jebodiah93 OP t1_j6bhax8 wrote on January 29, 2023 at 3:29 AM

Reply to comment by minimalist_coach in What factors do you consider before starting a new book or series? Is there an "x" factor that decides what your next read will be? by jebodiah93

I rarely buy books as well but so many for so cheap was impossible for me to turn down.

I think trying new genres sounds great, so far I have tried to branch out a couple times with mixed feelings on the result. I am hoping to find some other genres that may surprise me and become a favorite, I think your method of switching it up sounds great.

The one area I do struggle with is choosing to not finish a book. Right now, I am reading "Player of Games" as I have heard endless praise for the series. It really is not resonating with me after about 120 pages (which was just the first chapter) but I have a hard time quitting a book that people say is so well written. How long do you give it before quitting usually?

minimalist_coach t1_j6bnsw9 wrote on January 29, 2023 at 4:23 AM

I rarely read reviews, but there are a lot of books that others love and they just don't work for me at this point in my life. There are books I read when I was younger that are a slog to reread. A book can be a masterpiece, but not right for you right now. I have DNF'd books a few pages in, I've DNF'd books nearly to the end and everywhere in between. I recently gave up on a series after book 4, which was nearly 4000 pages.

My reason for reading is to enjoy some time getting a glimpse into a world different than my own. Sometimes I'm in the mood to read books that are filled with a lot of characters and unfamiliar worlds and sometimes I want something that is more familiar and less complicated. The 2 things I don't want are to be bored or annoyed, and most times I don't want to be stressed.

Sometimes if I'm reading a book I feel like I "should" finish, I'll do what I like to call a slow read. It becomes a secondary book, I'll read a few pages a few times a week and it may take me months to finish it. I'll read other books at my normal pace for the rest of my reading time.

When I was doing the genre of the month challenge and my own genre challenge I had an expectation of exploration. I wasn't expecting to find great books but was reading to see what other types of stories were out in the world and how to understand how to decipher book descriptions. I will say I read some crap books early in the year and became more selective as time went on. I did decide to DNF a few books about 1/2 way through the year, I feel I'd moved far enough outside of my comfort zone and I didn't need to torture myself.

I love goals and joining challenges, but I also reserve the right to change them when they stop working for me.