Life is too short to read books you aren’t enjoying.

I used to be hardline that I had to finish every book I started even if I didn’t like it, even if I hated it! I went through a classics phase and forced myself to read books in their entirety because they were on some list of books everyone should read.

Me and Nathanial Hawthorne? Bitter enemies because of this. I should have DNFd The Scarlet Letter. How can a book about infidelity and sex be so damn boring?!

It was wrong of me to force myself to do that. This is not to say that if you are a hardliner you are wrong to make yourself finish every book you start. Do I think you’ll be happier if you don’t force yourself? Yes. But I’m not going to berate you into changing how you’re reading.

Perhaps it’s a part of getting older, or watching family get older, and acknowledging my own mortality. Why waste time on a book I don’t like or bores me? I know there are situations where it’s important to read books that may be a little drier, or harder to read (See: Consent by Jill Ciment, books on race, some history, books on mental health, etc) and I will read those.

But that’s the difference, right? Reading for knowledge (which I do still do) is different than reading for pleasure (which I do more often). When I’m reading for pleasure, I want to enjoy it, and that’s why I’ve given myself permission to DNF books. Also why I DNFd so many in July.

I didn’t enjoy The Captain by Josie Blake. The FMC was giving serious pick me vibes that I just canNOT with anymore. I also found that the author defaulted to telling me every fricken detail instead of showing me. DNF.

I wanted to like It’s A Date (Again) by Jeneva Rose. But I knew exactly who the love interest was right away, and the writing didn’t grip me in a way that made me want to read to confirm. I read forty pages then skipped to the epilogue to confirm. I was right. DNF.

I also really wanted to like Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter. As someone who suffers from generalized anxiety disorder, I appreciated the depiction of anxiety, as well as PTSD, but in the end I wasn’t feeling it, and it was a book that was recommended by KU after I checked out something different. I’ll probably be pickier from KU suggestions now. DNF.

Enjoy life, enjoy your hobbies. Vibes matter, listen to yourself, sometimes the most important person you need to set boundaries on is yourself!

Do you DNF? How do you decide to DNF?