Don't Finish That Book!
On Reading Well VII - Why the Best Readers Know When to Quit
I had voted for it!
That stung.
I joined the book club, I looked through the list of potential books, checked out the different topics and authors, and this seemed like the best choice. The book came, it was well designed and nicely bound, even the internal illustrations were good.
It took twenty pages before half the group gave up. It was calamitous.
Like many others, I put the book down, gave my apologies, and started something else.
Not every book deserves to be read in its entirety. This was one of them, but it wasn’t the only one I abandoned this year. I’m not interested in compiling a name and shame list, but I do think this is important to talk about. I have met too many readers who never meet their self-ordained reading targets because of a boring, unwise, disheartening, or otherwise unhelpful tome. Why? They feel they need to read it before starting something new.
You don’t.
You really don’t!
Stop Chasing the Last Page
I worked a few times as a labourer. The work always found that perfect balance between gruelling and rewarding. As a teenager, what enamoured me most was the cash given me at the end of every day. The work wasn’t stable, but the pay was pretty good. Imagine if on day one I was told, “Look, kid, I don’t have your money today, but I’ll pay you double tomorrow.” Fair enough, I think. I go home happy. Day two, same deal. Day Three, I start to see a pattern. How many days would you be willing to work before you start to doubt that you’ll ever get paid.
Yet.
Chapter One. Boredom.
Chapter Two. *That* kind of scene, out of nowhere, you skip it.
Chapter Three. A plot hole already?
Chapter Four…Five…Six…Seven… Did anything actually happen?
Chapter Eight. What’s the main character’s name again?
It is possible that things will change, don’t get me wrong. The Lord of the Rings is largely thought of as one of the greatest works of fiction of all time, but there are some choice pages early on. You shouldn't expect every author to be on par with Tolkien though.
Last pages can contain glorious prizes, but not all of them.
Time
Your time is worth something. Spend it wisely. As we round out the year with books piling up under Christmas trees the world over, we readers are filled with gleeful expectation. There are so many books I never got round to this year, and there are even more yet to come in 2025. If you’re reading something unwise, this is your prompt to stop, and find something more edifying. If you can’t get past that page of text that doesn’t make any sense to you, either put it down, or find someone who can help you to understand it. This doesn’t even mean you can never read it again. Maybe this just isn’t the right season for it? There are books I couldn’t understand a decade ago that are among my favourites today. That doesn’t mean I was wrong to leave them alone then, it just means I needed more understanding.
There are lots of reasons to read a book. There are lots of reasons not to. I can’t explain every single one of them here. To all of you who made it this far, thanks for finishing this article. Let’s finish it as we began.
Don’t finish that book. Whatever that book may be.
Grace and Peace,
coming soon
Recommended Media of the Week
If you missed it, last week I teased a big project I’ve been working on behind the scenes, I highly suggest you go and check that out and sign up to new the first to hear about it when it drops.
Not every project makes an artist money. The same goes for almost every profession, sometimes you just have to work for free, but what if there was a better way of looking at it? In Peter McKinnon’s latest video, he beautifully explains why every “yes” builds a bridge, a book, or a bank account. Imagine what the world might look like with more bridges, and better books?
Thank you for the shoutout, brother!
Yes to 'just putting the book down'. I firmly believe there's no time for giving a book multiple chances when red alerts are sounding to stop reading. Too many good/great/life changing books are out there waiting to be read! Obviously this becomes harder with required reading for a course etc.
Some books suit particular seasons in life better than others. When I attempted to read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson post partum and sleep deprived— it was definitely not the season for it. I needed something faster paced. Reading it this year ( years later) it was delightful. The slow contemplative pace was exactly what I needed in this season.