This week's BTT topic is a familiar one, but always an interesting one: What do you do if, halfway through a book, you find it's not really grabbing you? It’s boring. It’s trite. It’s badly written . . . . What do you do? Read the second half? Just to finish out the story? Find out what happens? Or, cut your losses and dump the second half?This set of questions is particularly timely for me because I just finished reading a book that I felt just this way about (sad to say it was Brunonia Barry's latest, The Map of True Places – my review will be posted sometime today or tomorrow). And in that case, I kept reading because the book was an advance copy and I felt obligated to finish and review it.
And I suppose that's my answer: If there's some overwhelming reason to finish a book I'm not enjoying, then I'll keep plugging away at it – if I've agreed to review it, or it's a book club or group-read book. Or if it was recommended by a close friend. Otherwise, I have no qualms about giving up on a read halfway through.
These days, I read mostly for pleasure, so I figure if the book isn't giving me pleasure, why struggle through it? Life, as they say, is too short to spend any precious reading time on bad books. Ditch the stinker and pull another book off that ridiculously enormous TBR pile!
11 comments:
*hear, hear!!*
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http://mywindowswideopen.wordpress.com/
I concur...if it's an advanced copy or one sent from an author...I would read it all the way through!
http://satoya-writes.blogspot.com/2010/05/booking-through-thursday-half.html
I usually stick with it either way out of some odd sense of guilt.
Good answer, though I'm sorry to hear about Map of True Places! My answer is at The Crowded Leaf.
Even if the book is a review copy, I simply dump it if it doesn't work for me!
BTT: Half way
Joy, exactly :-)
And this is why I am choosey when accepting ARC because I hate to torture myself.
My response
http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2010/05/btt-half-way-give-up-or-complete-book.html
I usually keep reading a book if I've reached halfway stage, but I've started dumping books if I find the really boring.
My answer would be much the same as yours, Joy, but I'd be grinding my teeth as I plodded along.
I tend to finish a book if I have reached halfway.
I can't help but agree with you when it comes to ARC's.
http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/2010/05/booking-through-half.html
I always finish them but (and this is a big but) it may take me months. I am not kidding about that (the latest Kay Scarpetta novel is a good example). I will read a chapter or a two a week. I should just scrap them but somehow I always want to know what happens!
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