Texting back and forth with
a friend and reading reviews online, I really struggled with what I should do. As a book reviewer, shouldn't I stay the course and finish the books I start and then explain why exactly I disliked the novel? It seems that it would be fair to my readers to have an honest opinion about a book, especially if they are waffling about whether they truly want to read the book. And, I admit from my overly worked sense of guilt, I always feel bad about not finishing a book when I've been looking forward to it. Ha-ha, that doesn't even take into account dropping money for a book!While I was still in school, I stopped reading books for pleasure. I got so caught up in all of my classes and felt I couldn't devote enough time to my course readings and novels-for-pleasure. After being nearly driven insane, the pleasure books came back into the rotation. At that point, I promised myself that I would not force myself to read something I absolutely disliked. Working towards an English degree, I came across many things I didn't enjoy, but I still had to read them. That being the case, when reading for pleasure, I wondered why I would force myself to endure something I wasn't enjoying. From there on out, whenever a book failed to catch my attention, I put it down. And, whether good or bad, it has stuck.
What do my readers think? What do you do when you encounter a book that just feels like a waste of time? Should you continue reading a book if you aren't enjoying it? If you're a book blogger, do you feel it is your responsibility to present the truth to your followers? What if it is the most terrible thing you have ever read -- the grammar and spelling makes you wonder the age of your author, you constantly question whether the editors really did their job, you wonder if plagiarism and copyright is still enforced, etc.? I would really like to know what you think.
