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  Every book finished? Really?

  You might have discussed this question already, and in that case I apologize. If not, I'd like to know if you finish every book you start reading. Or how do you decide that you do not want to finish a book at that time. Do you read thirty pages, for example, or read the last chapter first, or...?

  deactivated member started this discussion 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  ~* Kim *~ 

  Nope. If it doesn't pull me in by about 1/4 of the way through I move on to the next book. The only one I've given longer was Hannibal Rising, hoping it would be as good as the others in that story line. But by half way through I had to give it up.

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  Karen Z 

  Most I do but not all. There've been several I just couldn't get into. Most recently was "Blue Skies, No Fences." I found myself forcing myself to read it and plow through and finally couldn't wait to read something better so just quit. I know a lot of people liked that one, but I just found it very slow moving and pretty boring. I only got about 1/3 of the way through it before I gave up.

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  deactivated member 

  I am strange in that if I start a book ... I just have to keep going.... I mean that author went thru all the trouble of writing it so I may as well see if I can find at least one redeeming quality ......not that I havent WANTED to put a book down .. its just I am forever optimistic that something good will come of it if I keep going. There has been one book that I couldnt wade thru and for the life of me I can not remember one sentence, the name or the author....
  

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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    Pam H 

    I agree. If I start a book I MUST finish it. I think I can count the books on 2 fingers that I have not finished. Pam H

    posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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    keri j 

    If I start a book I have to finish it. I think there has only been 1 book that I have not finished & gave it a long time to grab my attention. When I find that I am spending too much time on a book & it's keeping me from reading anything else...that's when I give it up.

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    Lindam 

    There have been very few books I don't finish when I start them. I just wish I could give up on a miserable book!

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    John A 

    I'm with you on this . . . optimistic and looking for that redeeming quality, and have been rewarded many times in that books that I wanted to put down so badly turned out to be treasures. Probably readers that are really picky should be more careful on selecting books to read.

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    DragonRider 

    Dido!

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    RedRaven (edited)

    i use to be really adamant about finishing any book i started but now the list of books i want to read is sooo long that now if the book i have doesnt sufficiently grab me i let it go and move on to the next choice. i figure theres no sense in punishing myself with a book thats not interesting me when i could be putting my energy into a book i cant put down! :)

    posted 5 months ago. ( reply )

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    Yesssd 

    I too finish all my books I started except one, it was too terrible to waste time on.

    posted 2 months ago. ( reply )

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  deactivated member 

  Hi Conny H, I don't finish every book I start. If I can't get through the first several pages, if not the chapter I don't waste my time with it.
  Luckly I just have very few of these.
  If it is not a mystery,I do read the last few pages first.There again if the book has a bad ending I don't want to waste my time with the book.

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  Tender Moon 

  I can usually tell by the first chapter if a book is going to work for me. Too much good stuff to read out there to waste time with something I'm not enjoying. And I have never read the last chapter of a book...good, bad, or otherwise. If it's bad I'm not interested in how it ends and if it's good it would ruin the book for me.

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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    ~* Kim *~ 

    That's how I feel. I don't want to waste my time forcing myself to finish a book that isn't good when I could be spending it reading something that doesn't bore me to shreds.

    posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  Evie ♥ 

  I give a book a chapter or two and if I'm not snagged, I'll try again later. If it happens again, I get rid of it ASAP because it reminds me of when I tried reading Moby Dick-the men in white coats came when I started bashing my head on things. I really can't force myself to read anything.
  
  You have my respect and admiration if you made it through Moby Dick. You are much better than I....*hangs head in shame*

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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    shonamayb  

    I also give a book at least 2 tries before I give up on it. I think sometimes you can start a book in the wrong frame of mind and that affects how you see it. If I can't get into it the 2nd time round then I move on to the next book in the pile at the side of the bed :)

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  Ladyslott 

  50 pages in general is my limit, if there isn't anything there to snag me by then I put the book down and move on.

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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    deactivated member 

    I am glad you say that. Usually, I give myself thirty to forty pages to get into a book. If I don't like it by then, I just move on to the next one. However, if that book is a hit with everyone but me, I also feel pretty bad that I did not try harder.

    posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  TarheelBookworm 

  I used to HAVE to finish if I began a book but not now that I'm older (over 40). I've decided it's just not worth my time to read a book that doesn't really catch me right away. I honestly give it a good try but I admit it's easier now than it was when I first gave in to the urge quit reading a book.

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  jenlaw77 

  100 pages is my "guide." If I get 100 pages in and I still don't like it, I stop. This hasn't happened too often.
  
  Jenn

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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    Miriam Q 

    I'm with you - I'll read 100 pages before I give up on a book. That said, sometimes I'll come back to it years later and give it another try. I also won't buy, borrow a book from the library, or consider starting to read a book unless I've read the first page and know that I'm in the mood for this kind of book first.

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  Tracy D 

  Most of the time I do finish the books I start and if for some reason I can't get into it I'll put it down and try it again at another time. If it doesn't work the second time I don't bother with it. I could just not be in the mood at that time to be reading the certain type of book it is. I think I've only come across one book that I couldn't wait to finish and it actually didn't get any better even at the end. It was a total disappointment because I love the author, but thankfully it didn't taint my judgement on him.
  Happy Reading!

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  Robyn S 

  I try to get through the first three chapters. A book has to make an impression and give me to desire to know it better.

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  Dreimutter 

  I tend to be one of those folks who has a hard time NOT finishing a book. That said, there have been times when I will put a book down SEVERAL times in favor of a different read.....but I will always keep going back and at some point finish the book I kept putting down. Example of books I did this with and really didn't care for: Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (IMO Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier was much better). Example of books I did this with and ended up really enjoying: Angels And Demons by Dan Brown.

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  sweetpea78 

  I used to. Now if I'm not sucked in by the first 50 pages I usually give up. Sometimes I skim just to be sure it doesn't turn a good read.

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  bookbabe 

  I used to be one of those "I'll finish this even if it kills me!" readers. However, as I've gotten older, I've been less inclined to stick it out to the bitter end...
  
  Then I read "Book Lust" by librarian extraordinaire Nancy Pearl. Hallelujah! In the book, she gives her 50-page rule, which says to give a book 50 pages before you set it down. If it hasn't grabbed you by then, stop. And for every year over 50 you are, subtract one page from that magic number. This totally released me from the "must-finish-this-book" club forever! And I now tell patrons this little trick, too.
  
  Life is too short to be reading a dull book!

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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    Charismatin 

    I like this 50-page rule! I'll keep this in mind.
    
    I rarely do not finish a book. I might take a hiatus from it, if it sort of stalls, but I do get back to it and finish the book.
    And if I really cannot finish off a book, then I let it go, sadly. As others have said, there are just too many other books out there that I can be reading, instead of struggling with one that just doesn't hold my interest.
    

    posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  Scarlett 

  I also usually give a book 50 pages. If it doesn't grab me by then, I have too many others sitting around that will.

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  Becky S 

  I finished any book I started up until about a year or 2 ago- now my stack is just too big, I could be spending my time on something I enjoy. However, it is still VERY RARE that I don't finish a book. It also depends on why I am reading it, who recommended it to me (if that person has a history of giving me good books I have to finish it) or if there is a lot of "buzz" about the book. For example, I HATED Life of Pi, but I had to know why it was so popular. To this day I am still angry I wasted the time! Most the time I plug through it- though I may stop and read something in the middle if it just doesn't drive me to read it.

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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    Jane C 

    I used to be compulsive about this -- absolutely HAD to finish every book I started. Life is too short and there are too many books waiting for me. Why get stuck reading something you can't get into?

    posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  Alan 

  I can only think of a handful of books that I didn't finish, and sometimes it's a curse. I disliked "The Year Of Magical Thinking" so much it took me a month to read. I'm currently clocking in at a month plus with Anais Nin's "Delta Of Venus". I've seen many Shelfarians say how they quit books but for some reason or other I can't seem to throw in the towel on the ones I don't like.

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  deactivated member 

  I finish every book I have ever started!! never stopped until done!! even if i didn't want to! i have to finish what i start!! or it will bother me!! i am weird I guess!

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  Gigi B 

  Hi conny,
  I try very hard to finish the books. but i do start reading other books even if i am not finished with the others. i would say that i finished 97% of the books that i started to read. thanks

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  Yasaman 

  i usually finish the book unless it is some boring historical one.

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    etal 

    Yas, you don't like historical dramas? Too bad. I remember how bored history was for me in HS etc. When I got to college, I feel in love with art history, ( between cursing all the things I needed to memorize), but found I learned more history thru art history and I had a visual!
    I love Michener and Howard Fast's immigrant series. Have you looked at these?

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  etal 

  I used to have a rule .[G] I could toss a book aside if it didn't catch me in the first 3 chapters. Otherwise , I forced myself to finish a book even if I hated it.
  I just got over this... now 11 more steps to go! 8)

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    Toni K 

    I am crazy when it comes to this. I want to finsh what I start. I have always finshed my books. (Except maybe once or twice) I wish I could just put them down and not think about them, but they haunt me. LOL! I think what if they get better? It drives my husband crazy, because I will complain over and over that I don't like the book I am reading....he will say "Stop reading it." But I CAN'T!!!!! I am like this with movies and tv shows also.

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    etal 

    Toni ... we can do an intervention! [G] The way I figure it is, life is too short to read a book I don't like and waste time from something that is really good.
    Sometimes , for me at least, I am not in the mood for a thriller, or something really heavy. Guess reading is mood related too!

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    Toni K 

    I am really up for an Intervention!!!!! One of the only times I stopped reading a book...every time I saw it in my closet, it drove me crazy....until one day it wasn't there anymore. My husband said he got tired of hearing about how I never finished the book, he still will not tell me what he did with. But I thank him for it. LOL!

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    etal 

    When you hate a book you are to run to the nearest book swap and exchange it! [G] Turn it in to someone who will love it and find something on your list!

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    Toni K 

    Okay!!! I promise the next time I hate a book I will RUN (well drive) to The Book Exchange (used book store by my house) and trade it in. I guess admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.
    Hi! I'm Toni and I am a bookaholic!

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    deactivated member 

    Hi! I am Conny, and I am a bookaholic too. My problem is that I have started a book more than once, never finished it, but still I am not willing to give it up and swap for something else. Well, part of the problem is, there is no used bookstore near to my house, so they just sit on the shelf and collect dust. Any suggestions?

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    etal 

    Has anyone tried this site? It is kind of like the "netflix" of books. I saw it somewhere... maybe it is a good thing?
    http://www.booksfree.com/
    

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    Becky S 

    Swaptree.com is great- you give a book, you get a book. They make up the matches for you, you just mail them. Clearing off my shelf, but problem is, then I receive a book on my to read list, just adding to the stack! HA! papberbackswap.com is good too, but you build up "credit" instead of receiving a book right away. This is great, but right now I have way too many to ship out, and less that I want, so I don't want to fork over a ton of shipping cost and get nothing back for it. Check out these two!

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

  • 

    etal 

    Maybe we are straying off topic here, if so let me know if I am out of line.
    I have a goodly collection of books now that I have read and can't part with.
    Don't ask me why, they are not first editions or signed copies, I just want to have them. But , I do have many I am needing to unload, and think I may try to post them all to amazon for the 1 month of free you get before they slug you with $59/ charge per month. Anyone have experience with this?
    Thanks

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  Toneslibrary 

  I have finished most of the books I have started. The only book I can remember not finishing was the 3rd book of The wheel of time. I never got through that series at all. I just remember now that I never got through James Joyses "Ulysses" either, but that was because I had to give it back to the library when moving house. I have bought the book now and hope to finish it this time.

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    uplandpoet 

    funny the books i dont finish are usually by my favorite authors naylor, hoffman, morrison, and ones i thought i would like based on movies cormac mccarthy and mcmurtry come to mind. i am pretty picky about what i pick up, but will usually give a new author a lot of leeway in first book, then i expect them to always be good if the first one was, usually they are. but i have given up on a few dozen in my life, but then i have read a few thousand...

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  Alicia 

  I finish nearly everything I start reading. There have only been a few books that I thought were so terrible I couldn't finish them (ex. - If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things). Normally, if I do stop reading a book, I skip to the very end and read the last chapter or few pages to see how it ends.
  
  Honestly, I wish it were easier for me to sit down books I'm not enjoying. It takes me forever to get through a book I hate. I don't read it very often, and when I do read it, I get through fewer pages in one sitting.

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    Yesssd 

    I finish every book I read, no matter how tiresome, I stick it out. I am like a dog with a bone.

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  DragonRider 

  I typically finish everything i start unless i get real disgusted by it for some reason or another, but that's rare.

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  Seatah 

  I always finish every book I read, even if it takes me forever to finish it. There are books when you start reading you think it's boring or terrible or whatever, but when you finish it you might change your mind. That's why I always finish every book I read. The only book I wish I haven't wasted my time reading it is "Under the Tuscan Sun" by Francis Mayes.

  posted 5 months ago. ( reply )

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  Tamia B 

  I rarely don't finish a book I've started. I've tried to be very selective about which books I start, so I'm usually reading something I want to read. However, occasionally I find myself asking myself, "Do I really care what happens to this character?" Or if I'm too annoyed with the author because I'm mentally re-writing too many of his/her sentences, I'll decide it isn't worth it.

  posted 5 months ago. ( reply )

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  diamondgirl 

  No it has about 20 pages. Life is too short to waste time on crappy books.

  posted 5 months ago. ( reply )

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  aurban 

  I've finished every book i've pick up to read but one, Geek Love. I just couldn't get though that one. Some books, there were just okay, i've lost half way though and I had to go out to buy another one, 'cause I could leave the story unfinished.

  posted 4 months ago. ( reply )

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  Grain de Beaute 

  Whenever I start reading a book, I have to finish it. Even if it takes me weeks to do so.♥

  posted 4 months ago. ( reply )

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  Kaisha J 

  For me it depends on why I'm reading it. If someone recomended it to me then I will definately finish it even if I don't like it. I feel like I owe them that much. But If I pick it out on my own and its complete crap I toss it. Sometimes I'll just lose momentum even in a book I am enjoying - for instance - I started reading The Mysts of Avalon when I was 13 and I still have 20 pages until the end and I'm 25. Okay, secretly I don't want it to end so I'm not sure if I'll ever finish it. I scavenge non-fiction books, I just take the sweet, juicy, suculent bits and toss the carcass away.

  posted 4 months ago. ( reply )

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  Nancy Cohen 

  I feel as though I have to start what I finish. If the book isn't holding my interest, I'll skim through the tedious passages to the good stuff. But I will slog through to the end.

  posted 4 months ago. ( reply )

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  Lillian P 

  I read 50-75 pages. If it hasn't hooked me by then I stop reading it. I realize that sometimes I an just not in the mood for that particular book. I will put the book away and try it again a couple of months later. If I get the same reaction I get rid of the book.

  posted 4 months ago. ( reply )

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  Woody (edited)

  I am determined to read a book once I start. I have read some truly terrible books all the way through. If I absolutely cannot get through a book, I have been known to shelf it for a month or two and then take another run at it until I finish what I started. I just feel that I might be missing something if I stop!

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  Tamia B 

  I don't often not finish a book I start, but lately I've had at least three: Vanity Fair, Middlemarch, and The Known World. That last one is so poorly written (edited?) and confusing, I don't know how the guy got a Pulitzer Prize for it. It's a shame, because the premise of it was so intriguing.

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  Mary L. Simonsen (edited)

  I used to finish every book until I picked up "Quinn's Book," by the author of "Ironweed." Some of it was so objectionable that I gave up on it. After that first time, it became easier to put aside books that I didn't like. I now read a one, three and five-star review on Amazon to make sure that the book is a good fit before buying it.

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  Carola B (edited)

  Well, til now there's only 1 writer who cannot catch my attention with his books: Nicholas Evans. I tried the horse whisperer once, but I caught myself flipping through pages without reading it. His style is to slow for me. The same thing with 'the divide'.. I read one chapter, but it could not catch me...So I gave it away..
  These two are the only ones til now that I didn't finish.. So why should I pay attention to books which I don't like.. That's a waste of time. There are more books to read and have this 'thing' I like about a book.

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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    Becky S 

    The Smoke Jumper by Nicholas Evans was really good. I started Horse Whisper AFTER I read this one, and couldn't get into that one, but SJ might be worth a try.

    posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  Jennifer O 

  I usually read my books all the way through as well, but there have been a few. Currently I'm trying to reach "Catch-22". Basically, it's driving me nuts and I want to quit, and I just keep hoping it will get better! It's supposedly a classic, but I may have to chalk this one up to just not being my taste. I hate not finishing a book, but I hate reading a book I don't like even more....hmmm...sounds like a catch-22 to me.

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  Zayra R 

  Most of the time I do. But it has been at least 2 books that they didnt got my attention that I had to put them down.

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  Tenia F 

  I used to read every book I picked up. That was until March when I started reading the Road. Fifty pages into it my head was SPINNING could not finish it.
  
  I'm Tenia btw, just joined the group:)

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  Elizabeth 

  I have actually finshed quiet a few books. I finshed Harry Potter 1-5, still reading bk 6. I finshed book 1 and 2 of the twlight series. Couple of my christian novels. I am trying read a book or 2 a month.
  

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  Sarah 

  I try to finish every book that i start whether they pull me in from the beginning or not. although, usually, i have pretty good judgement on whether or not i will enjoy the book beforehand. if i really just can't seem to get into a book, i usually give it 50 pages or so, depending on the size of the book, before i give up on it, but when i do give up on a book, i usually try to pick it back up again after a few months. i don't like not being able to finish a book, it makes me feel defeated.

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  Elizabeth 

  I usually finished a book I start. It has so boring for me not to finish the book. It takes at least 2 chapters for me to see if I am not going to like it or not. Personally I thought of that reading "Twilight" . I was about to put it down after the first 4 chapters but it got intersting at the end of ch 4 .
  Happy Reading

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  SharonDaGreat 

  I give older books about 100 pages because I think that they can be harder to get into than newer books. I try to give contempory books at least 5 chapters, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. I use to try and finish each book I started, but I found myself not reading as much as I would like because I hated the material.

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  Inkberry 

  I usually try to finish a book I start, but if it is really unappealing, I do stop.
  
  Unappealing means I am into Page 100 and it just didn't hook me yet.
  

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  laurie e 

  I don't finish every book I start, and I encourage my students to do the same--I certainly don't listen to bad songs on the radio or watch TV shows I don't like.
  
  What's my limit? It depends, and it's not based on pages. The last two books I read I abandoned for different reasons. One was just plain poorly written--the author was overly fond of the word "viscous" --it appeared at least once a chapter. After a while, that started to get on my nerves, along with the fact that the plot was moving incredibly slowly. The second book I abandoned was too technical--so I decided to keep the book available as a reference instead of trying to wade through the whole thing.
  

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  rntammyp 

  I generally finish most books. If not, I don't really have a criteria. Just stop when I'm sick of it! LOL :)

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  Zommbie1 

  I usually do finish anything I start, but the last two books I didn't finish I couldn't finish because I didn't like the narrator. They were Catcher in the Rye and Never Let me Go. In both books the narrators just annoyed the living daylights out of me :D

  posted 2 months ago. ( reply )

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  IYamVixenBooks 

  Lord no! Life is too short and there are so many good book possibilities out there! If I lose interest or it's poorly written, I chunk it. If it's a mood thing, I will put it back on the shelf for a possible later. Otherwise it goes up for trade or giveaway. Might be someone else's cup o tea.
  -V-

  posted 2 months ago. ( reply )

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  Bella+Edward=True Love 

  I always finish a book once I start it

  posted 2 months ago. ( reply )

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  Marie Saratoga 

  99.9% of the books I start to read I finnish.
  The ones I haven't I can count on my fingers.
  I really don't have a number of pages that I read to decide if I am going to stop or not. I just read and if I really really get to a piont i can't read any farther or shove it in my brain I toss it.

  posted 2 months ago. ( reply )

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  Ruchika 

  well! i did dismiss certain books as unreadable few years ago...and one of them was arundhati roy's god of small things...i had little experience and patience with multiple shifting narratives back then:) i happened to pick it up again and could not put it down...i read both the sides of the covers and also few lines from the chapter..

  posted 2 months ago. ( reply )

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  Sylvina C 

  Should I be on the third chapter and I am not absorbed by this time then forget it, I will just not be able to go any further. I had this one book though, "Birds without wings" I reached chapter 10 I was just not into this book I just HAD to give it up. I was soooo surprised that I even went as far as I did. Lesson learned, by the 3rd chapter and if I am not entertained give it up.

  posted 2 months ago. ( reply )

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  treehugger 

  I've finished most of the books I started. Off the top of my head I can only think of two I gave up on - one because it was super, super depressing, and the other because absolutely NOTHING was happening. I don't really have a system for deciding when to give up, I just got sick and tired of reading them.

  posted 2 months ago. ( reply )

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  Cathy R 

  When I was younger, I felt obligated to finish every book I started. Now, it seems life is way too short to spend reading a bad book when there are so many other great things out there to read. I give a book anywhere from 25 to 50 pages--if it hasn't grabbed me by then, it's on to something better with no feelings of guilt.

  posted 2 months ago. ( reply )

• 

  KristaLovesTokioHotel 

  I have to finish every book I start. It's kind of like an OCD thing with me. Even if I hate the book I can't stop halfway through.

  posted 2 months ago. ( reply )

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