That's very peculiar but I am always going on about how it's about the journey not the destination and your attitude definitely supports that lol

There is no law saying you have to finish every book you read , but if you do it on a regular basis maybe you are reading the wrong books..

Depends on % finished/unfinished.

Part of the reason I love libraries is that if I read a couple pages of a book and think it's totally shite, I can just return it. If you don't like a book there's no point wasting your time reading it to the end.

I think I'm just very picky about books, mainly about the writing style and if it "clicks" with me

Interesting. What % would you say counts as having read a book?

I meant - if I only finish, say 1 or 2 books in 5, I’d say something is wrong. 3 or more, I’m good.

So there’s no need to finish all books you start but if you DNF “too many” then something is wrong.

BTW, I DNF too many. It leaves me dissatisfied- like I have no discipline, have no focus.

I think there are a few factors, such as how much of the book you actually read.

There isn't anything wrong with not finishing a book but if you only read like 30 pages out of 500, then I don't really think you can claim you "read" the book. That tends to suggest you either finished the book or read the majority of it.

I personally don't count them as read unless I read the whole thing. Otherwise they go under "tried to read" or "started to read"

Reading is meant to be enjoyable, if you're not enjoying it then put it down.

I finish every book I read because I get anxiety if I don't, but that's me . I'm living my best life, you should live your best life, and if that includes putting books down, more power to you.

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There's no problem with abandoning books imo but I don't think you can say you "read" it without finishing it. Like you can say "I tried it but not for me" or "I got most of the way through before dnfing it" but I don't think you should say "I read x" if you haven't finished it.

I think part of my problem is similar to yours, I feel really crap about myself if I don't finish a book, which then puts me off reading at all, but I LOVE reading so that's why I'm now trying to get out of that mindset

Well check it out before you buy it and see the writing style for yourself unless you buy on line ..

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.