Do you feel guilty if you don't finish reading a book?

TangledinText · Post by **TangledinText** » 09 Feb 2016, 14:52

I do. I've been having to deal with that more often lately with the onslaught of reviews needed in such a short period of time with a few different authors needed reviews within a week.

GrandmaIrene · Post by **GrandmaIrene** » 09 Feb 2016, 15:02

I have always taught my children to finish what they start. I tend to feel that way about books. Even if it is a horrible book and takes me 3 weeks to complete reading, I do finish it. Of course, I will read it in increments and read other books at the same time. So far, I have only quit one book and I don't feel guilty about it. It was a "free" kindle book. The writing was horrible as well as grammar.

Mrs_Darcy25 · Post by **Mrs_Darcy25** » 09 Feb 2016, 15:09

I always try and make sure I finish books. I wouldn't say I feel guilty for not finishing them, but if it is something I have bought then I feel like I need to at least fight through to the finish in order to get my money's worth out of it.

sarahpayne23 · Post by **sarahpayne23** » 09 Feb 2016, 15:20

I used to feel guilty when I didn't finish a book, like maybe I was missing out on something. I found myself reading 2 or 3 books at once just to avoid having to read the "boring" book for a long amount of time. So, I made a pledge to read at least 30% of a book before making a decision to quit it. I figure this gives the authors ample time for character development and makes me feel like I am not going to miss out on as much. I also read reviews of the book to see what other people are saying. It seems to let me know if something great is going to happen towards the end, although not all reviews are believable

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ellie_dp · Post by **ellie_dp** » 10 Feb 2016, 07:49

No. I don't feel guilty at all.

Sometimes I don't really like the book I read, but I finish it, because I am just curious. But if the book doesn't grab me I just leave it.

Maglederer23 · Post by **Maglederer23** » 10 Feb 2016, 08:24

I definitely feel the guilt of not finishing a book. Part of it comes from paying for the book and not wanting to waste my (i.e. My parents) money but also I think it comes from an almost unconscious loyalty towards authors and reading itself. There's a book I started over the summer that I still have in my currently reading shelf on goodreads even though I haven't touched it since then, because I feel badly giving up on it haha

Dyslexic-Superhero · Post by **Dyslexic-Superhero** » 10 Feb 2016, 09:11

I very seldom have a book that I can't finish. When I have book that is hard to stomach whether it's content or pace that frustrates me I generally take a break from it. If I can't read it the second time I just give it up. Then I don't feel guilty. I do get frustrated that I spent money just for it to end up with wasted time but oh well.

MsMartha · Post by **MsMartha** » 10 Feb 2016, 09:59

I don't usually feel guilty, but sometimes I'm disappointed because a book I had been interested to read just wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

Then there are the times I feel a little stupid, because the book I started turned out to be a book I had already read...

Katelyn_Lambson · Post by **Katelyn_Lambson** » 10 Feb 2016, 13:42

I get some pretty serious incompletion guilt!! I even have a hard time when I don't finish a series... It's all or nothing dedication for me or I go nuts!

KristinaS · Post by **KristinaS** » 10 Feb 2016, 13:55

I was feeling bad about it ... in the past. Now, I usually read about 7 books at once and finish only ones that really get me, some of them I read for long time, but there are always these what I never finish. I just forget about them.

efufoo · Post by **efufoo** » 10 Feb 2016, 14:01

I have never felt guilty for not finishing a book. Normally I give it a second or third chance later on if boredom was why i never finished it. The lord of the rings trilogy im almost done with is a perfect example of that.

screece1220 · Post by **screece1220** » 10 Feb 2016, 15:05

I do! I can't help but feel like I let the book down by not completing it. Sometimes, I will just skim the rest really quickly just to relieve some of the guilt. Also, no matter how bad a book gets, I just have to know what happens in the end. There has only been one book in my life that I completely stopped reading it and did not skim to finish.

mmd9987 · Post by **mmd9987** » 10 Feb 2016, 15:15

No not if I can not get into a book

TanyaShh · Post by **TanyaShh** » 11 Feb 2016, 19:25

Not at all! I am always doing several things at a time, so this is my dynamic life and don't want to regret about anything;) Moreover if I have dumped this book, this means that it wasnt interesting enough for me to finish it.

JenacideByBiblio · Post by **JenacideByBiblio** » 11 Feb 2016, 20:30

I feel absolutely horrible if I cannot finish a book, especially if it was a book sent to me to review. There have been a few times where I have accepted books because they fit right into my genre of reading, but then they turn out to be impossible to get through. Other times, an author has failed to mention that the story is in the "erotica" genre (which I CANNOT handle) and I have to go right back to them and inform them I cannot finish the book. I have a few books on my shelf that I have purchased on my own, and have not finished, that I hope to one day get to.