As I wrote in this post, one of my goals this year is to read more. For one thing, reading is a surefire way to grow and improve as a writer. For another, reading is fun. I like it. I want to do more of it.
However, I’m not ashamed to say that I don’t finish every book I start. I only finish the good ones—because reading sub-par books won’t help me grow as a writer, and reading books I don’t enjoy takes the fun out of it.
Here are five signs it’s time to break up with your current read and move on to bigger and better things.
- You’re reading it because you feel like you should. A lot of people labor under the bizarre notion that they should read “the classics.” Meaning all the classics, and only the classics—none of that commercial fluff for them! But the classics were written in a time when the preferred writing style was long, dry, and often insufferable. Many modern readers simply don’t enjoy them—and that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with reading the classics, but there’s also nothing wrong with reading fantasy, kid lit, or dinosaur erotica if that’s what floats your boat. If you’ve been wading through War and Peace for nine months and the reading process feels like cruel and unusual punishment, it’s probably time to try something else.
- You can’t stand the writing style. Sometimes a book, no matter how popular or critically acclaimed, just isn’t a good fit for you. For instance, I can’t stand books written in present tense. The Hunger Games is in present tense, and readers ate it up—but for some reason, it just didn’t work for me. As a reader of kid lit, I also see a lot of what I call the precious quotient. Savvy by Ingrid Law had this in the form of cutesy character names, a cutesy town in the middle of nowhere, and cutesy made-up vocabulary. I could. not. stand it. But hey, Savvy is a Newbery Honor Book. Writing style is subjective, so learn what you like and what you don’t.
- You want to throttle any of the main characters. This is why I haven’t tried to read Twilight: because, from what I’ve heard, all Bella cares about is her relationship with Edward. He leaves, and she thinks her life is over. She’s willing—even determined—to turn into a vampire to be with him. WTF? Another common one is the Mary Sue-type character: the hero who’s good at everything, who always knows what to do, and who also happens to be attractive, fit, popular, and friends with everyone he or she meets. Gag. If a main character is impossible to like, don’t waste your time on them.
- It’s boring, or you just don’t care what happens. If reading starts to feel like a chore or you find your mind wandering, the conflict or stakes may not be up to snuff. I put down Natalie Lloyd’s A Snicker of Magic for this reason. I enjoyed the book for the most part, and I read about two-thirds of it before I realized I didn’t care if the main character got what she wanted, because the stakes just weren’t high enough. Sometimes it takes a chapter or two to get invested in the story, but if you still don’t give a flying fig about what happens next, maybe this isn’t the book for you.
- Clichés or melodrama at every turn make you want to vomit. No book is 100% original, and minor clichés or tropes are easily overlooked in a well-told story. But if you can predict what’s going to happen in every scene, or the entire premise hangs on a single eyeroll-worthy cliché, it can be tough to keep reading. Same goes if the conflict feels forced or melodramatic. These things vary with genre, and every reader’s tolerance is different. For instance, I often struggle with YA books because they tend to be more angsty, but I know many readers—teens and adults alike—who devour YA. Know your tolerance level, and if you start to overdose, move on to the next book.
It’s important to read widely, especially for writers, and it’s always good to try something new. But if a book just doesn’t click for you, don’t feel guilty putting it down. Instead of wasting more time trying to slog through it, find something you enjoy. After all, it’s called “reading for pleasure” for a reason.