I saw a poll on Goodreads last week that asked whether or not anyone puts down a book without finishing it, and if so, how long does it take? A later poll asked readers what drives them to put down a book.
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I’m a reader who has no problem putting down books that I am not enjoying. I truly do not see the point in going on if I am forcing myself to drag my eyes across the pages. Some readers are able to do this, and while I honestly see this as a form of torture, I do respect their choice. Because they can do what I surely cannot!
I usually put down books about one-third the way through. I’ve gone further for some, but not all. Usually one-third is the point where I know if I can take the story anymore or not.
My reasons for not finishing books vary. I once set aside The Tsarina’s Daughter by Carolly Erickson because I was so upset by all the historical inaccuracies in it. I know historical fiction novels take liberty with actual events and people, and I can tolerate some of that despite my inner history nerd coming out often. But with Erickson’s book, I felt there were so many inaccuracies that it was painful. The Russian Revolution is one of my favorite eras in history, and I’ve read a lot about Tsar Nicholas II and his family. What I was reading was nothing remotely similar to what I read in history books, so I became upset. It was too much for me.
I refused to finish Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder halfway through because of the sudden change in the storyline. It came out of left field for me and my mind was so boggled that I couldn’t finish. I also was beginning to get bored with the novel.
Other times, I was either bored with the story or couldn’t get attached to any of the characters. So once I read about one-third of those books, I knew I couldn’t go further, so down those books went.
I am still amazed by how some readers do complete books they are not enjoying. I guess the will to finish each book and see how it ends is the drive. If so, I give readers like that a lot of credit because they have more willpower and patience than me!
Am I right? If you are the kind of reader to finish each book you read despite not enjoying it, is it the will to see how it ends the drive for you? If I’m wrong, please tell me! And if you put aside books like I do, I’d like to know what drives you too.
Megan Cashman 
I am brutal as a reader. If a novel doesn’t hook me in the first few pages, I put it down and go on to the next one. It doesn’t mean I won’t go back to something I put down–I might be in the mood for it later.
I have too many books and not enough time to read. That’s why I don’t commit to reviewing books–if it’s not a five star read, I don’t finish it, and I won’t review something I didn’t finish,
I rarely go back to books that I set aside. Like you, it would have to be about mood. But often, when I put them down, they are down!
I’m in the same boat – I’ll put a book down somewhere between the 30% and 50% mark. Usually it’s because I’m not getting invested, or the writing style is pissing me off, but sometimes it’s because of inaccuracies that just frustrate me and I know I won’t be able to ignore. A month or two ago I put down a book that I liked quite a bit initially, but then the main character went to India, to a part of the country that I’ve been to, and there were so many problems with the setting (the people, the feeling, the description) that I couldn’t overcome the conflicting images and I gave it up. I’m still curious about what was going to happen, but unless it gets rewritten in a place I haven’t been, I probably won’t ever know.
Hi Liza!
For a couple of books I read that I did not like, I actually skipped to the last 10 pages to see how it ended. Even though I was curious about how the stories ended, I just couldn’t invest time and energy into reading the whole books.
Assuming I made it past the first 5 pages, I’ll usually get 1/3 of the way in before I realize the story is inert and then close it for good. If the story has no reason to keep going, neither do I.
Nothing bores me more than tangents that explain how something works mechanically. God, I hate that. If I want to learn about the crank shaft of a boat, I’ll get a book about boat engines.
Over doing it with description annoys me. If an author is describing a bedroom, I think it’s fine to know there’s a bed, a desk and a dresser. I don’t need to know if there’s a ceiling fan, how many fans it has, what design is on them, and when it was last dusted – unless that ceiling fan plays a huge role in the story, which is unlikely.
However, that doesn’t make me put down the book; I just skip those parts and go on to the action or dialogue that really make the story.