Is there a book that you wish you could “unread”? One that you disliked so thoroughly you wish you could just forget that you ever read it?
Up until a few months ago I would always finish a book even if I hated it but then I realised (it's only taken 26 years!) that there is no point continuing with something that I am not enjoying when I could be reading something that I love. So nowadays if I disliked something that much I would just stop reading it when I have got to the point that I know it is not going to get better for me. This rarely happens and it is always a bit disappointing but there's millions of books out there, you are always going to come across one that is not right for you. So I don't think that I would ever want to 'unread' a book, I think each book we do read tells us just that little bit more about our reading likes and dislikes.
25 comments:
Me too! :)
I had much the same reaction as you and Melody. I did end up listing a couple I did not enjoy but I also made sure I said that there is not a book so awful that I would wish to "unread" it. You can read mine here if you'd like:
http://imlostinbooks.blogspot.com/2009/05/btt-unread.html
haha so far!! I am the only one who have a book I wish I never read.
I have a lot unfinished book...but only that one book is the I wish never to encounter in the first place
I don't finish books I don't enjoy either. It gives is less to have regrets about :)
I generally don't finish books I don't like either. And this is happening more recently! I did thinkof a couple I really wished I hadn't bothered with though!
I tend to be a "down with the ship" reader. I will stick it out until the end, usually. Sometimes a book will come together and go from the "hate it" to "love it" column in the last few chapters.
I had no trouble picking a book that I wish I could unread, lol.
I often had a hard time not finishing books I disliked in the past too, feeling as though it would indicate some flaw or weakness in my character to not finish, but I've been trying to get over that.
I chose a book that upset me at the time that I read it, even though it was a well written and well-known book. I had to read it for a university course, so unfortunately I didn't have the option of either abandoning ship or reading it some other time.
I never waste my time with a book if I know I am not going to enjoy it, as there always is another book I will enjoy just waiting to be read.
I can usually find something I like about a book or have learned if I finish it. I enjoyed reading your post. Happy BTT!
Susan@Reading Upside Down- I hadn't really thought about that, there were plenty of books that I had to read at university that I could quite happily of put down. Showed me what I liked and disliked though!
I've had books I didn't particularly like and even a couple I didn't finish (which is rare for me - I need to get out of the habit of continuing to read a book I don't like), but none that I wanted to unread.
Great answer! It took me 40 years to give myself permission to toss a book I wasn't enjoying ;-)
I agree. I simply stop reading that book and move on to the next!
Booking through Unread
I usually stop reading a book after 100 pages if I don't like it. Life too short and there are too many books to read.
I agree with the if-you-don't-like-it-then-stop-reading philosophy, I just think I like to give authors the benefit of the doubt (aka, ~100 pages or so) before deciding to close it. Most of the time, by then, I've learned the author's cadences and can go ahead and finish (for the sake of reviewing it) pretty quickly because I can skim parts when I can tell the author's going tangential or too purple.
Jess- I totally agree, Happy BTT!
The book I'd "unread" I actually havent finished either. But it's sooooo boring I would like to unread what I HAVE read cause I get bored just THINKING about having read it!
See like right now, I'm bored. Just thinking about it.... So bored....
Happy BTT!
The book I wish I'd never read is Fanny Hill. I had to read it for my degree, and I wish I hadn't. It's something I would never have read otherwise - basically pornography - and afterwards I felt dirty and disgusting.
It's so hard for me to stop reading a book once I've started! Most of the time I don't consciously "choose" to stop -- I just keep picking up another book instead. The next thing I know, a year has gone by since I last checked in with the characters!
I haven't encountered something that is irredeemably bad. Books that I want to "unread" are ones written by authors whose previous reads I have enjoyed. Sometimes they just have a bad day I guess. I would like to defy time and start over again with another book.
I used to feel obliged to finish a book no matter how much I disliked it, but, more and more these days I find myself drifting onto another book if I am not getting along with my current read and before long I realise, just like writemeg, that it is ages since I last looked at it.
There isn't one book I would unread, but there are lots of books I would never dream of reading twice.
Amy- that does not sound good at all! I had to read a few books for my degree that I hated but you don't have any choice do you! Happy BTT!
Meg- I don't think that I would remember who anyone was! Hope you had a fantastic time in London!
I still try to finish every book I pick up. If it really takes 26 years, I still have 4 more years to go before wisdom dawns on me. ;)
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