It’s happened to all of us: you pick up a book with the best of intentions, but for whatever reason, it’s just not working out.
You’ve struck out at the game of book dating, and you’ve got to figure out how to let the book down easy. It’s not them; it’s you. Breaking up is hard, especially if it’s a book you were particularly looking forward to. It’s an unfortunate part of life.
Like with so many other things, you might remember your first.
The first book I ever added to my Goodreads DNF list was one the author offered me free in exchange for a review, touting that it was “for fans of Douglas Adams.” It was not. There was absolutely no relation to Adam’s style whatsoever, and I actually didn’t feel bad for DNFing it because I was lied to. (Pro tip: Authors don’t do this. You’re only setting everybody up to lose, yourself included.)
The DNF list is a lifestyle choice: some will partake in it, and others won’t.
So today, I wanted to dish a little on the DNF list.
What does it mean to DNF a book?
DNF stands for Did Not Finish.
It’s where books go to die a lonely, miserable death.
Just kidding.
If there were a bookish Tinder, this would be the equivalent of swiping left.
Adding a book to your DNF list doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything inherently wrong with the book (although, it could), but that, for whatever reason, you have no desire to finish reading. You tried. You started down the path, but somewhere along the way, you saw a pretty butterfly and wandered off. Nothing wrong with that.
DNF or Finish?
This is like asking which came first: the chicken or the egg.
The egg, ftw.
What it comes down to is: what works best for you? I know some people who will finish any book they start because they have to. They’ve invested time and/or money, and now they want to see it through. That’s admirable. I, on the other hand, am a fickle book wyvern with very particular tastes as far as the books I devour are concerned.
Spoiler alert: I am 100% in the DNF camp.
If you’re not, that’s okay. I mean, our camp’s the best, obviously (we’ve got cookies and NoSleep and what more could you ask for?). But it’s not a competition. This isn’t that sort of camp.
Why I’m Camp DNF
✦ Time is precious and life is too short. I can make up the $10 I spent on a book I didn’t enjoy and set aside. I can never regain that five hours it took to finish it.
✦ I’m not a fan of doing things I don’t enjoy. I mean, I’m adult (sort of? Stop laughing) so there are things I have to do, whether I like them or not. Reading books that don’t interest me is not one of those things.
✦ There are 4,320,381,294 other books out there I could be reading instead that I will never get to if I take the time for this one. Okay, I made that number up. But there are a lot of other books, and for some reason, I’m still mortal? Yeah, I’m as confused about that as you are. That means that every book I read is basically a trade-off between all the other books I could be reading.
✦ If I’m not passionate about it, is it even worth doing? I am 100% a fangirl. Of everything. Don’t ask me for book recommendations unless you’re prepared to be here a while. If I’m reading, it means I chose to do this activity over all the other things I’m passionate about, which means it’s important to me. Except if I hate the book, then … it’s not, is it? So why aren’t I doing all those other things instead?
Why DNF a book?
The reasons are many and varied, but here are just a few:
✦ The book isn’t what you expected. Maybe it’s the wrong genre. Maybe there’s more blood or boobs than you thought. Maybe it was marketed as one thing, but as you got going, you realized it was something completely different. Whatever the case, at some point, it’s obvious that this isn’t what you signed up for.
✦ The author’s style is making you twitch. It happens. Everyone has their own style, and there might be a great plot hidden between those covers, but you can’t focus on it because the style is making your eyes bleed. It could be too wordy and descriptive, or not descriptive enough, or have too many “likes” (this isn’t Twitter, yo). Different readers prefer different styles, and what one author goes with simply may not work for you.
✦ You come across something triggering that you weren’t expecting and can’t handle. Not everyone provides trigger warnings, and if it’s not mentioned in the summary, it can lead to some nasty surprises. Like the time I decided to read a book to take my mind off my recent miscarriage, only to get halfway through and, boom, the main character suffers a miscarriage. I did finish the book eventually, but not right then. There’s nothing wrong with either calling it quits or taking a break for your own mental health.
✦ The book just plain isn’t for you. Not all books are. Sometimes, you just outright won’t like a book, and you may not even be able to put your finger on why.
How I Decide to DNF a Book
First off, I always give it time. If I don’t immediately click with a book, I try to give it about 15% – 25% of the way through, just to see if it picks up, depending on what my problem with the book is.
At that point, I ask myself some important questions:
✦ Do I have the urge to just set this book aside and not pick it up again?
✦ Am I scratching my head at the characters’ actions/motions?
✦ Do I want to tie the characters down and force them to watch the Teletubbies just to give them something real to whine about, since they’re doing it anyway?
✦ Does the plot make me feel like alcohol is required for it to make sense?
✦ Am I wondering if there even is a plot?
✦ Does reading it put me to sleep?
✦ Are there subjects that I just plain don’t want to read about?
If the answer to two or more of these is yes, bloop, onto my DNF pile it goes. No regrets.
Should You Review a Book You DNF?
The answer here is a definite … maybe?
Again, there tends to be two camps here. Because camps are fun. What it comes down to is whether you’re comfortable doing so or not. There’s no right or wrong answers here. And I mean it, not like all those other people who say it and then judge you for giving the wrong answer.
Remember, reviews are not for authors. They’re for readers.
Yeah, I said it. Fight me.
More specifically, they’re for prospective readers, who are trying to decide whether that book is a match for them.
Consider your review the dating profile for the book.
In theory, the book hopes you’ll put all positives there. But let’s be honest. Don’t you at least owe the next person the truth? Maybe they won’t mind that it picks its nose and talks through movies and pronounces things wrong. But what if they do?
No book out there is a perfect fit for everybody, and if you thought it was fitting to DNF a book, someone else might want to know about it. Because—wait for it—they might actually agree with you. Shocking, I know.
The other side of the coin, of course, is that one-star and two-star reviews drag down a book’s star rating.
Whether you intend it to or not, that could have some effect on the author, because we’re a judgmental bunch and star ratings do sometimes mean things. That’s why they’re there. So that might be something to consider when making your decision.
This is such a good post! I always feel guilty for DNF’ing a book, but you make so many good points & it makes me feel so much better about it!
Well, I confess, I used to feel really guilty, like it was an insult to the author (it’s not). It took a while for me to be comfortable with it. I’m good at saying no to other things in life, so why should books be any different? xD
You inspired me to pick up a DNF I set aside ages ago because I just didn’t have time to read it at the time. I’m gonna give it the 25% it deserves and go from there—mostly because I have enjoyed other books by the same author:)
Ha, glad I inspired you! Which book is it?
I always think of things like Daughters of the Dragon, which I hated and kept saying I was going to DNF because, gosh, it was awful. And I almost did at 15%, but I was like … well, you know your rule. So I stuck it out, and right around 20% or 25%, it got awesome and I loved the entire rest of the book. xD It’s happened more than once, but that’s the book I always think of!
I stuck it out with a book until 300 pages once (It was bloody 700 pages) after repeated tries and dnf-ed haha. I don’t dnf a lot. I read quickly so it’s not as much time and sometimes there is still something that sparks my interest. But I have dnféd a bit this year. A whole 6 books versus 149 read haha. Still that is more than I have done in years. I am making progress.
I think most people try not to DNF, honestly. I still haven’t actually DNF’d that many books, because I’m usually pretty good at picking out what books I’m going to like by now. Most of my DNFs from this year were book club books, which I don’t have a say in. xD But 6 out of 149 isn’t bad! That means you only struck out 6 times on books that were misses for you, and that’s pretty dang good lol.
This post cracked me up! I lost it at the Teletubbies 😂 Okay so. I am the world’s WORST DNFer. I think I have DNFed 5 books? Let me go check. Yep 5, and they were just… I could not finish them, for I’d have thrown them across the room. And I reviewed them, but I noticed that I didn’t star-rate them. Which… apparently Past Shannon was nicer than Present Shannon, because I’d one star those in a hurry now oops hahha. I REALLY wish I could DNF more easily but alas. There’s not even a good reason for me not doing it, I think I just get convinced that it’ll get better? And spoiler, it rarely does!
Ha, I’m glad you liked it! I’m still learning myself. Pretty much all my DNFs (not that there’s many of them, mind you) were from this year.
I tend to review and not star rate, too. Not that present Shannon’s instincts are wrong, either lol. I do actually look at DNF reviews, though. I’m not sure if I’m the only one. But I want to see exactly why readers are saying a book wasn’t working for them if I’m on the fence about reading it. 🙂
I always try to give a book a decent go, but sometimes you just have to DNF. I usually star rate and write a small review saying why too.
I found it so freeing when I started DNFing.
Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
Same! I felt like I was more able to dedicate time to books I enjoy instead of feeling like I owed anything to these books. Makes me more likely to take a chance on books I’m not sure if I’ll enjoy, knowing I’m not obligated to finish them if they’re just not working for me. 😉
I definitely DNF books, though not that many, to be honest. If I come across something that I *hate* and it makes me angry I’ll drop a book so fast, but usually if I’m not enjoying a novel I end up skimming, not straight up abandoning it. There’s a part of me that wants to know 1) if a novel gets better, and 2) HOW does it end. I’m a CURIOUS person haha. I do believe it’s fair to review a DNF-ed a novel, and I have done so, esp with review copies – I also think it’s fun to read DNF reviews and see what aspects of a novel made people abandon it.
Fantastic post!
Veronika @ The Regal Critiques
I don’t DNF that many, but usually, I read a book within 3-4 days tops, and if I find I haven’t made significant progress by a week and still have no desire to read it, I usually drop it. I like your idea of skimming, though! Usually, when I’m curious, I go and read Goodreads reviews that are marked spoiler just to see how it ends or I’ll sometimes read reviews before DNFing to see if people say it picks up. If they do, I’m more likely to wait it out longer.
I do love reading DNF reviews, and sometimes if I’m on the fence about a book, the DNF reviews help me see exactly what people weren’t impressed with. Sometimes I decide I agree with them, and sometimes I decide it’s probably just not for me. 🙂 I definitely think they serve a purpose, though!
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