I thought I had overcome my aversion to giving up on books I don't like. Several years ago, I read that Barbara Kingsolver gave a book 50 pages and then, if she didn't like it, she moved on. I figured if 50 pages was good enough for Kingsolver, it was good enough for me. (I also liked the formula my friend Colleen read on a cup at Starbucks--subtract your age from 100 and that's the number of pages you need to read before quitting; if you're 100, you can go with whether you like the cover or not.)
When you're reading something for your book group, however, it's a lot harder to quit--the commitment to the group becomes a commitment to finishing the book if at all possible. Nonetheless, I am giving up (after 125 pages) on The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I find it overwritten, overwrought, and boring--and guilt about reading it is keeping me from reading anything else.
Maybe the group will change my mind. If so, I'll let you know.
I had to too. I made it about a third of the way and it just never hooked me. Instead I indulged in listening to Cleaving. I liked it :)
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