What do you do if a book isn't interesting?

Amheiser · Post by **Amheiser** » 12 Dec 2013, 10:06

Ant wrote:I'll give it a fair crack of the whip, but if it isn't doing it for me then I am quite comfortable in casting aside and moving on, life is too short to waste on stuff that you don't like. If you don't like it......bin it, thats my motto, but I know there are types that will see books through.......no problem, each to there own, I haven't the time

I agree. If a book isn't interesting to me, I don't have a problem with quitting. Some books just start out slow though so I like to give them a good chance before I give up on them.

stephaniejean · Post by **stephaniejean** » 14 Dec 2013, 23:09

I learned a little trick from one of my teachers a while back.. Well.. I don't know if it's a trick, but it seems to work pretty well for me

If I'm not into really into a book, I always make myself read to page 50. Often times, people stop reading because the introduction of the book doesn't hook them. However, if you give the book more of a chance, sometimes you find that it's actually really good! If I get past page 50 and I still don't like it, I'll stop reading and choose a different one. I actually just read a book, The Perfect Ghost by Linda Barnes, that I almost quit because I just wasn't interested. It ended up being a really good one though, and I'm glad I stuck with it!

Nathrad Sheare · Post by **Nathrad Sheare** » 15 Dec 2013, 02:39

If a book isn't interesting to me in the beginning, I skip to the middle or to the end to see if I can find something worth building up to over ninety or a hundred fifty pages. If not, well...

smaudy44 · Post by **smaudy44** » 15 Dec 2013, 17:23

If a book isn't interesting, I skip to the last few pages and read the ending. If the ending comes as a surprise to me, then I will finish the rest of the book. If not, I will set it aside and never look at it again.

TrishaAnn92 · Post by **TrishaAnn92** » 15 Dec 2013, 19:02

I really try to push through the book even if it is boring, I really don't like to not finish a book, but if it's to the point that I am getting a headache after a while I will guiltily stop reading it. It's rare but it does happen.

Jessicer · Post by **Jessicer** » 15 Dec 2013, 19:56

I'll try to read the book, but as much as I loved Jane Eyre the description was too much for the story and I have to admit although I appreciate the amount of brilliant effort put into it, I did skip some of the description. I was reading a book the other week, and it just had no appeal to me. I've tried and tried but it just didn't interest me. I eventually left it half read under my bed somewhere.

ViperStudent6 · Post by **ViperStudent6** » 15 Dec 2013, 21:22

If a book is uninteresting to me, I will continue reading to the end. The whole time a will be thinking that at some point in the book something will happen, and it usually does.

Nathrad Sheare · Post by **Nathrad Sheare** » 16 Dec 2013, 18:29

I have to admit, I tried, really tried to read "Les Miserables," but it just wasn't interesting enough for me to finish, so it's sitting, still is sitting by the best on my chest of drawers.

I know, it's probably sacrilegious, but I loved the movie and the musical.

Oh, and I did love "Jane Eyre," even if some of the description WAS indeed, a little too extensive here and there. A brilliantly written book. I always say it this way: "Charlotte Bronte was the genius at writing, and her sister, Emily, the genius at storytelling." Yes, I though "Wuthering Heights" was AMAZING!

cabined · Post by **cabined** » 16 Dec 2013, 18:38

Usually I give a book until at least the 2nd chapter, but don't have qualms about trading it in if I really can't seem to find interest in it. Wait for some sort of action or thrill and if there's none of that, cast it aside.

FFGIRL12 · Post by **FFGIRL12** » 18 Dec 2013, 13:23

I try my best to read at least a couple chapters to see if the book becomes interesting. If it doesn't by the 3rd or 4th chapter, I have to just put it down. I don't want to waste time reading a book that bores me when I could be reading a good one.

latesummer · Post by **latesummer** » 18 Dec 2013, 21:19

I sometimes try to push through even if the book really isn't appealing to my tastes. However, more times than not, I cast it aside and pick up another. Sometimes I'll return the book I put down because I'm all for second chances. There's always the possibility that I was just looking forward to reading another book or another type of book at the time.

Madcap Syzygii · Post by **Madcap Syzygii** » 19 Dec 2013, 06:26

PUSH A LITTLE HARDER! COME ON YOU CAN DO IT! YOU CAN DO IT! COME ON!!! HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO FINISH THIS SENTENCE!! *A few minutes later* PHEW! I DID IT!! Now...how do I get through the next 200 pages, 30 chapters, and the next sentence??

I honest to goodness TRY to finish, but I have to say that it is the hardest thing I can do. I just like finishing the things I start, so even when I don't like it, I force myself to finish it. I use the word 'force' here...

mimf47 · Post by **mimf47** » 19 Dec 2013, 16:43

When I finished school and no longer had a "required" reading list, I became very careful of the books I chose to read, so I have rarely found a book that wasn't interesting. I have been disappointed only rarely, and a book by Heather Lowell took first place in the disappointment category. I expected better from an author whose last name was Lowell. It was when I discovered she is Elizabeth Lowell's (Ann Maxwell's) daughter that she took first place. I read that Elizabeth Lowell gave her rave reviews, and I had to keep reminding myself that she was Elizabeth's daughter, to keep from being disappointed in Elizabeth. Heather is a newer author, and might improve with practice, particularly if Mom can take the blinders off.

ConnectiveStardust · Post by **ConnectiveStardust** » 25 Jan 2014, 22:35

I have a 100 page rule. It grabs me in that amount of time or it gets the boot.

dianaan · Post by **dianaan** » 26 Jan 2014, 06:31

Toss it away. There's too many books in this world to spend my time reading crap. I give it a shot though, let's say 100 pages if I'm in a good mood. If after 100 pages it's really not appealing to me, it's bye bye.