Do you read the rest of the book if you don't like the first part of the book?
By Porcospino
@Porcospino (31366)
Denmark
May 21, 2012 4:55pm CST
If you read a book and you don't like the first chapters, do you continue reading? Or do you give up and decide that you don't want to read the rest of the book? If you like the story and don't like the writing style, do read the rest of the book?
I get most of my books from the library and sometimes I get disappointed in the books that I have borrowed. I start reading them, and pretty fast I discover that the story isn't as interesting as I thought or I just don't like the way that the book is written, because it hard to understand or because there are too many loose ends. Some time ago I borrowed a book about a girl who lived in the US during the slavery (I forgot the name of the author) The story sounded interesting at first, but it was very confusing and I found it hard to understand the story. I read the first chapters and then I gave up.
Sometimes I read the rest of the book if the story doesn't sound interesting at first, because I hope that it will get better, and sometimes it does get better, but not every time 
4 people like this
38 responses
@andy77e (5156)
• United States
22 May 12
Depends on if I paid money for it. If I paid money for it, I'm reading that sucker.
The reason may seem counter intuitive, but it works like this. If I really don't like it, then by forcing myself to read it anyway, I will learn to not get such a book. Because from then on when I see something similar, I'll think
"oh wait... I didn't like that type of book. So I'm not going to spend money on it"
You might think of it as a money saving principal.
I do the same thing with food. I'll buy some meal or whatever, and even if I don't really like it, I'll eat the whole thing.
Then next time I'm walking through the store, or sitting at a restaurant, I'll remember, "oh yeah, that looks good, but it was horrible. I know because I ate the whole thing. I'll buy something else."
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 May 12
I like the things you wrote about reading in the entire book in order to learn from the experience. I hadn't thought about it like that, but I think that it makes sense. Maybe I should try the same thing. I buy some books and I usually try to read the ones I have bought, because I already paid for them, but sometimes I get bored and lose my motivation. I get most of my books from the library and if I don't like a book I can just return it to the library and borrow something else. I guess I am more likely to abandon a book that I didn't pay for.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 May 12
I usually manage to keep track of my library books, but I did have to pay a fee a couple of times. That is the bad thing about library books. Sometimes I don't have the time to finish the books before I have to return them, and that is also annoying, but I still use the library a lot, because it is the cheapest option. I read a lot and I couldn't afford to buy all of the books that I want to read It is great that you are able to used books. $20 for 6 books that is cheap. I sometimes visit the used the used book store in my area, but most of the books aren't very intereting, so I don't buy many books that way.
It is great that you are able to used books. $20 for 6 books that is cheap. I sometimes visit the used the used book store in my area, but most of the books aren't very intereting, so I don't buy many books that way.@andy77e (5156)
• United States
24 May 12
I can't stand library books. It's a personal thing for me.
If I don't own the book, I most certainly don't want to pay a fee, because I turned it in 1 day late.
It's the same reason I never rented movies when that was the big thing. If I don't own it, I don't want to pay 50ยข because I forgot to turn it in on Monday or whatever.
On the other hand I have no problem buying it used. I'll go to the used book store, and pay $20 for 6 books. That works.
I also know people who go to garage sales, and sometimes they'll find a collection of books for $30 or so. Then I don't feel bad if I don't read one of them, because it didn't cost me much. I'll even turn on the books I don't read to a used book store and get a few dollars for them.
1 person likes this
@MissPiggy (1748)
• Indonesia
22 May 12
I always do what you do sometimes. I will keep reading the book in hope that the story will get better in the end. Although not always get what I expect, at least I always finish reading the book. If this is my own book, sometimes I will stop reading it for quite some time, but then I will continue reading it. I often need to read from the first pages again to refresh my memory about the story. I have ever read a novel entitled "Fashionista" and I couldn't understand the story even after I finished it. I have ever tried to read it all over again but it's in vain. I got bored even before I reached Chapter 2. So I gave up reading it because I thought I still won't understand.
I will keep reading the book in hope that the story will get better in the end. Although not always get what I expect, at least I always finish reading the book. If this is my own book, sometimes I will stop reading it for quite some time, but then I will continue reading it. I often need to read from the first pages again to refresh my memory about the story. I have ever read a novel entitled "Fashionista" and I couldn't understand the story even after I finished it. I have ever tried to read it all over again but it's in vain. I got bored even before I reached Chapter 2. So I gave up reading it because I thought I still won't understand. 1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 12
If it is my own book I sometimes do the same thing. I start reading it and after a while I take a long break and decide to finish it later. When I want to finish it I discover that I don't remember the things that happened in the first part of the story so I have go back to the beginning. If it is a library book or a book that I have have borrowed from a friend I am not able to do that, because I have to return the book. At the moment I have a couple of library books that I want to read before I read my own books, because I can only keep them for a short time. One of those books seems quite boring so far, but I am going to give it one more chance
@GADHISUNU (2162)
• India
22 May 12
NO. There was perhaps only one book which I purchased and after reading a few pages about 40 pp in an around-500-page book, I simply stopped reading the book. I felt like throwing the book into a dustbin-I have never felt so irreverent about any book ever! But my cousin was there around, who felt bad I wanted to "throw' the book. He took it from me. I do not know if he ever read it. That book wasn't liked by my brother too. My brother, a voracious reader, couldn't go farther than 60 pages.
There are books that I have read partially and put it away, only to continue reading after several years! One such book is Roger Penrose' "Shadows of the Mind."
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 May 12
That must have been a really bad book since you wanted to throw it away. What did you dislike about the book, was is a bad story, was it poorly written etc? I felt the same way about some of the books that I have read. I remember one book that sounded very interesting. That book had been turned into a movie and I liked the movie so I thought that I was going to enjoy the book as well, but I was absolutely wrong. The book very confusing and poorly written and I never read more than one or two chapters. Fortunately I didn't buy it, I just borrowed it at the library so I was able to return it and borrow something else.
@GADHISUNU (2162)
• India
25 May 12
The book was "Thy Neighbor's wife" published in the early 80's. 1982 to be precise Those days I must have paid a tidy sum to buy the book. The subject of the book was in the "swinging eighties" and was about the "mate swinging" culture that was in vogue in US at that time. Though from the title and the blurb I could get what the book was about, and thought I would be able to read the same. But I found it too much away from our culture that i couldn't make it to read through. i thought my younger brother was younger so he might find it sort of readable.But no he could go upto 70 pages. He also found it repulsive. Then I just had it with mme while i traveled to my brother's place. There after finishing my job on my return journey I was about to throw it when my elder cousin took it from me. i don't think he would have been able to read it too. This is the only instance in my life I felt like throwing a book. I am a voracuious reader and a bibiliophile at that.
1 person likes this
@fullmoonyeah (127)
• Philippines
22 May 12
actually, I don't like reading books except with drawings like comics and mangas. haha. I will read the whole book if someone requires me to do that. Also if I feel that I need to read the book, I will read it just to get some good information from the book.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 12
We are opposites, because I don't read comics but I read lots of books without drawings I love reading and I read a lot of books (fiction as well as non-fiction) I like to read a good novel, but I also like to get new knowledge from non-fiction books.
I love reading and I read a lot of books (fiction as well as non-fiction) I like to read a good novel, but I also like to get new knowledge from non-fiction books.@fullmoonyeah (127)
• Philippines
25 May 12
Haha. But sometimes when I read some books with myths I get bored first but when I continue reading it, I felt that it was interesting. But I really more love books with drawings than a book with just text content. with drawings, it can describe clearly what is happening to the story and you can see what are the character's appearance as well.
1 person likes this
@musicluv4life (1867)
• United States
21 May 12
If i am board at the beginning or don't like how it is written i usually find a new book to read.
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
22 May 12
I often do the same thing. Sometimes I try to give the book a chance, because I think that it might get better if I read the rest of it, but it depends on the books I guess. Sometimes I have heard a lot of good things about the book and I think: "It would be a pity to give up already if the book is as good as they say" and then I try to give it one more chance. I read a few chapters more and if I still don't like it I usually give up and decide to read something else.
@musicluv4life (1867)
• United States
22 May 12
Yeah, if someone has told me its a good book i will try and give it a chance. But, if its a book i just picked up thinking it looked good, i usally dont if im bored though.
1 person likes this
@cindytandry (69)
•
22 May 12
depends to the resume that i read in the back of the book, if i think the story is nice then i will continue reading it till the end even though in the middle the plot is not really nice, but i really want to know how the story would ends, even if the writing style is not really nice, still i will finish it till the last page, but if the resume is already not nice, plus the chapter one which is bad too, i will not read the rest of the books, until someone told me that it end nicely, then i will read it again even though the middle is quite boring, the most important part for me is the end, :d
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
9 Jul 12
I also read the summary on the back of the book and that helps me decide if I want to read the book or not. Sometimes it sounds like a good story, but when I start reading it I discover that the book isn't as good as it sounded. I had that experience some time ago when I had borrowed a novel about slavery. It sounded like an interesting story where you were able to follow the characters and their experiences during the slavery, but the book was very poorly written, and I didn't enjoy it at all. I tried to finish it because the story sounded interesting, but eventually I gave up and returned the book to the library without reading the rest of it.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 12
That is true. Sometimes a book seems interesting when you read the synopsis on the back and when you start reading it you discover that the book is boring, confusing or poorly written. I have experienced that several times, and sometimes it hard to judge a book if you only flip through the pages and read the synopsis on the back. I get most of my books from the library and sometimes that is a good thing. If I don't like a book I can just return it to the library and borrow something else. If I have paid for the book I usually try to finish it since I already paid for it, but sometimes I gives up for instanse if I find the book too confusing. I experienced that some time ago. The book sounded it interesting, but it was too confusing and hard to understand and I didn't enjoy it.
@Citizen_Stuart (2016)
•
22 May 12
I nearly always read a book to the end. Even if the first couple of chapters aren't interesting, or I find them confusing, the book might improve later. Sometime's I'm pleasantly surprised - I read a book to the end that I wasn't keen on at first and find that I end up enjoying it. I can only think of a couple of novels that I really haven't been able to finish ("The Postman" and "The Turner Diaries") - in both those cases it was because the moral and political viewpoint of the authors was so extreme it just turned me right off. But those are exceptions, most of the time I'll read a book to the end.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 12
That is true, sometimes the book improves if we read the rest of it, and it one of the reasons why I sometimes decide to give the book one more chance if I don't find it interesting at first. I don't do that every time, it depends on the book and it also depends on my mood sometimes. I don't think that I have read a book where the political viewpoint turned me off, but I think that I would react the same as well as you if it happened. I remember one book that turned me off, but it happened because of a different reason. The book was so full of violence and disgusting details and I just couldn't read the rest of it.
@GemmaR (8517)
•
22 May 12
If I start reading a book and I don't think that it is something that I am going to like, I will always try to make the effort to finish it, because you never know when it is going to get going again as books sometimes do in the middle. However, if I find that I am really struggling to read it because I don't know what's going on, then I think that there is a point at which you have to draw the line and come to the conclusion that you're not going to be able to enjoy the rest of the book, and you might as well just move onto one that you're more likely to enjoy.
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
8 Jul 12
Yes, some books get better after a while and sometimes it is worth giving the book another chance. I often try to do that if I don't like the book in the beginning. Sometimes I discover that I like the book better when I have read several chapters and when that happens I am happy that I didn't give up. Sometimes I try to give the book a chance, but I still find it hard to enjoy the book for instance because it is poorly written or because I don't find the plot interesting. Sometimes we have to draw the line and find another book that we can enjoy, I agree with that.
@shibham (16977)
• India
22 May 12
hi porcospino, well, i am very selective on reading. You know i am a professor on literature, so i am bound to read some books regardless interest. Like there is a novel which is too bore and a huge one and i have to teach it on graduate level where neither sudents get interest nor me. Same case happened when i was doing doctorate degree work on novel and read some boring novela due to my research. Otherwise its okay that i am a selective one. Have a nice time.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 12
Yes, when you have that kind of job you sometimes have to read books that you don't find that interesting. It is different from a situation where you just read because it is a hobby. If it is a hobby you are free to choose the books that you are interested in. I studied German literature at university and I didn't enjoy all of the books that we read, but I had to read them anyway. Today I still read a lot, but I only read the books that I am interested in (novels, poetry and non-fiction)
@gaiza12 (4884)
• Philippines
22 May 12
Sometimes I read it even if the first few chapters are bad. But most of the time I don't . I find it of no use because I will surely not understand the whole story because the first part is already boring for me. Sometimes I skim through the paragraph just to be able to finish reading it. There are some books that are worth the read though even if the first chapters aren't that good. You will end up liking the last parts so, it was still worth your time 
. I find it of no use because I will surely not understand the whole story because the first part is already boring for me. Sometimes I skim through the paragraph just to be able to finish reading it. There are some books that are worth the read though even if the first chapters aren't that good. You will end up liking the last parts so, it was still worth your time 1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 12
I do the same thing. Sometimes I read the rest of the book and sometimes I abandon the book if I don't like the first chapters. It depends on the book and sometimes it also depends on my mood. Some days I am quite patient and I continue to read the book because I hope that it will get better later on, and sometimes it really does get better. Sometimes the rest of the book is horrible as well Some books I want to finish and I try hard to read the rest of them, but they are just too boring or too confusing and eventually I give up.
Some books I want to finish and I try hard to read the rest of them, but they are just too boring or too confusing and eventually I give up.
@else22 (4317)
• India
22 May 12
I have had this experience many times in my life.I have been fond of reading and I tend to read a book thoroughly if I like it.Once I started reading a novel in my mother tongue,Hindi.The initial part of the book was extremely boring and I thought to leave reading the book.But as I proceeded ahead,I found the book extremely interesting.Then on I never stop reading a book just because its initial chapters are boring.I read on till I have finished it.
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 12
Sometimes we get rewarded for our patience and find a really interesting story if we are willing to keep on reading. I have experienced that, too. Some books are great right from the start and you just know that you are going to enjoy that book and some book aren't great from the start, but they get much better if we continue reading. One of the books that I borrowed when I visited the library last time seems quite boring in the beginning, but I have decided to give that book one more chance to read more than the first chapters. The decription of the story sounds interesting and I hope that the story will get more interesting after a while.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 12
My curiosity about the ending is also one of the things that sometimes movivates me to keep on reading. It was the reason why I finished one book that was really hard to read because of the lack of punctuation. I found the author's writing style really annoying. It was hard to know where one sentence ended and the next one started and I sometimes had to guess the meaning of the sentences. I still finished the book simply because it was an interesting story and I wanted to find out how the story ended.
@ladyhemingway (965)
• Philippines
22 May 12
Hello poscospino, yes I tend to continue reading a book even if the first part was really boring because most of the book I have finished reading has a really good story even if the first few chapters is not really that interesting.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
21 Jun 12
Yes, some books get better when you read the rest of them, that is the main reason why I sometimes decide to give the book one more chance if I don't like the first chapters. Sometimes I discover that the last part of the book is much better than the first part and I am happy that I decided to give the book one more chance. Sometimes the last the part of the book is just as awful as the first part
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
22 May 12
I read a perfectly dreadful book, one I kept looking at the end and then reading because I couldn't figure out how it got there - he managed to resolve it, but it had to rank right up there with the worst book I ever finished - and I only finished it because I couldn't figure out HOW he was going to do it!
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
23 May 12
Sometimes we finish a book because we want an answer to our questions like you did with that book. I did the same when I read a book without punctuation. It was so hard to read it, because I was never sure where one sentence ended and the next one started, but the story made me curious and I wanted to find out how it ended, so I kept on reading. Sometimes we read a bad book from the start to the end and never get the answers to our questions. I have tried that, too and I was very disappointed when I finally reached the end of that book.
1 person likes this
@dolce_vita78 (8062)
• Philippines
22 May 12
Hi Porcospino!
I would still continue reading a book even if the first part is not that exciting. I have read some books in the past that seems to be very boring at first. But, in the end, I realized that the books were worth my time. There are just some books that do not seem to be very interesting at first but would prove to be good ones towards its climax or on to its end.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 May 12
That is true, and that is one of the reasons why I sometimes keep on reading if the book doesn't seem that interesting in the beginning. I hope that the book will get better if I read the rest of it and sometimes the last part of the book really is better than the first part and I am happy that I didn't choose to abandon the book when I felt like it. Sometimes I give up and decide that I don't want to read the rest of the book, and I think that it depends on the book and on my mood as well. Sometimes a book just doesn't catch my attention and I can't find the motivation to finish it.
@blue65packer (11826)
• United States
22 May 12
I rarely start a book and not finish it! I did with one book just recently. It was "The Last Lecture" by college Professor Randy Pausch. I got through only a few capters before I gave up on it. I read how Pausch's parents motivated him,fueled his ambitions and encouraged him to become the person he was,before pantriatic cancer took his life in 2009. I was more angry then anything when I stopped reading the book! I was pised becasue my parents never encouraged to me to live my dreams! I was never motivated! Thanks to that I have never lived my dreams and never will! This is why I stop reading this book! If my parents weren't such bad parents I could of read the book!
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
23 May 12
Some books remind us of things from the past and make feel bad when we read them, because we can't help comparing our own lives to the lives of the people from the book. I have experienced that it, too. In your own situation the book reminded you of the lack of motivation from your parents and in my case is was about something else, but I also found it is hard to read that book, and I didn't finish it. It made me think about something that I didn't want to think about and I wished that my life had been different. That made me feel a little angry and sad as well.
@tkonlinevn (6438)
• Vietnam
22 May 12
I'm too. I sometimes read the final part of the book to know how it will be ended! Then, I'll turn back to read the first part LOL ^.^
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 May 12
That is one way to find out if it is a good book or not I don't usually do that, but I like to flip through the pages before I decide if I want to read the book or not. I want to find out if the books seems interesting or not. I can't always judge a book that way, but it does give me an impression of the book.
I don't usually do that, but I like to flip through the pages before I decide if I want to read the book or not. I want to find out if the books seems interesting or not. I can't always judge a book that way, but it does give me an impression of the book.
@victorkrish (1614)
• Malaysia
22 May 12
I don't think so, it is such a good idea to continue read it unless
you craved
to know the next action or ending of the story. I just
let the story ends until i read and not much bother unless wanna
know the ends of the story.
But i don't have this kind habit, just leave the story in a half way
and try to finish as much as possible
.
to know the next action or ending of the story. I just
let the story ends until i read and not much bother unless wanna
know the ends of the story.
But i don't have this kind habit, just leave the story in a half way
and try to finish as much as possible.1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 May 12
Sometimes I continue reading because I am curious and I want to find out how the story ends. I find it disappointing to read a book from the first to the last page just to discover that you never get an answer to your questions. I have tried that a couple of times. One of those stories had an open ending and we never actually found out what happened. We had to guess that ourselves. I was disappointed because the story made me very curios and I really wanted to find out what happened, but I never got an answer.
@syramoon (654)
• United States
22 May 12
It mostly depends on my mood, and the book in question. Sometimes I will push through the boring first few chapters and find a book I love, other times I will give the book away as a lost cause. Other times if I don't like the book, but want to know how it ends, I'll skip and read the last chapter or even wiki it to find out what happens. I've done that before and ended up finishing the book, because from the synopsis online it did get better. It depends on how much energy I want to invest into it, and if there is something better readily available to read.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 May 12
I finish some books and I abandon others and for me it also depends on my mood. Sometimes I am relatively patient and in those cases I am often willing to give the book another chance if I don't like it in the beginning. Sometimes I am not in the mood to spend a lot of time on a book where I don't enjoy the first chapters, and I decide to forget that book and find something else to read. If I know that I have nothing else to read (for instanse because when I am travelling in another country) I keep on reading. In a situation like that I read books that I would have abandoned in other situations simply because I know I wouldn't be able to find another book in a language that I understand.
