Reading in Public No. 13

How I decide to DNF a book

Earlier this month, I shared why I enjoy reading books I don’t love. I almost always press through a book, because I find so much value in reading outside my typical taste, genre, preferences, and comfort zone. But, as I shared then, I’m still a proponent of the DNF (did not finish). Life is short and there are so many books to read! So while I don’t frequently DNF, today I’m sharing some of the reasons I might put a book aside, because I get asked this question a lot!

Reasons I might DNF a book:

1. The number one reason I stop reading is if my reading is getting bogged down by it. If I’m not reading at all because I don’t want to pick up my current read, I put it aside. Momentum is really important in my reading life. While I’m fine with taking a break from reading and feel comfortable just riding out a reading slump, I don’t like to get stuck behind a book. This was the reason I DNF’d The Luminaries (ahem…twice) before finally starting again, finishing it, and adoring it this year!

2. If I’m not in the right mood for a book and I can tell that while I’m reading (which isn’t always the case), I’ll stop. I want to be a generous reader and reviewer, so if something’s not working for me because of my own headspace, I put it down. I did this earlier this year with Lone Women, and now I’m feeling a craving to pick it back up again.

3. I’m often reading for a work project like finding contemporary pairings for a Novel Pairings episode or selecting books for the PSRG. If I’m reading for a specific purpose and the book I’m in the middle of doesn’t fit, I might stop reading until I have time to come back for it and enjoy it for what it is. A few times I’ve found myself being critical of a book because it wasn’t what I was looking for, and that doesn’t feel fair. I’m so glad I stopped reading Nobody is Ever Missing when I knew it wouldn’t work for the PSRG, because when I returned to it later, I really enjoyed it!

4. A harsh tone is often something I struggle to get past as a reader. This one is difficult to articulate because I’m not necessarily sure what makes a book feel harsh to me, but I know it when I see it. I can deal with books that are violent, dark, devastating, blunt, or snarky—but abrasive writing rarely works for me. Unless I can easily articulate a reason for creating that harsh and abrasive feeling in a reader, I might put down a book that over relies on this tactic. I have seen rave reviews about House of Cotton and I think it will probably work for many readers, but, to me, it was too harsh to continue on.

5. Finally, I strongly dislike feeling manipulated as a reader. I really don’t enjoy feeling like an author is withholding information to keep me turning the pages and not giving me another reason to keep going. If I only care about finding out what happened and not how the author gets us there in terms of writing, structure, or character development, I implement the “skim to finish” (STF anyone?). I’ve read many a thriller with this method…

How often do you DNF books? What makes you put a book down and when do you push through?

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-Sara