If you're not loving a first, even second, chapter of a book, do you give up on it?
I'm thinking about this because yesterday I started Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. Now, I'm NOT the kind of person who gives up on books. I can think of maybe five instances IN MY LIFE when I've done this, three recently. Four out of the five of those times I decided not to read the book because I didn't care for the subject matter. The fifth, I took a chance, bought a book, and just couldn't get into it.
Most of the time though, even if I'm not gung-ho about a book, or even if I'm like, ah, I should read because I gotta finish this book already so I can get to something really great, I still finish. There's a book I read recently that, well actually it started great but I fast grew sick of the author's style. I seriously wanted to chuck that book across the room. But I didn't, I finished it, because I was interested enough to know how the story ended. Another read took me almost halfway in to really understand what was going on and get into it. It turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read.
So yesterday I started Ruby Red and wasn't blown away by the first chapter. I set it down and did other things. During the day when I thought, I could read right now, I just didn't. I wasn't anxious or eager to pick up the book again. When I finally picked it up last night for my usual before-bed reading time, I read. And I read. And I read. By the end of the second chapter I was into it. I didn't want to put it down.
It just got me thinking that if I was the kind of person who gives up on books because the first chapter isn't automatically enticing, look what I would have missed out on! Just the thought of starting and not finishing a book is almost foreign to me. It's VERY difficult for me to do.
So I'm really wondering if I'm a minority, or if people really do axe a book if it hasn't won them over almost right away.
Do you?
I usually stick with it, but it's sometimes really hard to feel excited about picking it up again. I think some books take a while to get going (which is weird because you wonder how it got picked up by an agent then) and I'm always worried I'll miss out on something special. I hear JELLICOE ROAD is like that for the first 100 pages or so, but that it's a fantastic book if you can get past that point. I haven't tested that theory yet, though.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize my comment hadn't gone up yet b/c of the "confirm you're a human" thing so I didn't see this when I wrote mine, but YES, this is exactly JELLICOE ROAD.
DeleteIt´s funny because I got into JELLICOE ROAD right away (I must be weird, lol) :D
Deleteit's hard for me to give up on a book as well. It takes a lot for me to give up. sometimes I'll skim a book to get to the good part (if there is any).
ReplyDelete"Another read took me almost halfway in to really understand what was going on and get into it. It turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read."
ReplyDeleteWas this Jellicoe Road? Because I swear this was my exact experience with Jellicoe Road, and I gather it was a lot of other people's too.
I never give up that early into a book, and I can literally only think of one YA book I've given up on in the middle. (I was really disappointed to do that, though, because it was my first of a prolific author's and I was hoping to fall in love so I'd want all her books.) Truth be told, Jellicoe Road would've been the second if I hadn't heard *such* great things about it.
I never give a book less than 50 pages, unless I'm making the decision whether to buy it. But it sure does teach the importance of good editing!
I usually read a few chapters, but if the book is still not getting my attention, I will put it back on the shelf. The book should be able to hook me before five chapters. If it is still talking about back story or is very slow, I will put it down and find another book! I don't feel bad about it unless it is a good that someone suggested I read. I might feel obligated to finish it then. If not, I'll be done. :)
ReplyDeleteGenerally I will read a book one-third through without giving up. Unless it is absolutely painful to read. I have a powerful need to know what happens so I usually end up finishing books.
ReplyDeleteI tend to put a lot of books down partway through if they don't hook me right away. Most of the time I come back to them, but it could be years later. My bookshelf is full of books with little scraps of paper or gum wrappers marking the page at wherever I left off.
ReplyDeleteI don't like giving up and usually I'm halfway through by the time I finally admit it's not working for me. But then I like to go online and find out how it ended just to get some closure! I don't think I've ever missed out on anything spectacular by giving up so I'm good with it every once in a while.
ReplyDeleteI generally don't give up on a book. My theory is, if an agent and a publisher have found something worth investing time and money in here, then there must be something I can at least learn from. Granted, sometimes there really isn't anything because the agent/publisher picked the book up for reasons other than the quality of writing (perhaps the case with 50 SHADES OF GREY? I don't want to judge, I've not read the book). But most of the time, if I don't enjoy the story or the writing, I want to find out what I'm not liking to make me a better writer, so I'll see it through to the end.
ReplyDeleteSaying that, I haven't had that problem lately. I think all of the books I've read over the past 4 or 5 months have been books I've either really wanted to read anyway, or ones that have been recommended by writer blog friends (like you!). And they've all been great reads. :)
I'm like you. Unless there's absolutely nothing interesting about the book (which has happened a few times) I stick it out. There's only one book I've given up on in recent memory, a book with an overdone plot and shallow characters and boring writing. I got a quarter of the way through before I couldn't take it. I figured if there was something redeeming about it, it was taking too long to show up.
ReplyDeleteI never ever used to not finish books but in the last year or so I have stopped some and started others. But I still go back and finish them at some point, I don't like leaving books half-read!
ReplyDeleteI didn't use to give up on books, now I do it a lot more. Usually it'll take a chapter or two. If it's a short book, I'm more likely to continue. Recently I got a few chapters into an almost 500 page book. If it'd been 250, I would've continued because so many people seem to like it, but not for 500.
ReplyDeleteI usually don´t give up on books. Even the one book I put aside a few months back will be piked up again at some point. I am trying to think if there is ever one book I never finished, and I can´t remember. There are books that took me forever to read though because they simply didn´t grasp my attention right away.
ReplyDeleteOh and that book I put aside for awhile, I ended up writing a letter on my blog to it (Dear Book it´s not you, it´s me) because I felt so guilty lol :D
It's interesting to hear most of you don't give up a book or if you do, you plan on going back to it sometime. It renews my faith in readers a little bit, I gotta say.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes Dahlia, that was exactly Jellicoe Road. I only stuck it out cuz Goodreads told me to. And it was worth it. Otherwise I would have given up.
(I didn't realize my blog has that "prove you're not a robot" thing on it. Gonna get rid of that ASAP!)
I usually give a book the 50-page test. Sometimes I stick it out in the hopes it will get better. And sometimes, rarely, I know after the first chapter (or first page!) that a book and I aren't going to get along. But those are generally ones that have two swear words per sentence or a graphic sex scene, or both, at the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you stuck with Ruby Red! I agree, the first chapter wasn't the most engaging, but by the time I finished it, I had completely forgotten that! I, too, had trouble getting into Jellicoe Road but was satisfied at the end.
ReplyDeleteUp until about two years ago, I could say that I ALWAYS finished a book that I'd started. I felt like I needed to follow through on a commitment I'd made to the hard work of the author. But when I started to read more and more YA books, I finally got over that need. The first time it happened, I experienced a huge amount of guilt, but it doesn't bother me anymore. If a book doesn't grab me after the first few chapters, I'm okay with setting it aside. I do have one exception, though - if I've purchased the book, I'm more compelled to finish it. If it's from the library, no big whoop.
Great question! Are you excited for Sapphire Blue?
p.s. congrats! you hit 200! :)