Do you finish every book you start reading?
I’ve thought about this quite often, but more deeply when I read Aaron’s comment on my overdue library book confessions post. Quite sensibly, he had this to say about his large pile of library books:
If it doesn’t “hook” me in the first 10 pages, it goes in the pile to be returned early. I don’t suffer books any longer, there are too many other good books to push myself to read something that isn’t any good or takes to long to get started.
And in principle, I fully agree. Think of the millions and millions of books out there and how no matter how long you live, you’ll only ever be able to read a tiny portion of them. Why waste valuable reading time on books that are no good?
But in practice, I just don’t do this. I very, very rarely give up on a book. I always think I can learn something from reading it through to the end, even if it is only to learn how not to write. Plus I’m eternally optimistic that the book might turn out better. I would rather get an overdue fine from the library than not finish a book.
The big exception to this – have I complained about this before? – is pretty much any book by Irvine Welsh. I did manage to get to the end of Trainspotting
Don’t think for a minute that I have some determined, follow-through kind of nature or something. I’ll willingly turn a video off in the middle and have been known, fairly regularly, to fall asleep in the cinema, watching a movie I’ve actually paid to see. Last week I gave up vacuuming halfway through the living room, and I have no follow-through when it comes to sticking to an exercise plan.
It’s just a book thing.
Am I alone? Do you finish every book you start?
I tend not to concede defeat, but instead just put the book back in the shelf and tell myself that I will get back to it later.
Trainspotting the movie was hard to get through – great story, but heavy content.
I’ve got a copy of A Brief History of Time on my shelf, so by default I can not say truthfully that I’ve finished every book I started. That book holds the record for best-selling book never read to the end.
I don’t finish every book. Life’s too short to spend reading something that’s not entertaining me (since I’m not in school anymore and don’t have to read anything).
I hasten to think of the last book I actually FINISHED! I have bookmarks in so many books on my shelf (and packed away in boxes) it almost seems remarkable that I have ever finished one. I must say though, that I always persevere with Fiction, it’s generally non-fiction that remain unfinished. Except for “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”. And it took me about five goes to get through “A Clockwork Orange” too, really glad I finished it though and before I saw the film too.
So what you’re all saying is I’m wasting my time by trying to finish every book I start … and you’re probably right. Perhaps I have to go for Heath’s method of tricking myself that I’ll get back to it later …
[...] to read. If you’re a loyal reader with a good memory you’ll know that a while ago I abandoned Irvine Welsh novels because of his (as perceived by me) overuse of Scottish dialect that was difficult to understand. [...]
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