Suggested by JM:
‘Life is too short to read bad books.’ I’d always heard that, but I still read books through until the end no matter how bad they were because I had this sense of obligation.
That is, until this week when I tried (really tried) to read a book that is utterly boring and unrealistic. I had to stop reading.
Do you read everything all the way through or do you feel life really is too short to read bad books?
Like JM I used to read books to the end even if I didn’t like them, but I soon decided that life really is too short to read a book I wasn’t enjoying. It’s easy with library books – I take out books that look interesting and quite often return them unread. If it’s a book that I’ve bought I’m more reluctant to give up on it and will return to it at a later date. Sometimes it’s the wrong time to read a book, or I’m not in the right frame of mind. But if it is truly boring me I stop reading.
BooksPlease 
I did the same! I often borrow books from library that ended up unread…but that’s the good thing about library 🙂
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I still read almost all books I start properly right through to the end. If they’re not engaging I tend to resort to skimming rather than leaving them unread. I can’t think of the last book I started and didn’t finish.
However, there are loads of books I’ve acquired, not read and decided that I’m never going to read – these get disposed of one way or another.
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I do the same thing…library books I’m willing to stop reading if I don’t like it. With books I spent money on, I read to the end. However, if I’m not liking one, I will put it aside and try again at another time. I’m a moody reader and maybe it just wasn’t the right time to read it.
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I agree about bought books–if I spent money on it, I want my money’s worth.
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Since many of the books I read come from the library, it is easier to put it down and grab another one.
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Very nice answer. Here is mine: http://thecrowdedleaf.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/booking-through-thursday-november-12-2009.
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It’s been ages since I left a book unfinished — I tend to want to give them as much of a chance as possible. But if I felt it was truly “bad” or a waste of time, I’d lay it aside. I do agree that sometimes it is not the right time for certain books and I might get more out of them another time.
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I wholeheartedly agree with you. Life is too short to keep reading a bad book. I either put it back on the TBR pile (if I suspect my mood is to blame), or abandon it and never look back!
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This was the reason I started borrowing and going to the library, not having guilt or feeling like I wasted money. The 2 I put down this year I bought, ugggh.
My response.
http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2009/11/booking-through-thursday-to-short.html#comments
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With age comes impatience, I think. When I was younger, I wouldn’t have dreamed of not finishing a book. Now, I’m much more ruthless. If the writing is bad or offensive, I’ll fling it (metaphorically, of course) across the room. If I lose interest, it will die of neglect and be replaced on my reading table by something worthier. 🙂
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