That is the question.When you really can't get into a book, or you just really don't like it, do you power through, or do you DNF (Do Not Finish) the book?
There are arguments on both sides of this bookish issue. I'm here today to put in my two cents. Personally, I don't like to DNF books. I never really have. There are few books in my life that I have just stopped reading with plans to never pick it up again (Eragon - though I'm starting to think it might be time to try again?). There are books that I started and haven't finished because life got in the way and so I just gave up for now with the intention of getting to it eventually (sorry Girl with the Dragon Tattoo…). However, as I'm getting back into reading all the time, I'm trying to learn that DNFing books is okay. As I watch more of this conversation unfold, I'm realizing that sometimes you just really don't like a book, and why waste valuable reading time trying to finish something you don't like?? Recently, I DNFed Fahrenheit 451. I wanted to read a more classic novel, and it was one I'd heard mentioned a lot. So I decided to try it. The concept seemed very intriguing. But I couldn't get into it. I kept waiting for it to pick up, and instead it stayed pretty stagnant. There were parts I just wasn't understanding well, and it was so random at times, so I just gave up. I got probably 50-60% of the way through it, and I just decided it was time to move on. I want to finish these books. I'm a major advocate for reading things in the opposite opinion of yourself and things that really make you think in ways you don't normally consider. I think that helps me to grow as a person and understand different perspectives much more easily. So yes, I think that just DNFing a book just because you don't like the point of view or the direction it is going maybe isn't the best idea. Though I think you and I can learn from these books, I'm also learning that sometimes I just need to DNF a book. With books like Eragon and Fahrenheit 451, I got into a really bad funk. I would avoid reading because I had no interest in learning what was next in the book. There was no curiosity pushing me forward, pushing me to dive into the book's world and travel alongside the characters. When I try to push through with books like this, I end up making my reading come to a SCREECHING HALT. I will go weeks without reading anything because I just avoid it at all costs. These are the books that I need to learn to DNF (and preferably before my reading rhythm is ruined). Normally, it depends on where I am in the book as to whether I push through to the end or I put it down. For example, both with Milk and Honey and She's Come Undone, I got about 75% of the way through before it was too much for me and I wanted to DNF them. But, by that time, I kind of had this hope that it would get better. Plus, I was close enough to the end that I just wanted to keep going until it was over. A lot of times, when I'm close to the end, I'll just binge read until it's over so I can move on to the next one. The books I truly DNF are the ones that I only get the first few chapters into or just at the halfway point and I can tell that I'm no longer interested and have no hope for them to get better. So what are your thoughts? Which side of the fence do you fall on in the great DNF debate? Let me know in the comments below!!
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AuthorJust sharing my passion of reading through my passion of writing. Archives
May 2020
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