Giving Up on a Book

The end of the semester had me reading much less than usual and spending zero time thinking about the blog. Thankfully, summer is here and I can focus on reading what I love rather than what's required (ahem, physics textbooks). 

When I was younger, I always felt like I had to finish each and every book that I started. Sometimes it worked out and I'd find myself hooked unexpectedly and end up loving the book. Other times, well, I'd be trudging through it. Dragging through a book gives me perspective on why some people don't like to read. It's painful to admit, but sometimes reading can be....boring.

Take this book for example:

{on Goodreads}

I purchased this book on my Kindle, in an effort to read more non-fiction books this year. I have a newfound interest in the time of Henry VIII, not just because he fascinates and disgusts me all at once, but also because I read this book earlier this year and still haven't stopped thinking about it. I thought this would be a great way to look at this time from a purely historical perspective. 

At first, I loved how much I was learning from this book, but then my interest began to wane. I logged onto Goodreads one day and found that I had put it on my "currently reading" shelf fifty days ago. Fifty days? Not to be obnoxious, but it never takes me that long to read a book. Considering that I haven't even picked it up since before final exams started, I'm going to declare this one a dud. 

As soon as I mentally checked it off as gave-up-on, I felt a little twinge of guilt. But then I stopped to think about it. Yes, I did start it with the intention of reviewing the book for the blog. Can I give it a fair review when I'm stopped at 51%? Not really. Should I be wasting my time on a book that I don't love, when I could be giving my readers a review of a book that is amazing and worth picking up? (Rhetorical question.) 

Anyways, I've renounced my guilt. I picked up a book that interested me and I don't regret it one bit. Giving up on a book isn't an insult to an author, or to the subject of that book (because really Anne Boleyn is fascinating), it's just that reading is one of those things for which you need to find the right fit.