Giving Up On A Book | Bookish Musings

Recently, I gave up on a book. I read about 250 pages, a bit more than half of said book, then set it aside and returned it to the bookstore. I was quite deflated. If you'd been as eager as I was for this book, you probably would have had the same slump in your shoulders that day.

I don't usually not finish a book because, naturally I read a book I want to read. However, there are times when I just cannot finish a particular book for the following reasons:

Keep in mind, these are my personal opinions and I don't speak for the general reading population.

• The plot is boring. Quite simple, really. The book may be about the most horrendous crime in the west coast, a fantastical world war in another dimension, or a crazy family in the roaring twenties; however I lose interest if the plot is lackluster. The premise could be intriguing, maybe even unique, but if the story is going no where or certain situations get chewed on and on like stale gum, I need to stop.
• The writing is redundant. I admit, not every book I read had the best writing. I recall some having punctuation errors and others having a lack of punctuation. However, the writing of some of those books was fun; it flowed with the plot and characters. Although it did not conform to traditional (and at times pretentious) standards of fiction, the writing made my reading experience enjoyable. Unfortunately, writing could be redundant to the extent that it causes the story to become just words on a page. When the setting of the book or the relationship one character has to another are described over and over again, the writing is redundant. The prose may be fluffy, but it no longer compliments the characters or the plot. I get bored! The world of the book dissipates and my window into another time or existence shatters. I'm just skimming two-dimensional words and pages.
• I no longer respect the main character/s. Sure, a character may be a cold and ruthless murder or any other heinous being an author could conjure, but he/she has a depth and vitality I cannot brush off. I want characters to evoke emotions of love, anger, hate, fear, even annoyance that contribute to my reading experience, not deter it. I no longer respect a character when she loses his/her legitimacy to the point that I cannot stand him/her. I do not see the attributes the readers and author have given him/her. Have you ever had that feeling you just wish you never met a certain character? Yes, that feeling.

You may have read this as a rant (because it partly was), but it is also a statement that it is absolutely okay not to finish a book or even like a book you've read. Read what you want to read and don't read what you don't want to read (unless, of course, you're forced to read a book for class). Personally, there has always been an obligation to read or finish a book. But I learned that such "rules" only deter the pleasure I get from reading. Don't be obligated to read or finish a classic. And don't feel guilty to set aside a popular book so you could get back to your more particular tastes. 

It's like church. When my mom forces me to go every Sunday, I begin to dread it. I won't let that happen to my reading.