Just a place for me to post random questions to tell you my opinion and to see what you think.
When you DNF a book it’s never fun and most of the time we hate doing it. Sometimes we give it just a few more pages to make sure we aren’t missing anything but with all the awesome books coming out how long do you wait to DNF a book?
Before I started blogging if I didn’t like the book I just stopped reading it and moved on to something else. Now as a blogger I try harder to read the book and push through it even if it’s torture but reading isn’t suppose to be torture it’s suppose to be fun and relaxing a place to transport you out of everyday life and into someplace magical or romantic. So why do we do that? Why can’t we do what we did before we started blogging, you don’t like a book, you put it down and move on. You don’t wait 2 more days to see if it changes, you stopped reading, put it in a box and on your next visit to the library or nursing home you dropped them off for others to enjoy. Just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean everyone will hate it but the more I read the more bitter I tend to get about the book and that’s not fair to the author.
Most of us have kindles, shelves and nooks full of books that we want to read so why waste the time? Because now we have to review it? But an honest review regardless of how long it takes you to read it is going to be that you didn’t like the book. So why keep going? It might even turn into a bitter/nasty review.
All these questions and no answers but you see I think we are all different. I give the book till about 25 to 30% (kindle format) unless I hate the character, a hated character (s) I will bail out quicker. A book that I find to be boring I might stick around a little to see if it picks up but a book with info dump it needs to be explained in a way that I understand because if it’s just dump after dump and I’m confused, I’m out because honestly I usually never recover from the much dumping.
I am sure I am missing a lot more examples but you get the idea, So you know why I would DNF a book (but this is my personal opinion of it).
So tell me why do you DNF a book?
Thanks for stopping by
and Happy Reading a non DNF 😉
This is a great post, Michelle. Why do we, as bloggers, feel compelled to give a book more of our precious time? Honestly, before I blogged I rarely ever DNF’d. It’s a flaw in my personality, I guess. I felt like if I started it, I must finish it. I still rarely DNF but I like to think it’s because I’m pretty good at picking books I’m going to like. However, I *have* DNF’d – particularly in the last year. And it’s mostly because of what you said – I have a kindle, 2 nooks, and a library of shelves packed with books to read. I don’t need to waste limited time on a book I don’t like. My older daughter told me I had to give a book X% before I could DNF – depending on its length. But I don’t even necessarily aim for that any more. I’ve DNF’d at 23%. (because it turned out the book was a not-so-thinly veiled political rant instead of the thriller with a mythological bent I was expecting) I’ve even DNF’d at 5 pages in simply because I didn’t care for the author’s writing. Yes, the book may be wonderful but I wasn’t going to feel that way if I was annoyed in so few pages.
So, here’s to reading *good* books and DNF’ing those we aren’t enjoying rather than pushing through. 🙂
I think publishers know that not all books are very everyone so when you request a few there is bound to be one that sounded great but ended up just not grabbing you. I use to try and struggle through books that I just hated, but decided blogging is suppose to be fun and I decided to know continue if I can’t do it. If I am struggling to even continue cause it’s boring or I am hating characters and don’t care what happens then I quit and DNF. Now there are some books that I am not sure if I want to DNF so I put them on the read later pile and then if I feel like I am never going to go back to it and don’t really care how it ends then it ends up on the DNF as well. To many books to little time.
I still have never had a DNF. There have been books that I hated from the very beginning, but I always read til the end. Even before blogging, I never gave up on a book. Although then I was much pickier about what I read, so I rarely disliked anything that I picked up.
Just the thought of not finishing a book makes me feel sick. I have to finish! No matter what!
See this, my friend, is why you are my HERO! 🙂 Somethings I think I need to be more selective and just get what I want to read but my mood always changes and it’s hard.
She is my hero too cause I can’t do it if I hate it..lol.
And I wish I was able to DNF! It would save me a lot of frustration and I could read even MORE great books! But alas, I just cannot.
I can’t remember DNF’ing a lot of books before I became a blogger, I mostly finished the books I was reading and enjoyed them or maybe because I read less then i also encountered less books I really didn’t like? Nowadays I DNF more, but it’s still hard and I always feel bad when I have to DNF a book, but over the past few years I’ve become better at it as like you mentioned readign is supposed to be fun.
Usually when I am not enjoying a book it takes a while longer before I realize I am really not enjoyng it, then I consider to DNF and read one or two more chapters to see if it get’s better. Sometimes the book improves and I continue unwards and sometimes not and then I DNF a book.
Although I have DNF’d a few book very early, I mostly read at least 10-30% or about 60 pages before I DNF a book, but I don’t really have a rule for that. When I am not enjoying the book and it becomes a struggle I consider to DNF the book. It also depends a bit on how much I dislike a book and why, writing style is one of those things that usually doesn’t improve a lot, so if I hate the writing style I probably DNF early on. Or characters I don’t like, but there’s a chance they grow on you. It’s mroe a feeling than exact reasons. I recently had a book that started very cliché, but turned around after the first few chapters and now I am enjoying the book.
I think the reading less thing made us read the book longer, Like it took me over 2 weeks to read a book because I didn’t have so many to read.
I agree, if I DNF it has a lot of factors not just one or two. Not liking a character but having a great world build and story I might stick it out. But if all three are just not happening, I am out 🙂
I give a book a limit of 20% to interest me, if it doesn’t, I quit. On my blog, I don’t rate it, I have a special icon for DNFs, but on GR, I rate them 1 star (no DNF possibiity, but I include it in my review). Why ? Because like you said, there are so many wonderful books out there and we’re supposed to enjoy reading one way or another, I hate to force myself to finish something that will make me bored, angry and/or bitter.
However, if I am given this book for review, if I didn’t pay for it but got it through Netgalley or the author, I’ll finish it, I’ll consider it as a sort of job, you know ? Fortunately, the case hasn’t happened yet, because I would feel like I’m hurting the author ! I don’t think I’m harsh in my DNF reviews, I just state why I didn’t like it, that’s all, no ranting or anger needed. You can’t like them all !
I don’t rate it either, I do a quick Goodreads review like a sentence and leave it at that. I have a DNF section that I add it to so it counts towards my reading but with no rating.
Those are the hardest ones to DNF, I feel bad for the Author also. I am also not a harsh DNR review writer, I know it was probably just me that didn’t like it.
I have a hard time DNF’ing review books and think I’ve only reviewed one DNF in the last year. It was weird because it was an author I love but the main character was awful. She was mean and childish and I came to the realization by page 20 that there was nothing she could do that was going to make me like her so I gave up. Generally I give a book about 50 pages or about 20% unless it’s an author I love or there’s enough positives to outweigh the fact that I want to hurl the book at the wall . Great post! DNF’ing is a hard decision so it’s great to see everyone elses’ thoughts on it.
I have read a book that the character was just ok but the story was fantastic. I have had books that I hurl against the wall and was just like NOPE. I hate DNF but I really think we all handle reading differently 🙂