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Smiling Shelves

To DNF or Not? Help!

6/7/2018

8 Comments

 
I rarely stop reading a book before I've finished it. I'm someone who likes to finish what I've started, even if I'm not totally enjoying the experience. I know this is kind of silly, because there are so many amazing books out there. Why would I waste my time reading something I didn't like?

But what if I've read other books I've loved by that author? What if everyone raves about the book? That's what I'm running across at this moment, and I can't decide whether to bail or not.
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The book I'm reading is Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Her Grisha trilogy was five-star reads for me. I enjoyed The Language of Thorns, her collection of folk tales. Six of Crows takes place in the same world, although with completely different characters than the Grisha trilogy. Well, the world she created was one of the things I loved, so why wouldn't I like another book set in that same world? Not to mention that everyone seems to love this book. It has a 4.46 rating on Goodreads. That's crazy high. I've read many raving reviews. It seems like this would be a surefire win for me.

All of those are reasons why I'm struggling to give up on this one. I'm 150 pages in, and I just don't care about the characters. I knew it was a book about criminals and a heist going in, but I'm not finding enough redeeming qualities to make me feel attached to any of the characters. And I like heist stories (I've watched Ocean's 11 several times), but this one is just not hooking me.

So do I walk away from the book? There are still 300+ pages to go, and even though it's a fast read, I'm having trouble forcing myself to even pick the book up.

I'm curious about how everyone else makes this decision. What criteria do you use when you decide to DNF a book?

8 Comments
Christine link
6/7/2018 07:56:12 am

I’ve gotten much better about DNF’ing this year, but i know it can still be hard to commit to that decision to stop! Based on what you’ve said here, I’d definitely recommend DNF, but if you’re really still on the fence, sometimes I see if my library has the audio and switch to that. If I still am not motivated to keep going, even in that format which allows me to multitask, then I find it easier to let go. And sometimes the audio grabs me — you never know! Good luck!

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
6/9/2018 01:48:58 pm

That's a good idea to switch to the audio. I wouldn't have thought of that. I did decide to DNF, but if I want to try again someday, I'll give the audio a chance!

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Amy Marie link
6/8/2018 10:20:40 am

I give books about 100 pages...then I'm done.I just have too many to read. To be honest, I'm MUCH more apt to stick it out with older books than newer ones. I find that sometimes I just get stuck in the language or slow start with older and the time and effort usually pay off. I have not found that the case with modern titles. I stuck it out with The Hazel Wood and ugh. I didn't care for it. I also liked Language of Thorns so it's good to know that this other one is dragging a bit.

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
6/9/2018 01:52:39 pm

That's a good point about older vs. newer books. Older books do often take longer to adjust to, and usually that ends up being worth it. You're right, though, that new books don't usually have that same pay off. I've never thought about it like that!

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Sault
6/8/2018 03:06:24 pm

Let it go.... If I'm not loving a book by the first 50 pages, chances are I won't love it by the end. Life is too short to read books that don't grab you.

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
6/9/2018 01:49:20 pm

Sounds like a great philosophy to me!

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Jenna @ Falling Letters link
6/10/2018 12:40:58 am

DUMP ITTTT! Haha, I used to have similar qualms about DNF'ing but now it doesn't bother me at all. If I've given a book a decent shot (maybe read 20%), and I've tried it a couple time to account for just 'not being in the mood', then I'll DNF it if I don't like it.

Reply
Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
6/10/2018 02:14:48 pm

Thanks for the encouragement, Jenna! I am going to DNF it, but it sounds like a good idea to give it another try at some point. I might like it better some other time!

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    My name is Julie, and I own a lot of books. As in, they are stacked on the floor because I've run out of room on the shelves. And those shelves? There are so many books on them that they smile -- not sag; smile. This blog will cover book reviews and all manner of other bookish things.

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