Wondering how to decide when to stop reading a book? Or if it’s even okay to stop reading a book? This is a fairly large debate in the book world, with staunch defenders on both sides of the argument. But if you’re curious about when it’s okay to stop reading a book, read on!
What Does It Mean to DNF a Book?
So what does DNF-ing a book mean? DNF stands for “Did Not Finish,” and book lovers (predictably) use this term in relation to books we don’t finish reading.
There are lots of reasons one might DNF a book, but giving a book a DNF label generally means you’re saying you’re done with it. Of course, if you so choose, you could always revisit DNF books later on and try reading them again…but saying a book was DNF-ed generally means you’re done with trying to read it, at least for the foreseeable future.
Is It Okay to Stop Reading a Book?
So is it ok to stop reading a book you don’t like? In most cases, yes! (In fact, I think it’s okay enough and important enough that I include space to track DNF books in my reading tracker spreadsheet with statistics!)
But some book lovers consider it “giving up” to stop reading books, and they try to guilt others into feeling like they’re not true book lovers if they don’t finish reading every book they pick up. Other book lovers simply feel the compulsion on their own to finish every book they’ve started.
This is because many readers fall into what is called psychological entrapment. What does this mean? Well, it means we’ve already invested resources into the book (money buying it, time reading it), and now we have these sunk costs that are pulling us toward continuing to sink more time into reading the book even when it’s not worth it!
So here are a few reasons why I believe that stopping reading a book can be the better choice:
1. Life is short
Life is too short to read bad books. Whether it’s an objectively bad book with a poor storyline or poor grammar…or just a book that isn’t capturing your interest like you thought it would…life is too short to keep sinking time into something that isn’t giving us a good return on our time.
Sure, we have already lost some time (and perhaps money) to this book we don’t like. But isn’t it worse to sink more time into it instead of getting out now before we lose even more time?
2. How many books can you actually read?
Similarly, there are way more books out there than you’ll ever have a chance to read. To illustrate this point, Goodreads announced in 2012 that it has listings for 395 million books!
Now, let’s say you read on average one book a week for every year of your life and you live to be 80. That’s 4,160 books you could read in your lifetime. So if you wanted to read all the books on Goodreads, you would need approximately 94,952 lifetimes!
Clearly, there are far more books in the world than we could ever read in one lifetime. So why would you choose to waste part of your life reading a sub-par book when you could instead pick up one of the other 395 million books and possibly find a lifelong favorite?
If you need permission to stop reading books that don’t bring you joy, this is me giving you permission.
When Should You Not DNF a Book?
Now, clearly, just because we aren’t enjoying something doesn’t automatically mean we shouldn’t do it. I didn’t particularly like math as a kid, but it was a life skill I needed to learn. I don’t particularly like working every day, but hey money is a necessity.
So how can we tell the difference between when it’s okay to DNF a book and when it’s not okay and would actually be bad to DNF? We’ll get into this more in the “when to DNF a book” section next, but for now the short answer is that you should not DNF a book if it is bringing you value in some way or form.
Just because you have to push through to get to the end doesn’t always mean it’s not worth reading! Instead, consider whether reading it will enrich your life in some way or form…and if the answer is yes, you should consider continuing reading even when it’s somewhat painful.
When to DNF a Book
Hopefully you’ve already got your routine down of how to find good books to read. Whether that means knowing what books you like, knowing what subjects you’re interested in learning about, or something else, choosing the right books from the start can help you avoid the necessity of DNF-ing a book.
But what if you’re reading a book and not enjoying it? When should you stop reading books you aren’t enjoying? Here are some questions to ask yourself before you decide to DNF a book:
1. Have I given it a fair try?
When you’re wondering when to stop reading a book, you should first ask yourself if you have given it a fair try.
Of course, a “fair try” means something different to different people. Some people say they give a book 50 pages and others say 100. Some people give it only through the first chapter, while others give it all the way to the halfway mark.
But regardless, I recommend giving it enough time that you can get a feel for the storyline/subject matter plus the writing style and any other details that make a book good in your opinion. If you can choose what your “fair try” mark will be, then you can apply this to all the books you read when trying to decide whether to continue or mark it as DNF.
2. Am I in the right mood to read it?
The next question you need to ask yourself is whether you are in the right mood to read the book you’re reading. What else is happening in your life that might be influencing how you feel about the book?
Is it a sad book, and you don’t have the emotional bandwidth to read something sad? Is it a book about winter but you’re living through summer right now so the setting is off? Is it a nonfiction book that is bringing up things you’re currently living through?
These are just a few examples, but it’s important to ask yourself whether there’s something wrong with the book or just something about you and the book together at this moment that isn’t working. If it’s the former, DNF it! If it’s the latter, then consider just setting the book aside until you’re in a better mood to read and enjoy it.
3. Why did I want to read this book in the first place?
The last question to ask yourself is what made you pick up the book in the first place. If there’s a value (educational, growth, learning, etc.) beyond the enjoyment factor, it might be worth sticking with it. Of course, it still might not be worth it and that’s up to you!
But examining your reasons in picking it up in the first place can help you decide whether to keep reading, pivot to another book on the same subject, or simply stop reading it altogether.
So…Should I Stop Reading a Boring Book?
If the boring book isn’t giving you enjoyment or value in any other way, and you don’t have any obligations that are forcing you to read it, then yes! Please DNF it!
Too many readers think the goal of reading is to “finish” books. And too many readers feel pride in the numbers of books they’ve completed or the numbers of “classics” they’ve made it all the way through, even though they didn’t enjoy reading them and didn’t really get any value from them. This isn’t how we should look at reading!
Now, this isn’t saying that we shouldn’t strive to finish what we started…it’s just a reminder that it’s okay to stop reading something when it isn’t beneficial. As readers, we aren’t under a contract forcing us to read bad books or books we don’t enjoy. So take advantage of this and go find books to read that will bring you joy and growth!