If you're anything like me (and most readers out there) you like to finish every book you start. You started it for a reason right? It might get better by the end right? But, the truth is, although I used to force myself to the bitter end of a book, I haven't for a while. And I've found out, I'm not the only one who chooses to do this. Too many books, too little time.
But today, I started thinking about why there are some books out there that I can't finish. What is it about them? I remember one book, a very popular book that has millions of fans all over the world, that I could not finish. And I was so disappointed because I was so into the book for about seventy percent of it.
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| Picture not my own work |
And then it felt like it was over, and yet I still had a whole bunch left to read. Very weird. I pushed myself to eighty percent then threw up my hands and put it on that DNF shelf. Why?
It wasn't that I'd lost interest, though that was part of it. It was that I wasn't feeling it anyway. It stopped being meaningful to me. And that's the ugly truth. I was no longer invested in the story or the characters. In fact, they started to feel ridiculous to me.
The ugly truth is, while this book resonated with millions of people, it didn't resonate with me. And if that's the case folks, well, then it's time to shelve that book. It's an ugly fact, but there it is. And to me, it's far better not to read that book then to read it and feel nothing. Or worse, to be so frustrated by it that I'm tempted to go around telling the world how awful the book is, and how stupid a, b, c and were about it. I believe it's simply better to put that book on the shelf and move on. Read something else. Because those books on the Did Not Finish shelf still contain a story. And it's possible that one day, they will resonate with me. And on that day, they will be meaningful because something in me will have lit up so that I can see the greatness that is that book.
As always everyone, please feel free to share thoughts in the comments section.
Happy Reading
Jewels
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