Ah, the first day of spring. It got here at last. And not far behind it must be some of those wonderful days of summer beach (or hammock or wherever you relax) reads. Right? And there are so many great books to choose from. My bookshelves and my ereader overflow with options. I’ll bet the same can be said for most of you.
This morning, I gave up on a novel that I’d anticipated getting to read for months and months. I was so sad, too. I loved this best-selling author’s last two books. I gave the newest one (released around a year ago) a fair shake to capture me, but it just never happened. I found the storyline sometimes confusing but most of the time boring. Worse, it was shaping up to be a depressing read that would never allow me to feel good or have hope. (The author doesn’t write Christian fiction.)
It has always been difficult for me to set a book aside, unfinished. Once started, I really like to find out what happens, to see where the characters went on their journey. But time is a precious commodity. Never enough of it. Especially not of discretionary reading time. And I have learned to let go when I am not engaged, even when a book has thousands of 5 star reviews. No point in spending weeks with some characters whom I really don’t care about.
So here is my question (at the risk of having someone tell me they gave up on one of mine): Do you finish every book you start? And if the answer is no, what are the most common reasons you give up?
~robin
