I have to.
Leanne (Ironic Mom) says
I teach Junior High students, and I regularly teach them to abandon books they are reading for pleasure. There is enough reading in our every day life that we have to do (in our jobs, etc) that is not fun, so we need to ensure that when we are reading for pleasurable that it is indeed pleasurable. It's not just that life is too short; it's that there are so many good books out there.
I love Daniel Pennac's Rights of the Reader (taken from the book Better Than Life)
1. The right not to read.
2. The right to skip pages.
3. The right not to finish a book.
4. The right to reread.
5. The right to read anything.
6. The right to escapism.
7. The right to read anywhere.
8. The right to browse.
9. The right to read out loud.
10. The right not to defend your tastes.
Backfence says
I keep plugging. Occasionally I am rewarded for my diligence by a really inspiring, or at least memorable, second half. I figure if it found its way through the complex maze of agents and editors to the point of actual publication, somebody saw something in it I may miss if I don't finish reading.
Lynda Young says
There's been only 2 books I've plowed through and both times I only prolonged the pain and swore I'd never do it again.
E.D. Lindquist says
This has been a subject of many sighs and argument between me and my husband. He powers through everything: bad movies, bad food, bad books.
I've never been able to understand. There are a bazillion books out there. Why waste my time on the bad ones? I'm already not going to live long enough to read them all.
Plus, writing is infectious. I can always tell what I was reading when I read back over my writing. I get folksy when I read Stephen King, or flowery when I read Tad Williams… or crappy when I'm reading someone bad.
Teri Bernstein says
I stop reading…but now I often just download the audiobook. In the car or on the elliptical machine, I don't mind being passive. If the book gets better…I go back to print. Most recent case: FREEDOM.
Anonymous says
I can't find the poll on the post, so I guess this is where we take a stand?
Anyway, younger, I also read all the way through. Now, if the book bores me or offends me or just isn't for me, (unless it is required reading for something), I lose it.
Anonymous says
Ahh, the poll is back up, but I couldn't vote as I was on the one side and now am on the other.
In addition to feeling I can stop reading, I also, in certain cases, will skip forward to peek if I really need there to be something else down the road.
Spoiler Alert:
In the Twilight Saga, second book, I needed to know Edward was coming back. After all he was the story.
And in the middle of the fourth book with Bella as POV, when the author suddenly drops us into another character POV, I had to know she was going to return the POV to Bella. It was like it vacated Bella's story right in the middle of it.
Elise M Stone says
I responded "stop" but it really depends. Is this a book by an author I've read and enjoyed before? Then I'll probably power through, trusting the author to pull it all together in the end. Am I reading this book for "research", i.e., because it's in a genre that I'm writing in or by an author who is agented by someone I'd like to represent me? Then I'm also more likely to keep reading. But if it's a book I've picked to read for pleasure and I'm not getting pleasure from it, I'll stop. There are just too many good books to read.