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/lit/ - Literature

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18496715 No.18496715 [Reply] [Original]

How much time do you devote to a book before you decide if you want to give up on it?

>> No.18496727

1st 100 pages or the first 1/4th

>> No.18496731

>>18496715
The whole thing. The only books I've ever dropped were Prometheus Rising (pure utter bottom of the barrel shite) and August Derleth's Cthulhu Mythos (none of the stuff that made Lovecraft's stories great, just regurgitated shit)

>> No.18496743

>>18496715
I hear about a book. Save its name/picture, and continue reading what I have.
I do a little research on it to see if it’s legit and I’m still interested.
A year or more later I head out to the book store every now and then with a list of books, and if I see it I get it if it’s a reasonable price.

I have a lot like that. I don’t read what I don’t want to. I usually end up liking what I have
You have an ereader or something?

>> No.18496768

>>18496715
I read the first 20 pages and move on if the content doesn't pick up my interest. It may be argued that I'd reading miss very good books like this but I don't see the point in reading (and buying) something no one made an effort to make digestible.

>> No.18496850

>>18496768
It may be argued, yes, but I think you're justified. If a book doesn't demonstrate any value at all in the first 20 pages, you're probably right to drop it. I'm not even talking about some bombastic schlocky plot bullshit. I mean a novel use of language, perceptive descriptions, even just managing tone and atmosphere well.

And the books that absolutely prove themselves in their latter halves always have ardent campaigners to promote them.

>> No.18497001

rEADING fIctION

>> No.18497007

I dropped 1Q84 after 900+ pages.

It was so fucking pointless and repetitive with no insight whatsoever into anything.

God I fucking hate Murakami

>> No.18497010

>>18496715
I do tons of research before I purchase a book so that this doesn't happen. I follow through though, quitting on books, and quitting in general becomes a habit. So if it's approximately 200 pages or less, just finish it.

>> No.18497208

>>18496743
I do something similar and I like almost all the nooks I have. It's true that this method doesn't have a 100% success rate, because some books might be overrated or overhyped.

>> No.18497220

>>18497208
I have a near 100% success rate. There’s a couple on the shelf I think I have just outgrown. I blame the impulse buy, which was maybe a years time.

>> No.18497242

If a book doesn't grip you by page 50, and you force yourself to read past that even though you aren't enjoying it, you are a fucking moron.

>> No.18497261

>>18497007
Murakami is dogshit generally, but 1Q84 is literal trash that shouldn't have been published.

>> No.18497622

>>18496715
If it's a classic, I'll finish it (unless the book is 800 pages long and I can't). If it's a pirated trash light novel or some contemporary fiction that I can't stand, I'll drop it as soon as I get the urge to drop it.

There are a lot of books which means some of them will be good and others will not be quite so good. No point in completing everything you pick up, especially if it's an impulse read.

>> No.18497630

First chapter usually

>> No.18497739

>>18496731
Then you haven’t read anything books, don’t read enough a day.
>>18496715
At some point you just realise some books are not relevant right now to you as a person or to your interest. It’s far worse a crime to read a book you don’t care about and will forget soon enough only to claim to have read it.
I usually go 50 pages or whatever is the first continuous part, and then if that’s just not a thing for me, I look for something different in the book; when that doesn’t serve I then actually drop it.

>> No.18499405

I've dropped 700+ page books with <100 pages to go.

>> No.18499423

>>18497001
Why are you on a literature board?

>> No.18499424

>>18496715
I paid a gorillion dollars to get Linux+ certified by CompTiA
I dropped that shit because I worked 80 hour work weeks for 2 years and by the time I said "hey I think I have study time" I just started the Odin Project 33 lessons instead. Now for books: I put down prematurely very few things I pick up. I give up if I don't enjoy or make progress in a month or get re-urged in six months. It's fucked after six months. Dead and gone for someone else.

>> No.18499490

>>18496715
I simply don't give up.

>> No.18499499

Generally, if its a random book, I give it ~50 pages. Sometimes I drop just after reading the first 25 pages because I find out its a pop history book (I try to read a spare bit on obscure history topics, oftentimes the books at my library are polluted with pophistory schlock). If its a "classic" or generally agreed that its not a waste of time ill give it the first 100 pages.

>> No.18499531

>>18496715
>give up

>> No.18499540

>>18499531
>>18499490
>>18497001
>>18496731
Pseuds alert, if you havent dropped a book you either havent read a serious amount of literature or you are seriously lacking in any internal taste. You force yourself to "enjoy" a work because others tell you to enjoy it. The well educated man admits that although others might champion a book, its simply not for him.

>> No.18499542
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18499542

>>18496715
I suffer and read everything because I never give up.

>> No.18499719

Ive got at least 100 hours in the philosophy of spirit and im not even half way through

>> No.18499740

>>18499540
I don't pretend to enjoy it, if I hate it I accept it, but I don't like quitting.

>> No.18499800

>>18499540

cope

>> No.18500274

>>18496715
I usually don't give up on books.

If I get past 20 pages of a novel, I'm usually interested enough to finish. It's kind of a low effort thing.

For non-fiction, I stop as soon as it's no longer compelling.

>> No.18500772

>>18496715
I usually realize if a book isn't worth my time up to the 1st 50-100 pages. When this happens I'll do two things:

1) Quit it completely, if I'm not interested at all

2) Jump through paragraphs until it gets interesting. I do this in unecessary long or dense books where I know nothing worthwhile is being explained anyway.

>> No.18501014

I'm good at predicting which books I'll like, so I rarely drop any

>> No.18501476

>>18499423
To rub shoulders with other non fiction readers, I stopped reading fiction when I realized it is a bigger waste of time than non fiction

>> No.18502241

If you drop a book without finishing it you didn't put enough effort into choosing what book to read.

>> No.18502244

at least half the book. I very rarely give up though.

>> No.18502431

>>18496715
I finish it regardless.

>> No.18503652

If it doesn't grab me in the first two chapters I'm out. I'm shallow.