This is a question that’s been going through my mind recently and it’s become a little more prominent because at the moment I have two books that I’m currently working my way through – and I would say that so far I’m finding them hard work.  And, yet, I still want to press on and give them a little more time to wow me.

Basically, and I would say this was probably true up until only a couple of years ago, I felt compelled to finish a book if I picked it up.  It was almost like I was determined not to be beaten, ‘I will not be beaten by this book syndrome‘ is what I’m naming it.  Nowadays, and it is fairly recent, I try to have a more balanced approach in that I’ve decided life is too short.  If I’m not enjoying the book I’m not going to finish it.  At the end of the day I wouldn’t carry on with other things in life if I wasn’t enjoying them would I?  If I go to a restaurant and order something that I don’t like the taste of – I won’t eat it.  If I start watching a series and it peters out – I won’t continue to watch it. If I start painting my walls pink only to discover that I hate pink – I won’t paint the full room pink and live with it out of foolish stubbornness, I’m sure you get the picture.  So why the strange compulsion to finish a book once I’ve started? The thing is I do love books and I’m always so hopeful when I pick one up.  When I start reading a book I would say I generally start with a really optimistic feel.  There are a few occasions where I feel a bit on thin ice – like at the end of a series, or when a book was so good that I’m almost scared to pick up the next book by the same author – because how could it possibly compete?  And possibly that author is going to get knocked off the pedestal that I’ve put them on! But, even so, mostly, I’m ever the optimist.

So, how much is too much?  At what point do you decide enough is enough?  This question is all that much harder if the book I’m reading is a review book – which I feel compelled to finish and review!  Which of course leads to other questions?  This is on a need to know basis – enquiring minds, etc, etc:

How long do you give a book before it becomes a DNF?

How long do you give a book before it reaches a point that you will finish come what may because you’ve already invested so much time?

Do you review your DNFs?

Assuming you have ‘I will not be beaten by this book syndrome’ at what point does a book become irredeemable for you? So, if you read 70%, as an example, and you’re really struggling but then the author pulls the rabbit out of the hat in the last 30% is that going to redeem it for you or is it still going to only be an average book?

I realise that nobody expects The Spanish Inquisition but even so….