A lot of the really interesting things here on the blog are in the comments section where we break from my thoughts and opinions and discuss the topics I’ve brought to the fore. A good case in point is the discussion we’ve been having about self-publishing and the large amount of less than quality work that is available now that self-publishing is inexpensive and relatively easy. The whole discussion started back when I posted about a particularly bad book I was reading in Don’t You Hate It When…?, a post about the pet peeves we have when it comes to books we are reading.
On that post Karen H commented that the book I’d complained about sounded like a poorly edited self-published book. (It wasn’t.) She expressed frustration with poorly written ebooks she’s been reading, many of which have been self-published. Her comments inspired me to write the post Are Publishers Becoming More Important In The Age Of Easy Self-Publishing?
Karen commented on that post and said, “OMG! I’m out of my freakin’ mind here. Can you believe it, I’m still reading the crappy book I mentioned in Laurie’s original post about pet peeves in novels? I’m a glutton for punishment. The author hasn’t redeemed herself. Give me 50 lashes with a wet noodle. It’s time to move on…………sigh………thud!”
I can relate to the difficulty Karen is having putting down the book that is frustrating her. I find it similarly hard to put down a bad book…especially with pleasure reading. I can’t help but wonder why some of us have such a hard time putting aside a book that we aren’t enjoying. If we’re reading for pleasure…and a book isn’t giving us pleasure…what’s wrong with putting it down and picking up another? Why is it so hard for some of us to do that?
I’ve thought about this a bit…and I don’t have any solid answers though I expect it might come from childhood training. When we were kids in school we were presented with a lot of rather dry content that we were required to read. Stopping because we weren’t enjoying it wasn’t permitted. Ditto with college texts.
For me a bit of it relates to the voice of my sixth-grade teacher which still resonates within my head at some points. “Waste-not-want-not” was one of his favorite lines. He used it a lot! I’ll admit to feeling a bit wasteful when I put aside a book I’m not enjoying. There is the money I spent on the book…but more importantly the time I invested. But then again, if what I am seeking is pleasure and I’m not getting pleasure doesn’t it make sense that what I am really wasting when I continue reading the book I’m not enjoying is more time?
I have the feeling another piece of why it’s hard to stop reading a bad book is that we keep reading, hoping that the book gets better. Once in a while one does and our persistence is rewarded. I suppose this contributes to the desire to hang on, to keep reading, hoping that it gets better.
Another reason that plays into it for me is wanting to understand what others saw in the book. If it was published by a publisher, someone else had to think it worthwhile to publish…to invest financially in. If it has good reviews then it was a book that someone else enjoyed. A lot of the time, I think I read on hoping to discover what others who enjoyed the book saw in it.
What about you? Do you have a hard time putting down a bad book? What do you think makes it difficult for you?
I don’t have any trouble stopping a bad book, especially if it’s not interesting after the first few chapters.
I hate to give up on a book, but I usually give up at about 100 pages if the story is not working for me. I think we continue to read a bad book because you hope it does eventually get better.
In the past, I never stopped reading a book. I think I was afraid I would miss something. But then, I grew a brain and realized that if the book wasn’t holding my attention to that point, why would I believe there was this show-stopper ending? Nope, ain’t gonna happen. I have issue now about putting down a book that isn’t worth my time or trouble to finish.
That said, I will give an update on that 3rd book in this trilogy. I did finally finish it by skimming the pages looking for words that would stop my eye. Nothing caught my attention until the last chapter. I did slow down to read that because it did bring the other characters from the first 2 books together to put down the really bad guy. It was so very anticlimactic, so quickly wrapped up in a lame sort of way. Yes, there was a HEA, but it was not satisfying IMHO. What amazes me is the number of glowing reviews all 3 books have received. I must be the only naysayer in the crowd. Go figure?
Correction: That should read: ‘I have NO issue now about putting down a book that isn’t worth my time or trouble to finish.
When will I learn to proofread?
Glad you’ve got this bad one out of the way and now you can move on to something better.
I am one of those readers that has to finish a book no matter what. If it is bad I am hoping that the author will redeem themselves but more than likely they don’t and I have wasted my time and say that I will never do that again but yet I do. Even when I do put a book down and say enough I do not like this , I find myself picking it back up at odd times and reading it. Very frustrating at times.
I will read along for quite a while (with pleasure books – not as far with manuscripts – though a fair degree with them too sometimes) hoping that a bad book gets better. Sometimes beginnings are rough…sometimes a book starts in a bad place. Sometimes it does get better. Sometimes it does all make sense in the end… Like you I keep reading hoping that it does get better.
I used to ALWAYS finish books…no matter what. I’ve gotten less inclined since my life has gotten more busy and since I’ve been editing. With culling manuscripts to publish one has to draw a line somewhere…you can’t read all the way through every bad manuscript or you spend all your time on the bad ones and never get to the good ones.
I do still find it difficult to stop reading.
I’m enjoying everyone else’s comments on this.
HEY!! Look what you did. I like!!
I have NO trouble in putting down a bad book – at all. So many book I want to read. So, put it down & move on.
I’m guessing you’re talking about the blog face lift Mary?
I had some fairly plain themes that I created a while back for a friend who wanted a plainer look for her blog. Since she had some she decided not to use I decided to upload one here.
I do like the look…it’s quite a drastic change from the bright butterfly and hot pink.
I also changed the columns around a little bit.
Gotta shake things up every now and then. 
I was talking about the blog face lift. (How obtuse was I?) It’s soft & clean. I love the bone & the blue.
I figured you were talking about the blog face lift.
Though your comment did have me wondering what else I might have done. 
I like the soft colors and the kind of peaceful look about the place too. It’s kind of an abrupt change…but a nice one.
I like the new look too! And yes, here lately when I’ve visited you, I see something to interest me. Thanks so much for shaking things up a bit and bringing interesting topics to the front!
Excellent Karen, I’m glad you are finding things to interest you now. I do try to keep bringing interesting things to the fore.
Every now and then I have to dig a bit…though I did have a creative day a week or so ago and wrote a whole long list with lots of ideas for blog posts. I figured it would be a good tool for those days when I can’t think of anything to write about. 
They DO happen.
It’s not that there isn’t always something interesting going on in the industry…publishing and book selling is changing so fast it’s hard to even keep up! Still every now and then the creativity has a low ebb day. Then I need a trigger.
The comments have served as great inspiration for topics recently.
I have a huge problem with putting down books people have asked me to read, and books that I have a perception I should like, because a friend or person I respect have told me I should like it. I have less problems putting down a book from the Library, I work there and my TBR pile is huge!
I have the same problem with books I’ve been asked to read – or with books that someone else has recommended. In fact…sometimes I almost cringe when someone suggests I read this or that book. It sort of has the feeling of homework associated…and it feels like since they asked me to read it I have to KEEP reading it. Ditto if it is a book that someone else I know and like recommended it, because I know they are going to ask, “So how’d you like it?” If I liked it it will be great as then we can talk about all the parts we both liked. However, if I really disliked it then I know I’m going to be left trying to come up with a polite way to say I hated it.
I guess that’s one of the reasons I prefer rather informal book recommendations. If someone on a blog or on Goodreads says, “This is a really great book, you should read it,” I usually don’t feel like I have to read it…or like I have to continue reading it if I don’t like it. It has less the “homework” feel to it. 
I’m getting better with stopping when it’s just not doing anything for me. I have to tell my self that there are so many better ways I could be spending my time and remind myself that just because I can’t finish a book, doesn’t mean someone else won’t like it. At least makes me feel better about stopping!
- Jessica @ Book Sake
I agree Jessica. There are so many GOOD books and GREAT books out there, why spend time reading ones that are not doing it for me? It doesn’t mean that someone else won’t love it. It just means that it isn’t for me.
I have a difficult time putting down a bad book. The hardest part is when it is by an author that I love. There is something that caught my attention and purchase the book and I want to get something out of it after spending the money.
Also, if I’m reading it along with friends we like to talk about it and discuss what we enjoyed and ways that we thought it was going to end up.
I just like to find something positive out of it.
I can relate Tia. Hope springs eternal for me too, especially with a book by an author that I usually like.
You’re right…most of the time there is something that caught my attention about the book, the blurb, a review somewhere, or someone’s recommendation.
Like you I really want to get something positive out of it, though sometimes that is a lost cause. For me it isn’t really even the money…it is the time that I’ve already invested in it by the time that I’ve decided I’m really not enjoying it and am not likely to start enjoying it. There is a feeling of wanting to get something positive out of the time already spent.
It is nice when you can talk about a book with friends and you’ve all enjoyed the book.
I don’t have trouble putting down a bad book. If it doesn’t grab my attention within the first two chapters, I will stop reading it.
I wish I found it as easy as you do Wilma. I did find it…a bit empowering to stop reading the one that inspired this whole string of blog posts and maybe I will find it easier the next time I’m faced with a stinker.