Are you compelled to finish a book?

[sam chatouille]

Hi everyone!

I'll try to explain myself clearly (as french is my first language and my english is not very good!)

I also love reading (when the book is good!) and since there are so many books I would like to get through, I do not finish a book that doesn't keep my interest.

I wanted to share with you the "reader's bill of rights" by a french author, Daniel Pennac in is book "Comme un roman" (I think it was translated by "Better Than Life").

1. The right not to read.
2. The right to skip pages.
3. The right to not finish.
4. The right to reread.
5. The right to read anything.
6.The right to escapism.
7.The right to read anywhere.
8. The right to browse.
9. The right to read out loud.
10. The right to not defend your tastes.

I read the book a long time ago, but if my memory is right, Pennac wanted to know how could a child who entered school with the anticipation of reading could leave it hating reading. He thinks that by following those "rules" people will learn to love reading! So what do you think of them?

[Dinahann]

Sam, to the FoRT. Lovely! I agree with the rules.

I do finish what I've started unless the book is utter crap. I don't know, I guess I feel that if the author has gone to the trouble to write a book I should try to finish it to see what he had to say. Obviously there are some people that write as a craft and some that write for money - there's nothing more frustrating that finishing a book and thinking "What was THAT about?" I do feel I'm getting too old to waste my time, though, so I'm getting a little more selective about what I pick up.

[just1paul]

If a book is holding my attention, I'll read it straight through in one sitting if uninterrupted. Rarely will I have more than 2 books going at one time. If a book begins to bore me I start flipping around then I put it away.

[pikachu]

I try to finish every book I start, and I've finished some real losers, but I have on occassion given up on really bad books.

I often have more than one book going because I like to keep a book in the living room to read while watching tv and perhaps one in the bedroom. I also like to have one book going that I can read in small increments, like an Archie comic book or a book with many short chapters, for when I come home at lunch and only have a few minutes to read, and another more involved book that I can read when I have more time in the evening.

[BlondieGirl]

I dont feel compelled to finish a book if it bores me. Once I actually throw out a book in the garbage because I couldnt stand it.

[CCL]

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share with you the "reader's bill of rights" by a french author, Daniel Pennac in is book "Comme un roman" (I think it was translated by "Better Than Life").

1. The right not to read.
2. The right to skip pages.
3. The right to not finish.
4. The right to reread.
5. The right to read anything.
6.The right to escapism.
7.The right to read anywhere.
8. The right to browse.
9. The right to read out loud.
10. The right to not defend your tastes.

I read the book a long time ago, but if my memory is right, Pennac wanted to know how could a child who entered school with the anticipation of reading could leave it hating reading. He thinks that by following those "rules" people will learn to love reading! So what do you think of them?

Great list, Sam!

I used to feel compelled to finish a book (particularly if it was a "classic" or well-reviewed) but now I don't. Life is too short and there are a lot of books out there.

What was the book you threw out Blondie?

[BlondieGirl]

You know, CCL, I cant remember. You would think I would BUT thats not the first book I threw out in disgust. :rolleyes When and if it comes to me, I will let you know. Would have liked your opinion on it!

[Verg]

I can't really bring myself to read 2+ books at the same time. There's always that one book that I'd rather read more of/actually like that stops me from continuing the other one. But I'm usually a "one-sitting" kind of reader so that's probably the problem.

About finishing every book, although I usually am compelled, if a book isn't really for me- I at least skim through it to see what sort of things I'm missing out on.. etc. But usually, if a book is just god awful I just stop. Period.

There's only one book that I would have rather not finished or skimmed at all, but had to (a school thing). This was Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. Gah. I felt pure freedom when I was done with it.

[UHID]

I always feel the need to finish a book once I start it. I think it's mostly because I don't really feel that you can truly say that a book isn't good until you have read to the finish. You might have a good idea that it's not going to get better, but it still could. On the flip side, I have read books that I was really enjoying, until the ending absolutely murdered it. So it's pretty rare for me to start a book, and then give up entirely.
However, if it really isn't holding my interest, I will often put it down for a while, start something else, and then finish it later. So in that way, I usually have a couple of books going at once.

I'm also a book binger, like Feifer said. I'll often read 4 or five books in a week. Then I'll plod through another book, and it will take a month. I probably just tire myself out....and spend a lot of time on the couch watching tv, instead of reading!