I still have trouble turning my back on a book I’ve started, but your way is very likely the right way. It’s crazy because I would never watch a movie that didn’t grab me in the first ten minutes, even though it would only take two hours out of my life, but I’ll often spend several more hours to finish a book that I don’t really like – I’m always optimistic that it’ll work out better.

Anyway thanks for the confession and the tips!

I’m so bad, I’ll have a stack of books sitting to be read, return one and come out with 2 or 3 more, knowing I’ve got 5 or 6 waiting at home.

Two things I did to stop late fees: 1. entering all due dates, immediately (often while standing at the counter) into my smartphone then syncing to Outlook.

I then have two reminders when they are due and I can add in the titles of the books when I get back to my desktop as a reminder of the books I’ve read.

2: Because I have so many, I am far less forgiving in reading. 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.

If I set a book down because it starts to drag, don’t like the direction, any number of reasons, that’s another reason it gets an early return.

I still have late fees, but they are never more than a dollar or two since I’ve implemented this method. It’s usually because I am getting and returning books at least once a week, I forget that I didn’t already return something.

My late fees are always for the books I didn’t care to finish reading for some reason :s