Why I DNF books! - Discuss & Wonder #5

Hello and welcome to another Discuss & Wonder post which is part of the 2017 Discussion Challenge hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight!

Today, I decided to share with you 
{DNF -> Did Not Finish}

Comment below telling me whether you DNF books you're not enjoying or try and push through them in order to reach the ending!
Let me begin by saying that, I hated putting a book down for good without actually finishing it. Which is, you could say, a more accurate definition for DNF. I somehow felt obliged to finish every single book I started, even if I wasn't really enjoying it. I pushed myself in order to reach the ending and that resulted in me becoming best friends with reading slumps for the past year and a half. Well, right before December which is actually when I stepped up on my reading game and found my lost reading self.

So, my No1 advice to you is this:
That's right! You really do not push yourself to finish a book you're either not enjoying or in the mood for. That's completely normal and those who tell you otherwise don't know what they're talking about and have no idea how the whole reading thing/experience works.

I also believe that, you don't have to finish a book in order to justify your opinion on it. I completely respect people who think that, if you haven't read a book until the very last page, you can't really express a completely justified opinion. Respecting someone's opinion doesn't always mean agreeing with it. And that's completely okay! Not everyone who'll read this post will agree with me either.

I disagree because, in my opinion, putting a book down because you aren't interested or invested enough in it, means that you weren't enjoying it in the first place. That leads to being honest in reviews and letting fellow readers know that, you couldn't get through the book and that resulted in you not finishing it. 

As I was saying, I never DNFed books in the past and on the rare occasions that I did, I felt really bad about my decision afterwards. Nowadays, I don't really care. If I start reading a book that I'm not in the mood for, I will put it down and pick it up again when I'm ready to read it.  
Yes, I really do. That's why I never request books, unless I'm 100% sure that I want to read them! 

When it comes to books I'm not enjoying whatsoever, because of various reasons, I DNF them. It might be the plot, the writing or the characters themselves. It doesn't really matter. I find it pointless to keep on reading a book I'm not fully invested in. I keep getting distracted by other things and stay away from books altogether. Definitely a recipe for disaster. And for reading slumps of course! 

That's why I never stick to TBRs. I have DNFed so many books this past year but, I don't feel bad or guilty about it. I might end up picking some of those up again and giving them a second chance or I might just end up finding them a better home. Except for the pretty covers of course! After all, we aren't only readers of books but collectors as well! I cannot part with a pretty edition, even if I know that I'll never end up reading it.

Last but not least, this is why I always do my research when it comes to what book I want to read next and I'd encourage you to do the same! If I'm in the mood for a book I'll know it as soon as I read the synopsis! I don't really care about hyped up books and I generally stay away from them. They're very tricky and make you want to read them even though you aren't actually interested, just because everyone else is. 

I'm not saying that, enjoying them is something impossible. Not at all! It has happened to me a lot and still does. I just prefer to pick them up following the same exact criteria I have with other, not so popular, books. That way, I'm not affected by everyone else. 

Always remember that, it's okay to dislike a book everyone else is loving and of course, fall in love with a book everyone else didn't really enjoy!Popular or not, it doesn't matter! And always remember to be honest about it! Not just with other people, but with yourself as well. Because, sometimes, we want to love a book so much that we end up convincing ourselves of it. When, in reality, if we clear our minds and read said book again, we'll realize that it wasn't that special after all. We might even find it problematic in a lot of ways! Yes, it has happened to me and I'm pretty sure that, it has happened to most readers!

I hope you found this post helpful and realized through it that, putting a book down because you aren't really enjoying it isn't a crime!

As I've said before, it's okay if you don't share the same opinions as the ones stated above. Make sure to leave your comments and your thoughts below, telling me whether you DNF books or prefer finishing them!




Comments

  1. Ah, DNFing. It is HARD for me. Even though logically, I absolutely agree with your points, I still have SUCH a hard time! I think it's a lot of things- first, I don't trust myself because I have almost DNFed books that I ended up liking. Then sometimes I just feel bad because it is a review book that I asked for. Like you, I have been MUCH picker with what I request lately, but sometimes those stinkers just sneak up on you hahha. And I think my real reason is sheer stubbornness? Like "I WILL finish you, you awful book", which again, is completely ridiculous, I know. One of these days, I am going to get comfortable with DNFing. I hope. Maybe. ;) Great post!!

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    1. I used to have such a hard time with DNFing books as well. I realized though that, the days - even weeks - it takes me to actually push through a book I'm not really into are kind of wasted. I could have spend them reading something else that, I would've definitely enjoyed. Nowadays, I only try to finish the review books that I get because it isn't really fair of me not to. Since I requested them and all that. I really hope you get over feeling uncomfortable with DNFing books. It has really helped me!

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  2. I'm horrible about DNFing. I just can't make myself do it, even though I know that I shouldn't waste time on books I'm not enjoying. I have gotten to the point where I can skim a bit if I'm really not into it, though.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. That exactly how I felt at the beginning but, I definitely have gotten used to it this past year. Mainly because of the small amount of books I managed to enjoy last year and the fact that I felt obligated to finish every single one of them, even if I weren't enjoying them.

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