when do you give up on a book/series that your reading?

Question

i've been trudging through s.m. stirlings emberverse trilogy (dies the fire, the protector's war and now a meeting at corvallis.) i really want to know what happens to some of the characters, but most of what's happening in MaC is just boring me to death! i feel like since i already finished the other two i should go ahead and finish this one and get the series over with.

how do you know when to give up? there are other things that i'm really interested in reading, like:

the 2nd earthsea book by ursula k. leguin
the dark is rising by susan cooper
the gods themselves by issac asimov
now and forever by ray bradbury
and even more new books i want to buy!

so... should i give up, or finish what i've started? have you given up a book and later decided to pick it back up?

Answer 1

It sounds to me like you've given this one a really, really fair chance. If it's boring you now, I don't see much point in trudging on with it. It might be that it's just not that great or simply not your thing (I haven't read this one so I don't have an opinion on that, though I can tell you the series The Dark is Rising is fantastic and the Le Guin books I've read I've also really loved). It might be that you try it again in a year or two and enjoy it more.



I think sometimes books are just not your thing and there's no shame in that. I also think that if you force yourself to go on reading a book (this is when it's leisure reading and not some dire book you have to read for school, which is when you really have no option but to read it), you do it a disservice. If you are feeling grudging or grouchy about 'having' to read it, you won't get much out of it. I say stop for a while and see if you feel like reading it again later.



:) By the way, if you can find it, Susan Cooper wrote a very good book not in the Dark is Rising series and not fantasy, but well worth trying: 'Dawn of Fear'.



Happy and unboring reading! ;-)

Answer 2

If you can bear it, read the last book in the series to see how everything ended.



There's nothing wrong with putting books down if you find them uninteresting. I"m a book lover and a prolific reader and I've done it many times. No harm done.



And, yes, I have put a book down and picked it up again at another time. I think everyone has done it.



Good reading!

Answer 3

If it's boring you out of your mind just give the book your apologies and tell him/her, "it's not you, it's me," and pick another book that you really want to read. But if the last book won't take long and you're too curious, i guess you might as well read it, but you could always ask your friends or ask online what happens or something.

Answer 4

Sometimes a series starts out great, and then just fizzles.

Maybe you could finish the one you've got now, and then read the others.

I am having the same trouble with "crown of slaves". I read nine honorverse books, and they were all great, but this one is really dragging.

Answer 5

I will stop reading a series when I get bored to it becomes tedious. If a book is considered a classic or has excellent reviews, I will try to continue reading because the author may be building up to something I do not want to miss.

Answer 6

When it's not enjoyable anymore, why keep at it?



There are too many other brilliant things to read!

Answer 7

When the plot gets crumbly and no really emotional parts