That book isn't interesting any more

The Grumpy Old Bookman has a nice post on why he stopped reading the Historian and the latest Ian Rankin. In once case, it was too long and not quite good enough to justify the time. In the other he has read one too many detective tales with drinking and women problems.

I revised my unread book count up to 275. This means I must be particularly good about putting aside a book that isn't working for me. With non fiction you can do the grad school skim, just reading the first sentence of every paragraph. If the book is edited well, you will understand the argument and get a good chunk of the evidence. This technique doesn't work with fiction, as fiction isn't written that way and you aren't reading it just to find out what happens. I've still resorted to it with poorly edited novels that are just interesting enough to continue.

A number of my friends have a guilt complex about reading books, particularly books they are supposed to read, like War and Peace or As I Lay Dying. A good part of reading is sheer enjoyment, so reading something you don't enjoy is not a good time investment. Another important part of reading is learning and you are less likely to get the most out of something that bores you. Put aside that novel that isn't working for you and find one that does. There are more classics than you can ever read, so you shouldn't feel bad about giving up on the ones you don't like.