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Thread: Do you feel compelled to finish a bad book you've read a chunk of?

  1. #1
    Total Sweetheart
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    Default Do you feel compelled to finish a bad book you've read a chunk of?

    If you find yourself disliking a book, but you've read through a ton of it, would you want the "satisfaction" of going to the last page and adding it to the finished section of your Goodreads?

    Or are you okay with just letting it go and finding something else to read?

    If you're doing research on something, it's understandable to just pick and choose, hop around and find certain sections of certain books to read. But if you're reading for leisure, there really isn't a reason to keep going if you don't like it. But I know some people who just can't flip that switch. They have to see it through.

  2. #2
    Recognized Member Scotty_ffgamer's Avatar
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    Scotty Ffgamer (Sargatanas)
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    I usually just read stuff I know I’ll like, and that pretty much hasn’t disappointed me. I didn’t care for the first book in A Series of Unfortunate Events, but I finished it because it was short and that was the first time I found that I can’t just stop a book after I’ve started. I never continued the series, but a part of me wants to try again because I have this nagging feeling for not finishing it.

    Another series that I really didn’t like was The Engineer Trilogy by KJ Parker. I loved the set up when I first read the book, but I just hated the characters the more I read. Everything was just interesting enough that I read through it all because I really wanted to see how it ended. The ending was disappointing.

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    WarZidane's Avatar
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    Cattleya Paphia (Sargatanas)

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    Nah, if I really don't like a book I'll just drop it.

    There's been one exception to this, which was the 4th book in the Malazan series. That's because I loved the first three books, but then the fourth book felt like such a slog in the first half (and it was rather different from the first three books as well), but I had faith it'd go back to the Malazan I love.

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    Memento Mori Site Contributor Wolf Kanno's Avatar
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    Yes, sort of. I've had a few times going through short story collections where I'd get stuck on a particular entry but still push through it.

  5. #5

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    No, I'll almost always drop it.

    The only time I wouldn't would be if I know that the book improves later, which is uncommon because I usually try know as little as possible going in to the book.

    Or, if someone convinces me to press on, etc.

    The only exception I can really think of that wasn't a textbook for school would be Harry Potter. I stopped wanting to read them when I realised how poorly written they are, around book 5 I think. But, I kinda sorta wanted to know what happened so I kept at them for a bit longer.

  6. #6
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    If I'm not feeling something I'll probably push through with it until the end of my reading session (I usually read while commuting/traveling) but once it's been put down I'm unlikely to pick it up again.


  7. #7

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    I don't even feel compelled to finish books I've liked. Of all the manuscripts I've flipped through, I've finished about half. Sometimes I distracted and forget to come back. Other times, I just lose interest.
    Jack: How do you know?

    Will: It's more of a feeling really.

    Jack: Well, that's not scientific. Feeling isn't knowing. Feeling is believing. If you believe it, you can't know because there's no knowing what you believe. Then again, no one should believe what they know either. Once you know anything that anything becomes unbelievable if only by virtue of the fact you now... know it. You know?

    Will: No.

    If Demolition Man were remade today

    Huxley: What's wrong? You broke contact.
    Spartan: Contact? I didn't even touch you.
    Huxley: Don't you want to make love?
    Spartan: Is that what you call this? Why don't we just do it the old-fashioned way?
    Huxley: NO!
    Spartan: Whoa! Okay, calm down.
    Huxley: Don't tell me to calm down!
    Spartan: What's gotten into you? 'Cause it sure as hell wasn't me.
    Huxley: Physical relations in the way of intercourse are no longer acceptable John Spartan.
    Spartan: What? Why the hell not?
    Huxley: It's the law, John. And for your information, the very idea that you suggested it makes me feel personally violated.
    Spartan: Wait a minute... violated? Huxley what the hell are you accusing me of here?
    Huxley: You need to leave, John.
    Spartan: But Huxley.
    Huxley: Get out!
    Moments later Spartan is arrested for "violating" Huxley.

    By the way, that's called satire. Get over it.

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