When do you abandon a book you don't like?

[LMD]

I agree with all of this except Moby Dick. :)

Lol! I really connected with the earthy (ocean-y?) poet narrator, I thought it was beautiful. Though there was an awful lot of whale info! There's heaps of chapters but they were all relatively short, doable with audio! Dh is actually reading it atm on my recommendation...

[Garga]

I abandon it by the middle of the 2nd chapter. I'll give it a chance up till then and after that, done.

 

But I'm reading for fun, not to change myself. I run into books that I like that change me. I don't want to waste my fun time on books I don't like, hoping they'll change me.

 

I liked Ender's Game the short story, but did not like Ender's Game the novella. I think that author is amazing at short stories and stinks at books. His books are great until about 2/3 in, and then they just get super boring. But he can write an excellent short story. Sounds like your club is reading the extended novella version and not the short story. The short story was written first, and the author expanded it. He should have left well enough alone.

[EMS83]

I thought about this, and I think in some cases it's good to stick a book out, but I wouldn't make it a law I had to follow.

[Garga]

It depends. If I think the book has redeeming qualities, even though I am struggling in some way, I will try to carry on. A book can be a good book even if I am not enjoying t.

 

If the book is really just crap, I will toss it as soon as I feel I am sure that is the case.

 

OTOH, I don't care how brilliant people say Margaret Atwood is, I won't read her any more - I just feel spiritually empty afterwards.

It's been about 15 years, so maybe I've changed and would like her stuff now, but when I read Atwood 15 years ago, I felt the same way you do and I've avoided her ever since. Completely empty and miserable after reading her stuff. Edited June 20, 2017 by Garga

[Sarah CB]

I tried three times to read Anna Karenina. It's never going to happen.

 

I read A Tale of Two Cities three times because I kept forgetting I had actually finished it. I wish I had given up the first time.

[Kareni]

When I was younger, I used to read books to the bitter end whether I liked them or not.  After having a child, I decided that my reading time was too valuable to waste on books I wasn't enjoying.  Now I might abandon books after ten or twenty or two hundred pages.

 

That said, I do try hard to finish my book group books.  And sometimes, I've been grateful that I kept reading as I've ended up appreciating a book I might not otherwise have read.  (And reading books I might not otherwise read is a big reason why I'm in a book group.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[meena]

It depends on why I feel like abandoning it. Sometimes the content is too "icky" for my tastes. In that case I might skip to later chapters to see if it gets better or to see how the books ends. I did this with "Do Not Be Alarmed" by Maile Meloy this week. There was sexuality as well as violence involving children that I decided wasn't for me, so I skipped to the resolution at the end.

 

Sometimes the book is too deep or heavy for me at the time when I'm reading it. Those books I will make a note of to come back to when my brain and emotions can handle the subject matter. I did this recently with "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi. It was a fabulous book but life got really busy and I just didn't have the brainpower to appreciate it at the time. I will definitely revisit it though.

 

I don't belong to a book club (totally wish I did though!), but if I did I'd probably finish the book if it wasn't a huge time investment. I think great discussion can be had over books that people have opinions about--no matter whether those opinions are good, bad, or meh.

[freeindeed]

One suggested book for my 10th grader this previous school year was A Passage to India. I finally gave her permission to quit reading it. It was the first time I'd ever done that. I know it's a classic, but I just could not stand it. My daughter could not understand it and hated it. I read it so that I could help her with it, and all I kept thinking was, "What is the point of this novel?" It was sheer torture. We got through 3/4 of it, so I considered that enough. As for my personal reading, I will usually stick with a book at least halfway before making a decision. 

Edited June 20, 2017 by freeindeed

[JessReplanted]

I drop it when I realize I'm not enjoying it at all. Life is not long enough for me to finish all of the bad books I've started.

But, I only read fiction for fun. If I had committed to a group I would try to get through the book.

 

(And Ender's Game is horrible! I pre-read it for my son because he wanted to read it. Not only was it boring, but it was also horribly sad and depressing.)

[Guest]

One suggested book for my 10th grader this previous school year was A Passage to India. I finally gave her permission to quit reading it. It was the first time I'd ever done that. I know it's a classic, but I just could not stand it. My daughter could not understand it and hated it. I read it so that I could help her with it, and all I kept thinking was, "What is the point of this novel?" It was sheer torture. We got through 3/4 of it, so I considered that enough. As for my personal reading, I will usually stick with a book at least halfway before making a decision.

I thought that about Sarah, Plain and Tall.

[Word Nerd]

I read A Tale of Two Cities three times because I kept forgetting I had actually finished it. I wish I had given up the first time.

 

I love the story, but I did not like how it was written. I definitely prefer Dickens on screen.

[eternalsummer]

I abandon boring books, or sometimes ones with painful writing.  I have a compulsion to know what happens once I've read a certain amount (even if I hate the premise or plot or characters), and in that case I often finish the book or skim the rest.  With books I really loathe, especially if they are popular, I often then go read negative reviews online to see if anyone else can identify why I reacted so negatively.  That is theraputic.

 

Ender's Game I liked as a kid but did not like as an adult.  If you don't like it halfway through you're not going to start liking in the second half.  I read thought it all the way again as an adult (I had forgotten much of it, except the basic plotline) because I thought maybe it was going to be redeemed at some point.  It was not.

[Violet Crown]

Prose quality is primary for me (well, not with books of poetry I suppose), so it rarely takes more than a page or two before I decide to continue or abandon. A real-life book group didn't work for me -- people get tired of you showing up having read a single page -- so I found an on-line book group of intelligent, engaging moms, in which we all read our own book choices and discuss them, reporting in weekly. It turns out to be surprisingly jolly to hear people you like talking about books you'll never read that they've enjoyed. I recommend it.

Edited June 20, 2017 by Violet Crown

[Guest]

Well, I finished Ender's Game. so at least I can say with authority that book sucked a rotten Giant's carcass.

 

Now, on to something more promising...Hillbilly Elegy.

[Guest]

Prose quality is primary for me (well, not with books of poetry I suppose), so it rarely takes more than a page or two before I decide to continue or abandon. A real-life book group didn't work for me -- people get tired of you showing up having read a single page -- so I found an on-line book group of intelligent, engaging moms, in which we all read our own book choices and discuss them, reporting in weekly. It turns out to be surprisingly jolly to hear people you like talking about books you'll never read that they've enjoyed. I recommend it.

That sounds fascinating. I would probably enjoy that a lot. If you are willing, you could PM me a link.

 

Prose quality matters to me a lot as well.

[Violet Crown]

That sounds fascinating. I would probably enjoy that a lot. If you are willing, you could PM me a link.

 

Prose quality matters to me a lot as well.

Link:

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/648538-book-a-week-2017-bw25-june-solstice/page-1

 

:)

Edited June 20, 2017 by Violet Crown

[Mom-ninja.]

If I want to fling the book across the room, tear it into pieces, or chew it to shreds then I usually stop reading it. 

 

If a book is a classic I will suffer through. Otherwise, I don't waste my time.

 

There are also authors I boycott ie. Orson Scott Card. I will never read his books.  

[LMD]

Awwww man, I will just sulk over here with my Tolstoy. *pouts*

 

;)

 

I also liked Fountainhead *ducks projectiles* - but I totally get why people hate it/Rand.

[Bluegoat]

The last time I did a book group, we read two or three books to be discussed together, all early novels.  I couldn't get ahold of one of them, but the other two I had some issues with.  One was Mansfield Park, and while I have no issues with Austen I didn't like the heroine much which made it harder to persevere.  THe other was Tom Jones which I really had to just force my way through.

 

Well, I was glad I did persevere because I so enjoyed the group and got so much out of it.  I really appreciated both stories so much afterwards, and I've even considered trying Tom Jones again with being in such a rush.

 

[Rosie_0801]

Ooh! Any particular titles?

 

In 60 hours you can watch them all...  :zombie:

 

 

Actually, the series Dickensian is pretty good to watch after you are familiar with the stories. It's probably what stuck in Dd's mind most. She still references it occasionally.

[LMD]

In 60 hours you can watch them all... :zombie:

 

 

Actually, the series Dickensian is pretty good to watch after you are familiar with the stories. It's probably what stuck in Dd's mind most. She still references it occasionally.

I've had it bookmarked for a while! I'll have to try it next. 😊

[Rosie_0801]

One was Mansfield Park, and while I have no issues with Austen I didn't like the heroine much which made it harder to persevere.  

 

Audiobooks count, and Karen Savage reads them so much more gorgeously than most of the rest of us.

[Guest]

Audiobooks count, and Karen Savage reads them so much more gorgeously than most of the rest of us.

Sometimes hearing an audiobook well read enhances or even saves a book for me.

 

When my youngest was a little tyke, we would listen for hours and hours The Tales of Beatrix Potter. It was read in the original language, by a Brittish man. I was so in love with how he read those books!

[Guest]

Generally I'll go 100 pages or five chapters, whichever comes first, unless I can tell within a few pages that it's just. It my cup of tea. Life is too short and libraries too vast for putting up with bad books.

[Guest]

I drop it when I realize I'm not enjoying it at all. Life is not long enough for me to finish all of the bad books I've started.

But, I only read fiction for fun. If I had committed to a group I would try to get through the book.

 

(And Ender's Game is horrible! I pre-read it for my son because he wanted to read it. Not only was it boring, but it was also horribly sad and depressing.)

The movie is good and slightly less depressing, I'd just stick with that.

[Seeking Squirrels]

I often don't intentionally abandon them, it happens naturally. If it's not holding my attention, then I'm less apt to pick it up and read. At some point I'll realize I haven't read it in a while and may give it another go, then the same thing will happen. Sometimes I may even forget about it and just pick up something else. But I don't seem to get in much read time these days, so that may be why it happens more like this for me. When I did read more, I abandoned it when I didn't care about it anymore. There are too many books out there to read to push through one you don't like. 

[JumpyTheFrog]

I liked "Ender's Game." That said, you need to realize that the author never really wanted to write it. He wanted to start with the sequel, which is much longer and aimed at adults. (No inappropriate content, just themes that would probably bore kids.) The whole series has about a dozen books and I've read them all (except for a new one that may have just come out).

[Ausmumof3]

It depends.

 

I'm not so great with non fiction so I will try to persist but genres I usually like I will quit early.

[Audrey]

One of my book club friends linked an article a couple months ago (I think WP or NYT) that outlined reasons you should stick with a book, even if you hate it, to the bitter end. The logic is: it helps you define your POV and think through writing style or aspects of the book that you don't like, which can make you a better person, a better conversant, and/or a better writer.

 

Well, it was timely she gave us that article, because I hated the next book we read for Book Club. (While We Were Watching Downton Abby by Wendy Wax.) I did stick with that book straight through to its banal and totally obvious conclusion.

 

Now we are reading another book I hate. (The supposedly well-regarded Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.) Oh how this book bores me to tears. I am 3/4 through the book and could probably conclude it in two hours or less. But dang! What a waste it seems! I could be reading anything else! Anything from my considerable pile of want-to-reads; Kindle downloads I have not yet begun, or one of the couple library books soon due back with no renewal. Or my backlog of National Geographics. (Or the boards! Which is pretty much what I have done all day today, while sort of stuck at home.)

 

What is your opinion on abandoning a book, especially a book club book?

 

My rule is 5 chapter or 100 pages, whichever is the most reasonable.  If I book hasn't grabbed me by then, it probably never will. 

 

And frankly, life is too short and there are too many more books to read for me to waste time trudging through something that doesn't do it for me.

[Audrey]

Generally I'll go 100 pages or five chapters, whichever comes first, unless I can tell within a few pages that it's just. It my cup of tea. Life is too short and libraries too vast for putting up with bad books.

 

Did we have the same 8th grade English teacher (Mrs. Gallagher)?  Because that's exactly where I got that rule.  :laugh: 

[Stacia]

A real-life book group didn't work for me -- people get tired of you showing up having read a single page

 

:smilielol5:

[Stacia]

Link:

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/648538-book-a-week-2017-bw25-june-solstice/page-1

 

:)

 

:iagree:  Come join us & feel free to post your opinionated reviews on what you loved or hated or abandoned or thought was so good that you're re-reading it.

 

I'm in the camp of loathing Wuthering Heights (the book I love to hate), most things Dickens, & lots of popular fiction for adults. Otoh, I seem to love plenty of things that others hate & that's ok too.

 

Pssst... Tolstoy fans.... We're just now starting a group read-along of War & Peace if you'd like to join in.

[MerryAtHope]

I hated Ender's Game as well, and abandoned it after 4-6 chapters I think. I usually try to give a book at least that many chapters. Occasionally I've abandoned a book around the halfway point if I really wanted to like it. 

[Guest]

The movie is good and slightly less depressing, I'd just stick with that.

Well, when we meet to discuss the book, we are planning to watch the movie. I dread it.

[Penguin]

I use the 50 page rule. But I will do my very best to make it through a book club book. I've moved so many times that I have tried lots of different book clubs, and my desire to participate in a book club waxes and wanes. 

[shawthorne44]

Why the Ordon Scott Card hate?   This is a genuine question.  I liked Ender's Game, although I can totally understand why many wouldn't like it.  But, some of the hate seems to be directed at him as a person.   I know nothing about him except that he's an author, he is Mormon, and I'm annoyed at him for not finishing the Alvin series.  

[Guest]

Why the Ordon Scott Card hate? This is a genuine question. I liked Ender's Game, although I can totally understand why many wouldn't like it. But, some of the hate seems to be directed at him as a person. I know nothing about him except that he's an author, he is Mormon, and I'm annoyed at him for not finishing the Alvin series.

I can (should) let someone else who knows more about this, but from some things I read on Good Reads, he is well-established in his views of women as inferior to men, for one thing, which is evidenced pretty well In Ender's Game when he says the battles are made up of "few girls" due to some bullcrap about our evolution as weaker humans.

 

Some people also wonder why Ender's Game has so many mentions of naked prepubescent boys (and one girl). The fight against Bonzo was in the showers with soap-lathered, naked kids. And I think it was Bonzo who is introduced as sitting on his bed naked, with his desk on his lap and a "screen saver" type of photo of huge male genitals. Some people on GoodReads do wonder (as do I) why all this focus on naked boys.

[Lady Florida.]

Why the Ordon Scott Card hate?   This is a genuine question.  I liked Ender's Game, although I can totally understand why many wouldn't like it.  But, some of the hate seems to be directed at him as a person.   I know nothing about him except that he's an author, he is Mormon, and I'm annoyed at him for not finishing the Alvin series.  

 

Much of it is due to his homophobic views. He at one time even said that laws against homosexuality should not only be left on the books, but should be used occasionally to send a message. He has stated he no longer holds that view but little else has changed, and he's still against same sex marriage.

 

You might agree with him or disagree with him, I don't know you enough to know. I'm not trying to start a discussion on the topic. I'm just answering your question and explaining why so many refuse to spend money on his books or movies. 

[shawthorne44]

Much of it is due to his homophobic views. He at one time even said that laws against homosexuality should not only be left on the books, but should be used occasionally to send a message. He has stated he no longer holds that view but little else has changed, and he's still against same sex marriage.

 

You might agree with him or disagree with him, I don't know you enough to know. I'm not trying to start a discussion on the topic. I'm just answering your question and explaining why so many refuse to spend money on his books or movies. 

 

Fair enough.   I generally don't pay attention to the person behind the author/actor/etc, but more than one person saying that they wouldn't read any of his books made me curious.