<p>Well said, MomLive.</p>
<p>I think you are on to something. It may be exactly that - where the reader is, when they first encounter a book.</p>
<p>To MomLive’s point, have you ever just picked out something, more or less at random, and found that it spoke to something your life involved at that time? </p>
<p>For example, a couple of years ago, DS had to read *The Farming of Bones<a href=“great%20read,%20btw”>/I</a> for World Lit. I read pretty much everything on his reading list that year. It so happened that I was pursuing a genealogy of my father’s family at the time, and I remembered that some of my ancestors had lived in the Dominican Republic (where the story takes place). So I looked them up and sure enough they were French slave owners who were basically driven out in the 1790’s. So I was able to give DS some insight and connection to the fact that our ancestors literally helped set the stage for the events in 1937 which the story centers around.</p>
<p>The problem with reading/not reading a book like The Tin Drum is that you feel obliged to finish it because of its masterpiece stature, but then you don’t allow yourself to pick up something else. At least this is my problem. I like abasket’s idea of just “temporarily” putting it down while you go on to other things. </p>
<p>I must be more impatient than most because I generally give books 30 pages, but this applies only to recent novels. The classics I will generally stick with because I know they will reward my efforts (this was true of Proust, for example – an excellent bedtime book. No insomnia during that read!)</p>
<p>I used to feel like that. Especially when reading classics or something well written. I stopped forcing myself to continue reading something that becomes a chore last summer. There are just too many books out there I would enjoy to force myself to spend time doing I don’t.</p>
<p>Just found this thread and have to put a plug in for Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway. I actually have a two chapter rule, but it took a little longer before this book grabbed me and sucked me in. When I went back to read the customer reviews on Amazon, I found that many people said the same thing. It is a fun, fun novel with an interesting surprise ending!</p>
<p>Some books won’t let you drop them:</p>
<p>I had tried and failed to finish Dicken’s Bleak House several times over the last 20 years. In July I was on an international trip with my children and was stuck in a village waiting for a plane for 3 days. There was a tiny shelf of books. The only one written in English was, yes, Bleak House. Finally got it!</p>
<p>I have read the first 100 pages of War and Peace, twice. I can’t get past it. I now have 3 books “going” at the same time (I’ve started them; haven’t finished): Snow by Orhan Pahmut, Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby, and a collection of short stories by William Trevor. Short story collections are good – better suited to my mushy middle-aged brain that can’t remember where I put my cup of coffee – especially like Jhumpa Lahiri and Amy Bloom.</p>
<p>I’ve decided that as long as I have a stack of New Yorkers that I am behind on (which is always, unless I’ve just returned from the beach) I need a pretty compelling reason to finish a book that I am not enjoying.</p>
<p>3 Chapters, 3 chapters is all its got to grab me. If it doesnt then its back to the library, back to the shelf, or onward to someone else. In the last few years I realized life’s too short and gave myself permission to can a book if I dont like it or it doesnt interest me.</p>
<p>I like the kindle for this reason. If I find I am not into the book, I just send it off to archive, but I know I can try again later. But I don’t waste time anymore on books that are just badly written. It is amazing to me what gets published these days.</p>
<p>It is hard for me to not finish a book, but I think I may be getting closer. What stops me is The Poisonwood Bible. Half way through I wondered why I was wasting my time and then BANG I got totally into it - I loved it!</p>
<p>One of my fav books is Snow Flower and the Fan but the last 2 Lisa See books I read left me more than diappointed. The last one I about threw at the wall when I realized I was at the end. I don’t think I’ll ever read another book by her again.</p>
<p>I do not have/make a lot of time for reading and I tend to neglect all around me when I do, so I do not want to waste precious time. I’m going to apply the 100 page rule from now on - thanks!</p>