Well said. There are more educated people and published books (over-published?) now than in centuries before so we must be selective! If a book is a classic that has earned its place on the Bestsellers of All Times list and I’m slogging through it, I set it aside. MADS. Maybe a different season. There is only so much time and that’s why I appreciate hearing from people like you who take reading seriously and with passion....as opposed the the five star amazon reader who whisks through a romance novel and declares it a masterpiece. And I’ve read one star reviews on books that earned a place on my shelves with a promise to reread.
I'm with you all the way. Typically if a book slows to a crawl or I'm thinking about a dozen other things while I'm staring at the words, I flip a few pages and see if it picks up. Ultimately, once I start doing that I find that I'm done.
About 5 years ago I came over to the "it's ok to not finish a book" camp. I was trying, and failed (I'm not ashamed to admit it), Infinite Jest. To me, it will forever be a door stop and I'm ok with that. ;-) It did serve the purpose, though, to teach me that I have a finite amount of time in this world and I shouldn't waste it on things that don't interest me in the slightest.
Best line in your post: "dragging your poor eyeballs through a genuine plodder." Just like all speakers don't resonate with us, so all authors don't either. While we might find it tough to leave a sermon or a lecture, we can easily close a book (and then get the refund from Amazon) or leave the movie and request a refund. Sometimes I am amazed at the classic books the world acclaims, which I find terribly dull. Mostly, it's fiction. I don't feel guilty turning off a bad movie (I feel guilty and stupid for finishing it); so why feel guilty leaving a bad book?
Yup. I think I used to bring my Puritan Work Ethic, Russian Orthodox "podvig endurance phronema", and Chinese Tiger Mom guilt to not finishing what I set out to do. But I agree, unless I'm reading for work or some utilitarian purpose (research), it's for "pleasure" (whether intellectual or emotional) and if I'm not getting any pleasure from it there is no law that says I have to endure the suffering and be a "martyr by book" (except perhaps to vain-glory payoff to say that I've actually read said book). :)
There’s another factor I’m laying into this. TV. I have no problem not finishing a bad show. I don’t think I’ve ever walked out on a movie in the theater but on my own? Plenty of times. As well, I’m considering strict TV limits this year to fit in more reading. I never feel like I’ve wasted time reading, good or bad. Well, that’s hyperbole but you get it.
While I was reading your post I was thinking of the "eat your greens" mentality. It's probably why I feel guilty when I read a book or an essay for pleasure when there's a pile of them I HAVE to read for work. Bonkers.
Love this convo.... and the use of DNF in the title made me smile. As an ultra runner, I fear the DNF race. But as an avid reader, I often try and push through to the end--even if it’s a miserable read. Very rarely do I not finish a book. I think for myself (and so many others) it’s the principle of not finishing that is the root. However I did walk out of an online workshop the other day because it wasn’t for me, so maybe there’s hope. :)
I’m not compelled to finish every book I read (I’ve given up on Karamazov Brothers more often than I started reading it). But when I do read a book, I *have* to read all of it. Intros, prologues, intro to first-second-third-... editions, epilogues, appendices, all of it. The only thing I do not read is if the book has a sequel and a chapter or two are included in the end.
Well said. There are more educated people and published books (over-published?) now than in centuries before so we must be selective! If a book is a classic that has earned its place on the Bestsellers of All Times list and I’m slogging through it, I set it aside. MADS. Maybe a different season. There is only so much time and that’s why I appreciate hearing from people like you who take reading seriously and with passion....as opposed the the five star amazon reader who whisks through a romance novel and declares it a masterpiece. And I’ve read one star reviews on books that earned a place on my shelves with a promise to reread.
I'm with you all the way. Typically if a book slows to a crawl or I'm thinking about a dozen other things while I'm staring at the words, I flip a few pages and see if it picks up. Ultimately, once I start doing that I find that I'm done.
About 5 years ago I came over to the "it's ok to not finish a book" camp. I was trying, and failed (I'm not ashamed to admit it), Infinite Jest. To me, it will forever be a door stop and I'm ok with that. ;-) It did serve the purpose, though, to teach me that I have a finite amount of time in this world and I shouldn't waste it on things that don't interest me in the slightest.
Best line in your post: "dragging your poor eyeballs through a genuine plodder." Just like all speakers don't resonate with us, so all authors don't either. While we might find it tough to leave a sermon or a lecture, we can easily close a book (and then get the refund from Amazon) or leave the movie and request a refund. Sometimes I am amazed at the classic books the world acclaims, which I find terribly dull. Mostly, it's fiction. I don't feel guilty turning off a bad movie (I feel guilty and stupid for finishing it); so why feel guilty leaving a bad book?
Yup. I think I used to bring my Puritan Work Ethic, Russian Orthodox "podvig endurance phronema", and Chinese Tiger Mom guilt to not finishing what I set out to do. But I agree, unless I'm reading for work or some utilitarian purpose (research), it's for "pleasure" (whether intellectual or emotional) and if I'm not getting any pleasure from it there is no law that says I have to endure the suffering and be a "martyr by book" (except perhaps to vain-glory payoff to say that I've actually read said book). :)
There’s another factor I’m laying into this. TV. I have no problem not finishing a bad show. I don’t think I’ve ever walked out on a movie in the theater but on my own? Plenty of times. As well, I’m considering strict TV limits this year to fit in more reading. I never feel like I’ve wasted time reading, good or bad. Well, that’s hyperbole but you get it.
OK, you've made me feel better. Thanks! I always feel a bit guilty when I don't finish reading a book, a fact that I failed to mention in a recent article about it: https://terryfreedman.substack.com/p/my-reading-plans-for-2023
While I was reading your post I was thinking of the "eat your greens" mentality. It's probably why I feel guilty when I read a book or an essay for pleasure when there's a pile of them I HAVE to read for work. Bonkers.
This must be why, despite the fact that I tried twice years apart, I couldn’t get through a couple chapters of A Tale of Two Cities.
Love this convo.... and the use of DNF in the title made me smile. As an ultra runner, I fear the DNF race. But as an avid reader, I often try and push through to the end--even if it’s a miserable read. Very rarely do I not finish a book. I think for myself (and so many others) it’s the principle of not finishing that is the root. However I did walk out of an online workshop the other day because it wasn’t for me, so maybe there’s hope. :)
I’m not compelled to finish every book I read (I’ve given up on Karamazov Brothers more often than I started reading it). But when I do read a book, I *have* to read all of it. Intros, prologues, intro to first-second-third-... editions, epilogues, appendices, all of it. The only thing I do not read is if the book has a sequel and a chapter or two are included in the end.
Inkheart was my favorite book growing up. I never knew that quote was from Francis Bacon...