Absolutely not a big deal. Is it a nice feeling? Yeah. But am I gonna chase after such a fickle thing if I’m not having a good time with a new read? Naw.

I’m more than a bit of a miserable mood reader at times, and I think considering a book finished only if you’ve read every word from front to back and everywhere in between is setting yourself up for failure and disappointment if you’re anything like me.

On any given day, I pick up and start 3-5 books and rarely “finish” them in the sense that I’ve read them cover to cover. If I’m really into a plot, I’m skipping every other word minimum to figure out what’s going to happen next. That’s not a bad thing, that’s the sign of a good book, and if I’m enjoying it so much that I can’t stop reading from it, what does it matter how much I’ve actually read word for word?

I’ve finished books where I’ve read almost strictly the dialogue and nothing else. Those generally aren’t 5 star reads but if I hadn’t made the concessions I did, I would never finish a novel. I stop series all the time, and I read non-chronologically probably close to 50% of the time I’m reading. We’re talking anything from reading a series out of order or in bits and pieces to reading individual novels from beginning chapter straight to the ending and then the entire middle backwards until I reach the beginning again, and I’ve probably read every variation of chapter order of many books as well. Not to mention I DNF to the point where it may be concerning how little I can actually commit to when it comes to completing things.

But I also read a lot, and that just simply wouldn’t be the case if I had to force myself to finish every book I pick up.