Where do people stand on quitting half way through a book?
I’m over half way through The Child Thief by Dan Smith, which has an average rating of over 4 on Goodreads, but has less than 2000 ratings.
It’s becoming repetitive, there are flaws in the narrative (mainly due to the constant first person main character narrative which really should have been interspersed with an anonymous narrator) and I’m wondering if I should continue.
I very rarely stop reading a book and in this case being over halfway through makes me feel like I should just get it over with, but interested to see how you feel.
Is life too short to continue reading something you’re not thoroughly enjoying? Or should you always finish as you may miss an amazing twist in the tail (tale?)?!
by HamishIsAHomeboy
16 Comments
I’ve quit books in the first chapter and I’ve quit books 80% in. If you aren’t enjoying it, quit and move on.
You like the book? Read it.
You don’t after a few pages, give it more time.
You dont like it after over 100-150 pages. Don’t read it.
Life’s too short and don’t rely on ratings too much.
In a sense you aren’t quitting, you’re moving to something better.
Life is too short to read bad books. 🙂
I will shelve a book no matter where I am if I am not liking it, but I will usually leave a bookmark in it for if I do decide I would like to come back to it. Unless I hated it – then I just prompty donate it no matter the stage I am in.
Reading should be enjoyable or engaging. If you force yourself to push through with a hobby, you can sometimes end up burning out from that hobby.
Particularly with long books, I’ll often read half and come back to it. It helps the book feel fresh again, and I can enjoy it for what it is a bit more.
That being said, if you aren’t enjoying it, then stop! Forcing yourself to read books you aren’t enjoying is a very quick way to stop enjoying reading in general.
Oh I’m 1000% in the “quit whenever you want for whatever reason” camp! For sure life’s too short.
However, there are exceptions to that rule for me. It really depends on why I’m reading a particular book. I do think there’s value in reading challenging work, in persevering through friction, and to explore outside of what’s our go-to genre(s). Also sometimes the moods gotta hit just right… or perhaps sometimes the challenge of it allows me to read and understand in different ways.
AND there are books I haven’t loved at first but either perseverance or just picking it up at another time (days, weeks, years later) has led to me finding I actually LOVE it.
I reckon you’ll hear opinions across an enormous spectrum on this front. I’m looking forward to reading them too!
Edit: after re-reading your post the book you described would definitely be in my “nope” pile!
Why did you include its Goodreads stats?
I just turned 50 and I will proudly w courage you to quit!
Life is too short to not enjoy a book you’re reading for pleasure.
I’ve read half a book and decided I really don’t care where it goes from there. Call it whenever you stop enjoying it.
Read some of the one star reviews on Goodreads. You are not alone.
Reading isn’t punishment. Free yourself and don’t look back.
I used to force myself to finish books that I didn’t enjoy. I think it was a learned behavior from high school lit classes. I finally had my light bulb moment and realized that life is too short to waste on bad books.
When I get to this point in a highly rated book, I like to go to the one star reviews, which usually justify my choice to DNF. I know it’s silly, but it makes me feel better about it!
I just quit a book at 73%. I’m 51 and fuck knows how long I’ve got left on this planet. Life’s too short to read stuff you don’t enjoy.
Absolutely nothing wrong with quitting a book. Why spend time and energy on something you don’t enjoy, when you don’t have to? It’s not a failure. I don’t like getting kicked in the shins. If somebody is kicking me in the shins, and I ask them to stop, that doesn’t make me a quitter or a failure. It just means I’m not willing to put up with unnecessary situations for no good reason when I don’t have to put up with them.
No plot twist is worth battling through a few hundred dreadful pages leading up to it.
I understand the financial investment of buying the book can make some people force themselves to finish it, too, as though that’s somehow better value for money than only reading half a book. This is common with movies. People will sit through a movie they hate because they paid for the ticket. It’s a sunk cost the moment you hand over the money. You’re better off walking away and saving yourself some time and energy for something you actually do enjoy.