LifecanbetoffYep, it’s happened again. I have found myself with another unfinished read.
It’s not that I set out not to complete a book, but it’s happened to the best of us. I love books and have previously written about my love of books.
I try to like every book that I pick up, but occasionally I find myself struggling with a book, forcing myself to read it even though I’m not enjoying it or not in the right frame of mind to read.
Sometimes I find myself thinking “life is too short for shit books” and a book gets put down. Added to my ever growing pile of unfinished reads.
My unfinished read pile is almost as large as my TBR (to be read) pile.
OK, it’s not that bad…yet.
My most recent unfinished read
My latest unfinished read is Lady cop makes trouble by Amy Stewart.
Set in 1915 New York City, Constance Kopp is the nation’s first female deputy sheriff – and one of very few women police officers.
This is the follow on from Girl waits with Gun where Constance and her sisters were introduced and is apparently based on a true story.
The first instalment was rated highly with good reviews and one I instantly put on my reservations list at the library. The wait was (and still is) quite lengthy so I instead went for the second one.
This is where I went wrong, I should have introduced myself to Constance first.
The writing itself is good, you get a great insight into Policing in 1915 NYC and in particular the attitude towards women.
It has all the foundations for it to be the kind of book that I would enjoy, so why can’t I finish it?
Sometimes I’m not in the mood to read a book, sometimes it really is crap and I just don’t enjoy it. That wasn’t the case with this one, so I might just loan it again – after I’ve read Girl waits with Gun.
But it’s a classic!
OK – this one is going to be unpopular…
I hated the Great Gatsby!
I know, I know, it’s a classic, it’s written by the amazing F.Scott Fitzgerald and is full of 1920’s glitz and glamour which has made fancy dress parties sizzle for years.
Let’s not even talk about the film adaptation with Leonardo Di Caprio and I’m going to let you in on a secret…
I didn’t like the movie either!
I can’t quite put my finger on what it was I didn’t like about this book, I tried so hard to enjoy it, I forced myself through a third of the way, but I just didn’t like it!
If it wasn’t for its reputation as being the ultimate classic that people adore, I’d probably not try it again.
Which leads me on to my next book…
It had rave reviews!
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.
There is a huge fan following for this book, I read many rave reviews about it, so I patiently waited for it to become available at the library.
I read about 5 chapters before getting utterly annoyed with the protagonist and took it back to the library, unfinished.
I didn’t feel as if I should force myself to enjoy this book because of it being popular or a best seller.
Getting to that last page
There is an assumption that we must finish a book. I used to force myself to finish reading books even if I didn’t enjoy them.
But surely, the point of reading is that you should benefit from it? When I finish a great book it sits with me for days afterwards. I won’t start another book whilst I wait to absorb my previous read properly and allow the characters to leave my thoughts.
There are endless options out there for us to pursue – why should we waste our time on ones we aren’t enjoying?
That doesn’t mean we can’t go back to those unfinished reads, life itself can sometimes dictate our mood, maybe at that particular time in our lives that book wasn’t appropriate.
Think of films, we don’t watch the genre we don’t enjoy, it doesn’t mean they are bad movies it’s just they aren’t to our particular taste. The same goes for books – perhaps the Great Gatsby is a great book, it’s just not something I particularly enjoy?
Knowing when to leave a book unfinished
But how can you read the signs and decide that a book is not worth finishing?
Would you rather play with your phone than read the book? Perhaps its time to quit.
Are you not bothered or invested by the characters and can’t be assed to go back through the pages and find out? It’s time to quit!
What do you mean you’d rather sleep than read that book?
Oh – Dentist Monthly is more interesting is it? Shelve the book!
Can’t be bothered to tell people about this book you’re reading? Yep, you guessed it – quit the book!
Life is too short for shit books!
Kim, Life can be Toff, just now
Do you have any unfinished reads? Maybe you’ve read one of the ones above I’ve not finished and have a counter argument to make against it? Tell me in the comments, I’d love to hear your thoughts
Peace out!
Jangles x
I also hate the Great Gatsby, and have no idea what people see in it… Still mind-boggling to me 15 years after reading it!! (I also put books down if I’m not enjoying it- life is too short!)
Glad I’m not the only one! I just didn’t enjoy it at all!
Just because something comes highly acclaimed you don’t automatically have to enjoy it. Sometimes, I give a book a second chance because I think I might just not have been in the right frame of mind when I tried to read it for the first time. If I still don’t like it – then so be it, I won’t finish it. That doesn’t mean this book isn’t good. It just means I don’t enjoy it for whatever reason.
Conferssion: I’m one of the apparently very few people who don’t enjoy Harry Potter – can you imagine the disbelief this statement gets? I’ve read the first book and found it OK, but wasn’t intrigued enough to continue (there, I said it…).
Many, many people cannot understand this, but it’s the way it is, and I won’t give them another try. It’s OK. They’re not crappy, they’re just not my cup of tea.
So, yes… if you don’t like ‘The Great Gatsby’ – that’s entirely OK!
Happy reading 🙂
I’ve never read any of the Harry Potter books, or seen the movies. They aren’t something I fancy either!
I use to be the same way and force myself to finish a book even if I wasn’t enjoying it. I’ve learned to just let it go. There are so many books to read I don’t have time for the ones that aren’t making me happy. Great post!