Question from Lauren: Have you ever started a book that you couldn’t finish? Whether it be because of content and something?
Thank you, Lauren, for replying to last week’s The Weekly Thrill with this question. Honestly, I’ve never understood people who make it a rule to finish every book they begin. I mean, I guess I understand giving each book that you purchase or pick up the recognition it deserves. Someone put their heart and soul into that book. Or did they? I guess it’s possible that the author didn’t put their heart and soul into the writing of a book they put out into the world, which could be the problem.
Either way, not every book is written for every reader. Even if the initial description or cover pulls you in, you are not obligated to love the whole book.
And for me? Life is WAY too short to spend time on a book that isn’t holding my interest, for whatever reason. Aren’t we all too busy for that? Isn’t it better to KonMari that book? Thank the book for its existence, but admit it wasn’t bringing you joy? Maybe even pass it along to someone else who might enjoy it, or donate it to the library.
I’ve set books aside for many reasons. Here are my top 3:
- The book didn’t hook me. Maybe the concept initially drew me to the story, but for whatever reason, the book itself didn’t keep me interested.
- Bad timing. Sometimes you think you’re ready for a book you know will be great, but when you pick it up, you just can’t get into it. That happened to me when I started reading The Giver of Stars. I had to step away from it for a while. When I came back to it, The Giver of Stars became one of my favorite books I read that year.
- It was just a really bad book. Bye!
However, I don’t have to set books aside often, because I usually read enough about a book before I decide on it to know it’s one I should enjoy. My tips for finding books you enjoy:
- Listen to people who have recommended books you’ve liked in the past.
- Follow authors you love on BookBub, and pay attention to what they’re reading. (Warning: Make sure the authors you’re following recommend books they’re actually reading. This isn’t always the case.)
- Follow readers on BookBub who read books you’ve also enjoyed.
Feel free to offer more suggestions in the comments below on how you find books to read. Or tell us what makes you stop reading a book?
Hi, I'm Heather! Thanks for stopping by the blog, where I like to ramble about life — the people, places, and things that inspire me and my writing. Mainly it's posts about books I'm reading, places I've traveled to, and occasional posts about the writing and publishing process. Subscribe to my Substack below to receive blog posts directly in your inbox and join the community. 
I have basically the same top three reasons to stop reading a book.
1. The concept initially draws me to the story, but the book itself doesn’t keep me interested or something about how the author writes rubs me the wrong way. An example is Robin Cook. I have tried several times to read his books because the description of his stories is so intriguing, but when I start reading, I just get annoyed. I’m not sure why exactly. He is very wordy and often over descriptive, but I’m not even sure that’s it, or at least not only that.
2. Bad timing. My mom (we read the same types of books) years ago, recommended that I read the Davinci Code. I tried 3 different times over the course of a year and could never get past the third chapter. On the fourth try, I couldn’t put it down. I lost a lot of sleep in those few days because I had to literally force myself to put it down. It turned out to be one of my top five favorite books.
3. It was just a really bad book. I’ve run across a few of these, but what I’ve found to be worse is when I read an entire book, enjoying the writing and the characters, and at the end, the author kills off a likable main character for no good, explainable or expected reason. Or there is a sudden twist at the end that makes no sense with anything that was written before it. It’s like the author just got tired of writing that book and decided to abruptly end it.
That is the worst. Talk about feeling like you’ve just wasted hours and all you have left to show for it is feeling bummed out.
Those are all great reasons! I just put down a book last night after only reading two chapters. I REALLY didn’t like the writer’s style of writing. And this one comes highly recommended by someone I usually listen to. But it simply didn’t work for me. I immediately put it aside and downloaded another book, one I KNOW I’ll love.