What do you do if a book isn't interesting?

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Buttercup0325
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Re: What do you do if a book isn't interesting?

Post by Buttercup0325 »

I always finish what I'm reading. Every single time. I'm a fast reader and so it's usually not difficult for me to just read until I get sucked in, and in most cases that does happen, it always gets interesting at some point, but every now and then I get a book that just doesn't work for me. I can count one hand, with fingers left over, how many books I've started and not finished, but there are also some where I have to put them aside for awhile and read something else, then get back to it later on with a fresh state of mind.
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Post by clmartz »

If I'm terribly bored (still) at the halfway mark, I do seriously consider just stopping there. I recently had that problem with a book that's been fairly popular, and I just couldn't get through it. I tried. After a few months of trying to actually get through this novel, I just decided it wasn't going to happen and picked up the movie--which it then took me two days to finish watching because I kept turning it off.

Usually, I don't have this problem though and will try to stick it out.
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Post by SusanR »

If a book isn't interesting, I'll set it aside to try again later. Sometimes I find that the mood I am in, affects whether I like a book or not. I may not like it when I first try it but will love it when I give it a second try. If I still don't like it after a second try, I put it in my donation box. I have a list of favorite authors - if I dislike three books in a row by one of the authors on my list, they are removed from my list so that I don't make the mistake of buying their books again.
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SidKayy_18
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Post by SidKayy_18 »

I try to read at least the first 5 chapters then if I still can't get into it I stop reading it.
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Ama Idim
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Post by Ama Idim »

When a book isn't interesting, I try to force myself to read it but when it gets to a point where I can't continue, I skip pages or I drop it to continue some other time.
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Sgatev23
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Post by Sgatev23 »

Hi Tonya,

Normally, I can tell from the first few pages whether the book is worth reading. If it's a classic book and I am still put-off by it, I will simply close it and give it to someone else who I think will find it more enjoyable.

However, with newly-published authors and books, things are quite different.
First of all, as a part of the industry myself, I would rarely be so harsh as to discard a book after a few pages, because this could be ruinous to the author. I like to give them a chance and try and commit as much as I can.
Secondly, if you are a reviewer, you need to do your best and focus objectively rather than thinking how the book relates to you and your own experiences.
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Post by Vivian Paschal »

Honestly, it's a struggle these days to read any book with my tight schedule. So, if I'm reading a book that is not interesting, I will not go on; no thank you. I'd rather just look for a more interesting book or return to my tight schedule. Unfortunately, it'll make it very difficult for me to ever pick up a book by that writer, unless it's a writer I already know to be good. Then, I'll just forgive.
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Rebecca Henderson
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Post by Rebecca Henderson »

I usually try to give the writer/book the benefit of the doubt. I figure that they spent enough time on the manuscript that it warrants at least a look from me. At the same time, if I can't either (1) summarize what is happening so far or (2) come up with a reason to keep reading, then I'll put the book down. Very rarely do I go back to a book that I've attempted to read. Sometimes, every once in a while, I'll be looking for a new book to read and I'll think, maybe I should try this one again. Most often second attempts end up with the same result as the first.
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Post by Mallory Whitaker »

I'll get through as much as I can stomach, then I'll put it down. Usually, I will pick it up again months later when I'm desperate for something new to read. Sometimes the cycle continues.
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Post by Wangare »

When a book is not interested, I will read a little further to see if maybe it can be interested, if not I will leave it.
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Post by cherryalakei »

I am a little compulsive when it comes to knowing how things turn out, so even if I don't have an interest or I'm not really into what I'm reading- most of the time I still have to finish the book to find out what happens.
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Post by ebethina »

I have the tendency to still want to finish it to see how the ending is because I figure, I made it this far I can keep going.
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Post by Henrytbab »

tonya10057 wrote: 17 Aug 2012, 15:45 What do you normaly do if a book is not very interesting to you?I try to read as much of the book as possible,then decide if I want to read it or not.
If I've read 50 of its pages and still find it uninteresting, I just abandon it.
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."
-George Bernard Shaw
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Post by Ashley-Osuna »

I don't like to leave books unfinished so even if I do not like them that much, I will still try to finish them just to see how it all unfolds. There are very few books that I have not finished because of how boring they seemed to me.
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Yearly Joy Besoy
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Post by Yearly Joy Besoy »

If I find the book uninteresting, I read al little bit of the beginning the middle and go to the ending. If the ending is good or had a twist, I go back to read from the last page that I've read in the first part of the story.
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