Reading Books-Can I finish them?
Does anyone else constantly buy books (I have thousands) but sometimes start reading and never finish some of the books? I have some books that I have read dozens of times (Catch 22 for example) and other I just can't seem to finish (Gravity's Rainbow).
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Since there wasn't an alternative that fit me, I chose the one closest. I would say that I finish a book I've started about 99.9% of the time. I am very selective about what I read, however, so there's a really good chance I'll want to finish it.
I usually have several books in progress, and reread things constantly. Right now I'm going a bit stir crazy because I had bilateral cataract surgery and while the eyes are great individually,, I have a condition of the muscles of my eyes that causes them to work independently. This can be corrected with prisms in the lenses, but I can't get a new prescription until both eyes have sufficiently healed. So I'm going on a month being unable to read. I can only work on the computer while wearing a patch on one eye (Arrr) doing my best impression of the dread pirate Roberts and by the end of the day I have a raging headache. I still have about 3 weeks to go and I'm climbing the walls.
ladyprof70
Level 7
May 9, 2018
0
It wasn't until recently that I allowed myself not to finish a book. I figured if the writer went through the trouble to write it, and a publisher thought it was worth printing, then I should finish it. Then someone in my bookclub brought a 10 commandments or reading and one of them was that you didn't need to finish a book you do not like. It's still pretty damn rare for me not to finish one.
The optimist in me can't help but thinking "maybe it'll get better." Spoiler alert: it never does!
Marcie1974
Level 8
May 9, 2018
1
Great concept. One example was Stephen King's The Stand. It was just too long and I never finished. I like his short stories much better.
@GuyKeith what????? We can't be friends. Part of SK's charm is the girth of his.....books! I have a difficult time with short stories though, I'd rather having something lengthy I can really sink my teeth into.
Guessing you haven't read The Dark Tower series?
@Marcie1974 Too bad. Does reading The Eyes of the Dragon count?
@GuyKeith Only if you read the other 8 books as well.
I read a lot... like a lot a lot...the things I've done for a nook card... SHAMEFUL! But I tend to read them as well.
MissaDixon
Level 7
May 8, 2018
1
I've got two unfinished books on my coffee table looking at me.
Ellatynemouth
Level 8
May 8, 2018
2
I feel your pain. I have Gravity's Rainbow on my desk. It has been there for 3 years with several jump starts. Ulysses by James Joyce is leering at me on my bookshelf. I am weak and the books are strong. I pick up Presumed Innocent and read it for the 10Th time.
I'm not surprised to see those two titles. Mine are not Jackie Collins either. Once I've finished reading the literary version of K2, Swann's Way, I'll be more picky about what I choose to read in the future. I hate leaving books unfinished. They have to be finished.
I bet they are totally judging you.
Ha ha! I bet they are. I don't mind.
I have a little bit more than 600 books and my wife is pissed that they take so much space. (Three walls from bottom to top, give or take)
........ Where do you store thousands???
IamNobody
Level 8
May 8, 2018
2
I live alone. I do as I please.
I recently moved from a house to a small 2 bedroom apartment. Over the weekend I forced myself to go through my books so I could get rid of the bookshelf in my closet. I had to comb through my collection 3 times before I could whittle it down enough. It's dumb because some of the books I didn't even like but it's still SO difficult to give them up!
I work for a charity that has a book shop on site and have to be quite disciplined else I would be overwhelmed. Lukily they are so cheap to buy that I don't mind giving them back when I finish them. But this means that I buy a lot of books that I wouldn't buy if they were full price.
Paul_Clamberer
Level 7
May 8, 2018
2
Love books. I like passing them on to the "right" person when i am finished. Favorite genres: Fiction and epic drama.
vsh76
Level 5
May 8, 2018
2
Just reading your post makes me uncomfortable. Passing them on? Like not borrowing them out but actually giving them away? Or not buying that person a copy of it but actually giving them your copy? Forever and ever?
I think I need a Xanax now.
@Marcie1974 ? lol
@SkotlandSkye ugh, I had finally let it go and now I'm thinking about it again! lol
My apologies @Marcie1974. I assure you, i have the best intentions at heart as I am only trying to make some circles of good influence with this behavior.
@vsh76 thank you. I just had lunch with a friend so I'm better now.
@Marcie1974 Happy to hear that 
I'm definitely guilty of buying too many (used) books and I'm always in the middle of ready 4-6 at a time. I try to finish at least 3 out of every 4 I start....but I will stop if it is boring or poorly written.
SkotlandSkye
Level 8
May 8, 2018
2
Yes, that is a reason I will stop. Poorly written. Too many spelling and grammar errors also. Also lack of editing.
I remember a recent book, two paragraphs that were two or three pages apart, had first sentences of about ten words or so that were word-for-word the same.
Overuse of the same adjectives. Effusively describing every minute detail of a person's physical appearance.
Repeat descriptions. I read a book where one man drove a red Porsche. I kid you not, 100% of the time that he got into his car, he got into his "red Porsche." I could remember it was red after only one description! By the time I'd read the same thing five times, I wondered if Porsche published the damn book!
I would love to do this. I feel like I'll never have this drive to devour books. I was never able to beat my hatred for reading from before I had glasses. I seldom find a book that can hook me into the story. I've made several attempts. I've never read a book twice either. I wish this wasn't the case. Most of my reading looks like this
[nvlpubs.nist.gov]
Not a page turner.
Squirrel
Level 7
May 8, 2018
1
Occasionally, I have started a book and just did not like it enough to invest the time to finish it. It has to be pretty boring to me for this to happen. I have also given up on a couple books in my lifetime because they creeped me out too much to finish. That is really saying something, I'm an avid can of Stephen King and suspense/thriller and horror are my genre of choice.
DotLewis
Level 7
May 8, 2018
1
The spouse has books galore....,for what? I have donated most of my books so that others may glean some knowledge. I have seen my favorite movie 11 times....Catch 22. So there is some commeradity here.
Mooolah
Level 8
May 8, 2018
1
I have only seen the movie once. I put off seeing it for the longest time as I felt that nothing could ever even begin to match the excellence of the book. The movie was OK. Arkin is amazing. Have you read Something Happened? Another wonderful book by Heller, as is Good as Gold.
I read very fast. I don't put a good book down until I finish it. Since joining Agnostic.com no time for books.
sassygirl3869
Level 9
May 8, 2018
3
I'm behind in my reading, I have 6 books I intended to read but got addicted to this site. They sit on my headboard waiting till I get to level 8...lol
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