I’m late to the DFNing habit, but as I’ve gotten older, I realize I am not giving up my time for a book that isn’t right for me. Like many others, I give a book about 50ish pages. I have a good understanding of myself as a reader, so luckily it doesn’t happened too often. However, when I don’t connect with the book, I am “Thank you for your time. Next!”
That is exactly what I would have written. Especially being an older reader, there are too many books that I want to read that I am not going to waste my time on some thing that does not pull me in within the first 50 pages.
The main reason I'm comfortable DNFing is because my grandmother always said, "who knows how much time I have left? I don't want to spend it reading a book I'm not enjoying." That stuck with me.
This is my reading behavior as well. Too many other books out there I want to try! 50 pages or 1 hour (sometimes less) on audio is about when I make the decision. Usually I know within first 10 pages or 10 minutes but that seems too early to give up and unfair to the author. I know it's time to DNF when I don't care about the characters, the writing is unclear or confusing, there are too many plot holes, or there is illogical behavior or dialogue on the part of the characters. Bad writing with overwritten or choppy sentences is another turn off. I DNF'd a book once because the author felt the need to put a metaphor in just about every sentence. Ugh! My husband never DNFs and it drives me bananas to listen to him complain about a book until he drags himself through it. I try to tell him life is too short, but I suppose I should appreciate his loyalty! 😆
I 100% DNF books. In fact, I just cleared off my nightstand and there were at least 4, if not 5 books that I had DNFd. Sometimes I know within the first page or two, other times, it's further in. I've read several books to the 75% mark and then decided to put them down. That typically happens when I don't care about the characters. I MUST care about at least one of the characters!!! If I quit earlier in, it's almost always because of writing style or I am just plain bored.
I should also add that sometimes I start a book, but it's just not the right time for that particular book and I might pick it up years later to attempt it again. I have a few of those. Usually history books that are a bit more academic than I'd anticipated.
I've also had this experience. The first time I tried to read 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay' by Michael Chabon, it didn't take. When I revisited it a few years later, I fell in love with it. Definitely one of my all-time favorites now.
I do- I try to give books a few chapters. If I'm not feeling it, then I'll put it down. Sometimes, I know it's just not the right time. Other times, I know I will not pick it back up. That's when I DNF.
I read a lot, and when I notice I’m not picking up my current book very often and I’m trying to find other things to do instead of reading, I know it’s time to DNF that book and move on.
I do NOW...it has taken me a few years to get comfortable with DNFing. Usually I use the loose rule of reading 50 pages...if I'm not in by then its a DNF. OR...I learned about another category from Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy). I can NRN a book! Yes friends, a "Not Right Now" option is available to all! This has come in handy when I know the book is high literary fiction and my brain is just not able to handle that type of prose. I will put it in my NRN pile and come back to it at a later date. Happy DNFing and NRNing!
I love the idea of NRN. I had to walk away from Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian years ago because I just couldn't handle it. My husband has insisted that I should give it another chance, and maybe one day I will, but I remember at the time just having this overwhelming feeling of despair every time I picked it up.
Yes, and I keep a shelf for 'em on Goodreads / StoryGraph! Like most folk, I'm influenced by others' reading choices, and often, our interests / tastes just don't align. Sometimes I try harder, because of all the noise about a certain choice of book - call it FOMO, call it curiosity / trying to expand my horizons - and I'm willing to acknowledge when it's just not gonna work out for me.
I definitely DNF books. I read a lot of romance novels, so the ending is a given. It's the journey that makes the reading experience. So if it's simply not working for me, I'll skip to the end and read the last 3 chapters. If that makes me super curious as to how we got to where we are, then I'll go back and keep going. If it's simply an "oh, well," then I know how it ends, I know I'm not missing anything, and I can happily move on. If it's not a romance novel and I'm struggling to keep going, I'll read the last tidbit to see if I still like characters and to see what the ending is like. I know this is sacrilegious to some, but I don't mind spoilers. If it's an ending I can root for, I'll keep slogging along because I know the ending will be worth it. Otherwise, I'm on to the next story. There are too many books out there to spend too much time on a book that will leave me disappointed. I don't mind a mad-read, I just don't want to be disappointed.
HA! You wrote: "If it's not a romance novel and I'm struggling to keep going, I'll read the last tidbit to see if I still like characters and to see what the ending is like."
It reminds me of the scene in the car of 'When Harry Met Sally' when Harry says, 'When I buy a new book, I always read the last page first, that way in case I die before I finish, I know how it ends. That, my friend, is a dark side.'
I used to think I had to finish every book, but the older I get, the more I DNF. I'm more aware that time, no matter how long, is limited, but not the list of books that I want to read, a list that grows every time I look at a new book list. There is such an abundance of interesting books to read.
I do like the 25% guideline that others have mentioned because sometimes it takes a while to get into a book, whether fiction or non-fiction but I've also found that sometimes the best part of the book is the introduction and it goes downhill from there for me - so that's a DNF.
And sometimes I find that an author's use of language isn't a good match for my own understanding. The book may be great but I struggle to find the flow of thought and, as I said, my TBR list is long, so I've learned to let go of them.
Agreed...for some reason I grew up feeling I had to finish all the books I started. The older I'm getting the more I recognize there are so many books and it's a shame to waste time in a book that isn't a good fit. I have found myself going back my DNF list and giving them another try-- more and more I've found that timing really does impact whether a book is a good match.
When I 'stumble' over the words written, they become obstacles to enjoying the book; that's when I quit the book. There are so many books to read that I don't worry about quitting once in awhile!
When I was younger, I definitely gave other's opinions more credence than my own, and muscled through a lot of books that were "Important" (looking at you, Ahab's Wife). Since embracing DNF, I feel wonderfully free to skim (when in doubt), abandon, and ignore books and authors. The library is a vast garden of glorious stories!
Yes I do. I try to make it to 25% to see if something changes but in reality, if certain criteria exists, no need to continue!! For example, extremely poor writing!
I have become a little better in these last few years but I don't think I do it very well. I keep on thinking that there is a redeeming quality somewhere...😅
I am not loose with a DNF but one recently slipped through because I could not get on board with how the soon to be love interest was talking to the main character. Even 30 pages in, I could not imagine how anyone would forgive/forget so I chose not to imagine! There's a lid for every pot and sometimes something is just not for you.
I do DNF. Not often, because I'm pretty good at recognizing what book will be right for me. But if 20% in I'm not wanting to pick up the book, or I don't relate to any of the characters or care about them, and if I'm not reading it for a specific purpose (book club, readalong, subject I need to know more about), I log the book on my DNF/abandoned shelf and move on. If I think it was just "not the right time" for the book, I note where I abandoned it and what I was feeling so if I'm tempted again I can make an informed decision whether to try again.
I’m late to the DFNing habit, but as I’ve gotten older, I realize I am not giving up my time for a book that isn’t right for me. Like many others, I give a book about 50ish pages. I have a good understanding of myself as a reader, so luckily it doesn’t happened too often. However, when I don’t connect with the book, I am “Thank you for your time. Next!”
That is exactly what I would have written. Especially being an older reader, there are too many books that I want to read that I am not going to waste my time on some thing that does not pull me in within the first 50 pages.
The main reason I'm comfortable DNFing is because my grandmother always said, "who knows how much time I have left? I don't want to spend it reading a book I'm not enjoying." That stuck with me.
This is my reading behavior as well. Too many other books out there I want to try! 50 pages or 1 hour (sometimes less) on audio is about when I make the decision. Usually I know within first 10 pages or 10 minutes but that seems too early to give up and unfair to the author. I know it's time to DNF when I don't care about the characters, the writing is unclear or confusing, there are too many plot holes, or there is illogical behavior or dialogue on the part of the characters. Bad writing with overwritten or choppy sentences is another turn off. I DNF'd a book once because the author felt the need to put a metaphor in just about every sentence. Ugh! My husband never DNFs and it drives me bananas to listen to him complain about a book until he drags himself through it. I try to tell him life is too short, but I suppose I should appreciate his loyalty! 😆
I 100% DNF books. In fact, I just cleared off my nightstand and there were at least 4, if not 5 books that I had DNFd. Sometimes I know within the first page or two, other times, it's further in. I've read several books to the 75% mark and then decided to put them down. That typically happens when I don't care about the characters. I MUST care about at least one of the characters!!! If I quit earlier in, it's almost always because of writing style or I am just plain bored.
I should also add that sometimes I start a book, but it's just not the right time for that particular book and I might pick it up years later to attempt it again. I have a few of those. Usually history books that are a bit more academic than I'd anticipated.
I've also had this experience. The first time I tried to read 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay' by Michael Chabon, it didn't take. When I revisited it a few years later, I fell in love with it. Definitely one of my all-time favorites now.
I do- I try to give books a few chapters. If I'm not feeling it, then I'll put it down. Sometimes, I know it's just not the right time. Other times, I know I will not pick it back up. That's when I DNF.
I read a lot, and when I notice I’m not picking up my current book very often and I’m trying to find other things to do instead of reading, I know it’s time to DNF that book and move on.
I do NOW...it has taken me a few years to get comfortable with DNFing. Usually I use the loose rule of reading 50 pages...if I'm not in by then its a DNF. OR...I learned about another category from Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy). I can NRN a book! Yes friends, a "Not Right Now" option is available to all! This has come in handy when I know the book is high literary fiction and my brain is just not able to handle that type of prose. I will put it in my NRN pile and come back to it at a later date. Happy DNFing and NRNing!
I love the idea of NRN. I had to walk away from Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian years ago because I just couldn't handle it. My husband has insisted that I should give it another chance, and maybe one day I will, but I remember at the time just having this overwhelming feeling of despair every time I picked it up.
Yes, and I keep a shelf for 'em on Goodreads / StoryGraph! Like most folk, I'm influenced by others' reading choices, and often, our interests / tastes just don't align. Sometimes I try harder, because of all the noise about a certain choice of book - call it FOMO, call it curiosity / trying to expand my horizons - and I'm willing to acknowledge when it's just not gonna work out for me.
I definitely DNF books. I read a lot of romance novels, so the ending is a given. It's the journey that makes the reading experience. So if it's simply not working for me, I'll skip to the end and read the last 3 chapters. If that makes me super curious as to how we got to where we are, then I'll go back and keep going. If it's simply an "oh, well," then I know how it ends, I know I'm not missing anything, and I can happily move on. If it's not a romance novel and I'm struggling to keep going, I'll read the last tidbit to see if I still like characters and to see what the ending is like. I know this is sacrilegious to some, but I don't mind spoilers. If it's an ending I can root for, I'll keep slogging along because I know the ending will be worth it. Otherwise, I'm on to the next story. There are too many books out there to spend too much time on a book that will leave me disappointed. I don't mind a mad-read, I just don't want to be disappointed.
HA! You wrote: "If it's not a romance novel and I'm struggling to keep going, I'll read the last tidbit to see if I still like characters and to see what the ending is like."
It reminds me of the scene in the car of 'When Harry Met Sally' when Harry says, 'When I buy a new book, I always read the last page first, that way in case I die before I finish, I know how it ends. That, my friend, is a dark side.'
Love it!
I used to think I had to finish every book, but the older I get, the more I DNF. I'm more aware that time, no matter how long, is limited, but not the list of books that I want to read, a list that grows every time I look at a new book list. There is such an abundance of interesting books to read.
I do like the 25% guideline that others have mentioned because sometimes it takes a while to get into a book, whether fiction or non-fiction but I've also found that sometimes the best part of the book is the introduction and it goes downhill from there for me - so that's a DNF.
And sometimes I find that an author's use of language isn't a good match for my own understanding. The book may be great but I struggle to find the flow of thought and, as I said, my TBR list is long, so I've learned to let go of them.
I think we were taught as young people not to DNF. That was bad advice.
Agreed...for some reason I grew up feeling I had to finish all the books I started. The older I'm getting the more I recognize there are so many books and it's a shame to waste time in a book that isn't a good fit. I have found myself going back my DNF list and giving them another try-- more and more I've found that timing really does impact whether a book is a good match.
When I 'stumble' over the words written, they become obstacles to enjoying the book; that's when I quit the book. There are so many books to read that I don't worry about quitting once in awhile!
When I was younger, I definitely gave other's opinions more credence than my own, and muscled through a lot of books that were "Important" (looking at you, Ahab's Wife). Since embracing DNF, I feel wonderfully free to skim (when in doubt), abandon, and ignore books and authors. The library is a vast garden of glorious stories!
Yes I do. I try to make it to 25% to see if something changes but in reality, if certain criteria exists, no need to continue!! For example, extremely poor writing!
I have become a little better in these last few years but I don't think I do it very well. I keep on thinking that there is a redeeming quality somewhere...😅
Me too. I’m especially bad about audio. I have a long commute so I end up
Finishing books and can hardly tell you the plot.
I love reading, it’s how I enjoy to spend my free time. If I’m actively avoiding reading because of a book, then it’s time to DNF.
I am not loose with a DNF but one recently slipped through because I could not get on board with how the soon to be love interest was talking to the main character. Even 30 pages in, I could not imagine how anyone would forgive/forget so I chose not to imagine! There's a lid for every pot and sometimes something is just not for you.
I do DNF. Not often, because I'm pretty good at recognizing what book will be right for me. But if 20% in I'm not wanting to pick up the book, or I don't relate to any of the characters or care about them, and if I'm not reading it for a specific purpose (book club, readalong, subject I need to know more about), I log the book on my DNF/abandoned shelf and move on. If I think it was just "not the right time" for the book, I note where I abandoned it and what I was feeling so if I'm tempted again I can make an informed decision whether to try again.