Why do we continue with a book when not enjoying it?
The Book Borrowers have a group read 4 times a year, one for each season and then we read whatever we want at other times.
Often the books we read do the rounds of the group and we chat about them in great detail. Sometimes, the subject will open up discussions on a theme of what has happened in the book and can get a bit heated. We have a great group of people and its a lovely afternoon each week together of people of varying ages and backgrounds.
For our winter group read we chose The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, the debut novel by Stuart Turton. It won the Costa book of the year award for first novel in 2018.
It was said to be a take on an Agatha Christie type novel, a whodunit with a twist.
Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.
We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.
Understood? Then let's begin...
Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others...
(Taken from Good reads)
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.
We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.
Understood? Then let's begin...
Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others...
(Taken from Good reads)
Having looked at reviews online since I finished it yesterday at amazon, there seem to be a lot that have not enjoyed it either. Others seem to have loved the mind bending madness of it and been blown away by the complicated plot. Maybe I don't have enough brain cells to appreciate the intricacy of following a multi layered plot that just seemed to befuddle me and end with a very poor answer to 'Who killed Evelyn Hardcastle?'
There have already been a few brought back to the library from our group so i'm thinking that many have not actually finished to the end and given it up as a bad job.
Do you continue with a book till the end in the hopes that it will improve?
The weather here today is dreadful, high winds, heavy rain and its yeuck... good job i'm off to the Book Borrowers for some light relief and good company this afternoon - and to hand over this rotten book - and find something a bit lighter to feed my happy thoughts.
Have a great day
Love and blessings
Julie
I used to read all the time when I was in high school. I was known to always have my nose in a book. I guess I was really picky about what books I read so I never really didn't like one. Now I have been trying to read again. TV shows and stitching always wins my time though. I have several books I want to read so badly. I guess if I didn't enjoy it though I would probably have to stick with it. I would want to know how it ended.
ReplyDeleteIf a book doesn,t grab me in the first chapter then I abandon it. The plot has to drag me in and I have to believe in the characters. Just the same with films and TV programs, life is too short to waste on something that annoys.
ReplyDeleteNo. I do not keep on. It has to be very good or good for me to keep reading it.
ReplyDeleteI don't keep going either - if a book hasn't got me after a few chapters, sometimes after a few pages, then it's time to move on. A cousin of mine, not a prolific reader, once told me that if he read a book a month, that was only about 500 in his lifetime - there are so many books out there and that number is way too small to waste it on books you don't like - good point - I read a lot more than that, but it's still the same idea.
ReplyDeleteI have just given up on a book, the authors writting style did not suit me, having said that, it's not that often I give up on books. I joined a reading club, but gave up after the 2nd book as I did not enjoy either.
ReplyDeleteHi Julie: I have had books like that but keep reading, the ending seems to always surprise me.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I laid awake once and only once because I did not finish a book, then found out the ending was an amazing ending, had to find the book again to continue reading.
Catherine
I think the blurb sounds rather interesting but I'm not sure my brain would last out if it's a case of going round in circles. I much prefer an easy read these days, something which doesn't require much brainpower. I don't often give up on a book but then again, I'm quite picky in what I read, I love recommendations.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading...but.... not if it does not hold my interest. I at times have not finished a book because It was confusing or boring. I want to enjoy the time spent with a book...not being frustrated.
ReplyDeleteI give the book away to my club ,if I don't like it .
ReplyDeleteTime is not to be wasted at my time of life ha.
We have bad storms too.
If I start to read a book and it doesn't grip me I pack it in. Tom on the other hand will keep going but I don't understand why.
ReplyDeleteI'd prefer to start another book that I will enjoy.
That's just me, lol
Hope life is being good to you Julie.
Briony
x
If I start a book, I tend to read it through to the end.There is something that makes me want to finish what I start. With my needle work I do want to finish what I start but I keep starting more!
ReplyDeleteThat's a no from me Julie, although I don't like giving up on a book I would never keep going - I'd rather move onto something I will enjoy. At the moment that's froth and bubble:-)
ReplyDeleteNo, I do not keep on reading it...
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not enjoying it, it doesn't get finished.
Hope your weather improves soon.
All the best Jan
No, I don't keep reading & these days it has to be pretty gripping for me to read anyway. Not sure where my reading mojo has disappeared too for the last year or two, after being a fairly avid reader most of my life. Hope the bad weather doesn't last too long. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI read this one recently. I needed both the room layout and the character list frequently to keep me on track. I thought that the ending would be that it was a computer game because that is what it felt like. You had to become each character at the right time to do everything in order. I reckon it would have made a better ending too which was just plain daft.
ReplyDeleteI do occasionally give up on books. I have yet to finish a Henry James or a Martin Amis!
That's a shame Julie, I'm not reading much any more as I just fall asleep. I try to read the NH books but if I'm struggling with the story as well as falling asleep I'm afraid I give up! Hopefully the next BB book will be more to your taste.
ReplyDeleteNo, I give a book 50 pages and if I'm just not into it, I stop--I'm too old to waste time on things I don't enjoy if I don't have to :)
ReplyDeleteA book has to be genuinely appalling for me to give up on it, I think I've only ever done it about twice, although I have been known to fling a book halfway across the room in sheer fury (why yes, 50 Shades, I am talking about you)
ReplyDeleteI'm reading one at the moment that is hard going but I don't want to give up on it just in case it gets better. I usually persevere and read to the end x
ReplyDeleteEvelyn was our Book of the Month a while back. I was very intrigued by it and I never read the Crime choice.
ReplyDeleteIn my job, we have to read lots of different books to be able to discuss them with customers so I will often read a chapter or two to get an idea of what it is like.
Other books I skim read to get the basic story.
Life is too short to read bad books!
It does sound a very complicated book no wonder it was a struggle to read it. I don't give up on many books but I have a few times taken a book back to the library unread. I hope you find a more interesting book to read wilst kept indoors by the awful weather we've had recently:)
ReplyDeleteI push on with bad books and don't often get defeated, though they get banned from our personal bookshelf! There have only been a couple of books to defeat me. One was a fantasy novel, the final book in the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. The whole series was too much of a Lord of the Rings rip-off and then just went all weird on me at the end. I couldn't take anymore.
ReplyDeleteI usually don't finish a book if I'm not enjoying it. But, once I went way further than I usually do. The first 100 or so pages were so boring but the book turned out to be great. RJ
ReplyDelete