c/books-we-quit

Some guy at the library told me I was reading books wrong, so I quit the book I was holding

I was at the public library last Tuesday reading chapter 3 of a 500 page sci-fi novel when this older dude walks up and goes 'you know, if you're not feeling it by page 50, you're WASTING your life'. I stared at him for a second, looked down at the book I was already bored with, and just put it on the return cart right there. I walked out with a different book instead and finished it in two days. Has anyone else had a random stranger save you from a bad book?

DNF'd The Goldfinch after 200 pages because the other book I was reading at the same time was just better at keeping my attention

I kept waiting for something to happen in The Goldfinch but instead I found myself sneaking back to A Gentleman in Moscow every night because that one actually made me care about what came next, has anyone else had two books running at once where one just made the other look bad?

PSA: Tried to push through a 700 page fantasy epic and regret losing 2 weeks of reading time

I started "The Priory of the Orange Tree" by Samantha Shannon thinking it would be the next big thing. But by page 400 I still couldn't tell you who the main character was or why I should care about the dragon politics. Did I waste 14 days of my limited reading hours or should I have stuck it out for the payoff? Has anyone else bailed on a hyped fantasy novel after putting in serious time?

Started reading Dune back in March and put it down 100 pages in...

Got halfway through The Goldfinch and realized I just didn't care what happened to anyone in it

I had to quit "Infinite Jest" after 150 pages but I can't stop thinking about it

I had to quit "Infinite Jest" after 150 pages but I can't stop thinking about it. Started reading it last month because a friend swore it would change how I think about entertainment and addiction. Got about 150 pages in and just couldn't keep going with all the footnotes and weird tangents. But here's the thing, I compared my experience to when I tried reading "Gravity's Rainbow" a few years ago and gave up after 80 pages. That one I forgot about completely. With "Infinite Jest" I keep googling summaries and reading essays about it even though I bailed. So I'm wondering if a book can still be valuable even when you quit it. Has anyone else had a book stick with you like that after you stopped reading it?

Hit page 300 and just couldn't keep going with that fantasy doorstop

I got through 300 pages of some epic fantasy series last month before I realized I didn't care about any of the seven kingdoms or their dumb prophecies lol. Has anyone else hit a specific page count where you just snap and put the book down forever?

Dune was supposed to be this epic masterpiece but I quit after 100 pages

I tried reading Dune because everyone says it's a must-read sci-fi classic. But honestly, the pacing just killed me. Too much political intrigue and not enough action for my taste. I compared it to the movie which I actually enjoyed, and the book felt like a chore. Has anyone else given up on a hyped book only to love the movie version?

I finally stopped pushing through books that bored me after one harsh review

I used to force myself to finish every book I started, even if I hated it. Then a friend told me my reading list was 'painfully predictable' and that I was wasting time on books that didn't challenge me. That comment stung but made me realize she was right. Now I give a book 50 pages, and if it doesn't hook me, I drop it without guilt. Has anyone else had a friend's honest feedback change how they read?

That $20 book I quit after 50 pages because the main character kept making the same dumb choices

I picked up a thriller from the library last Tuesday, something about a detective in Portland chasing a serial killer. By page 30, the detective had already walked into an obvious trap twice, and I was yelling at the book in my kitchen. Then on page 48, she ignored her partner's warning and went alone to a warehouse at midnight - I just closed it and put it in the return pile. It's like the author needed her to be stupid just to move the plot along, and I don't have time for that anymore. I gave it three chances over two days, but after that third bad choice I was done. Has anyone else bailed on a book because the main character was too dumb to live?

Everyone hypes up the Malazan series like it's peak fantasy

I got 400 pages into Gardens of the Moon and quit. The way Erikson just drops you into a world with zero explanation feels lazy, not clever. Did anyone else find the first book borderline unreadable or is it just me?

Gave up on a classic mystery novel 50 pages in, then a friend explained the pacing trick and I went back

Picked up The Maltese Falcon last month because everyone says it's a must read. Hated it. The descriptions were so slow and I couldn't figure out why anyone cared about a stupid bird statue. Put it down after 3 days. Then my buddy at work said you gotta read old noir like it's a movie playing in your head, not a modern thriller. He said 'the plot doesn't move fast, the mood does.' So I tried again reading Sam Spade's lines out loud like I was hearing Humphrey Bogart. Finished it in two nights and actually liked it. Anyone else have a book they only got through after someone told them how to read it differently?