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To read or not to read. That is the question.

Dawn

Dawn

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I'm a very impatient reader. If a book does not hook me in the first two chapters or so, I usually give it up.

How about everyone else? How long will you stick with a book before deciding it's not worth the trouble?

To read or not. That is the question.
 
I would save myself a lot of frustration if I did that.

I don't know why, but I rarely will put down a book unless I'm around halfway through it. In the mean time, I'll gripe and complain to my wife about the terrible book that I'm reading. (She's a VERY patient woman! :p )

I keep thinking that things will start to pick up in the next chapter. Eventually I realize that I'm dreading reading time, and finally chuck it for something else.
 
Wow, thats a good one.

Its kind of governed by my interest. If it stinks or if I can't stay with it I'll probably put it down that last time and find something else to read. It will gather dust with a book mark in it until I put it away in a couple of weeks (I'll read it next, really.) If its a sequal to a book I enjoyed, I am more forgiving and will probably keep reading even if it was really bad hoping against hope it will clear up.
 
I hate giving up on a book, so usually keep going with one I don't like, grinding my teeth all the way. But I think this is a silly approach actually, as there's only so much time, and so many books to read! Having said that, I've just put down one (very large) book, a non-fiction, which held much promise but which I found somewhat tedious and repetitive. I'll go back to it, however, as I do want to give it a fair go.
 
Some books grab my attention immediately, but some I just can't get into. I usually give them about 30 or 40 pages, but if after that I'm not interested I drift on to another book. Thankfully, there've only been a couple like that.
 
There have been a fair few books I've given up on but I find it's mostly because I pick up something else from a charity shop and begin reading that. My half read book pile is beginning to look rather untidy.

The upcoming two weeks on a beach might help with that considerably if I was the kind of person who did that on holiday. I'll amend that to two 12 hour flights will help considerably.
 
Sometimes I almost think I have ADD. I'll like a book, not love it, but it'll be alright, and I'll end up putting it down somewhere and not feel like reading it anymore. I might have become one of those lazy Americans who would rather have the story told to them, and go for the T.V. instead. I have a lot of half-read books.
 
Life is too short to slog through a book I can't stand. The library has too many books that might be interesting.
 
It depends on what I don't like about the book. Typically if I like the story but hate the writing I will try to finish the book. If the first chapter or three don't hook me, interest me, excite me . . . then I won't likely finish it.
 
I actually finish. It's very unlike me to not finish a book, however, the new Jean M Auel was so awful! I didn't put it down until hubby finally suggested I just stop (probably because I was reading some of it aloud and HE was hating it as well!).

I have been reading Clive Barker's Imajica for about 9 years now. It's not actually a premise easily forgotten anyway, now is it?
 
I got imajica in a box labled FREE in the back room of a charity shop :D and its pretty far down my to be read list. The only book I have given up is Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule, I loved it at first, but as it got towards the middle it just didn't do it for me so I put it back on my shelf, maybe I will try again sometime.
 
Too funny - I also have "Imajica", and it has a book mark about three quarters of the way through; I pulled it off the shelf the other day to move it and saw that the acidity of the book mark was starting to leave a shadow on the page...that's how long it's been sitting there. Easily ten years. I wanted so much to like it, because someone whose opinion I respected recommended it, but it was just so long and drawn out. Thinking about it now I see that "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" reminded me of it in a lot of ways - interesting idea, but taken way too seriously in my opinion.

Anyway. I also seldom give up on a book, but if I do I'm usually more than half way through. I can usually tell within a few sentences if I will like it or not, so I guess I just don't pick up a book in the first place unless something intrigued me.
 
we had to read a book from the school library 3 days out of the school week in my 10th grade english class.. my english teacher had a 30 or 35 page rule
 
Dawn said:
I'm a very impatient reader. If a book does not hook me in the first two chapters or so, I usually give it up.

How about everyone else? How long will you stick with a book before deciding it's not worth the trouble?

To read or not. That is the question.
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There's not many books that don't hook me in the first chapter or two, but when I find one that doesn't hook me within those two chapters, i definately chuck it to the side, and grab another.
 
I hate putting down a book as well so I usually give the author the benefit of the doubt and try and force myself to read the first 100 pages. If it still has not grabbed my attention at that point, I am happy to dismiss it.
 
I give the book about 20% before I give up and only then it has to be really boring me. Although, I am less hesitant to do this than I used to be - too many books that I could be enjoying.
 
I hate giving up on a book, but sometimes it just has to be done. I rarely give up in the first few chapters, unless I know I'm not in the mood for it. I usually give up around a quarter to halfway (or sometimes right towards the end) through, if I just know I can't finish it. Even then, I tend to skim through to the end, just so I know how it ends. :innocent:
 
I don't finish when I don't like the first few chapters of the book, unless it's some project I have to do for school I guess.
 
If I find myself falling asleep or zoning out through the first 30 pages, I'll put it away. I have occasionally gone back and loved the same book though as sometimes it is only my mood at the time. Best to give it a few chances, or at least the author a few chances. If after trying a certain author 3 or 4 times, give up on them. Don't even bother picking another of their books.
 
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