Musing Mondays (26 Sept)

Musing Mondays is a weekly event hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Each week MizB asks a book related question and bloggers answer with their thoughts about the given topic.

This week's question:

What does it take for you to give up on a book you’re reading?
 
I usually don't give up on books. I've always been quite open minded and patient enough to get through everything I started, although there are exceptions. The last book I simply had to give up was William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury.

The main reason why I just couldn't stand it was that it was compulsory. I had to read it for one of my classes at university, you see.  The thing is, I would have never chosen this book if I had a choice. When I have to read something I'm not interested in, I find it very difficult to get into it - however, it doesn't happen when I'm reading my own books because I'm pretty good at choosing something I like.

If the book and/or the characters aren't keeping me interested, I find it quite difficult to go on. I don't necessarily have to like them or be able to relate to any of them, but I do think that it's crucial to be interested in them and their development. You simply can't read (and finish) a book without being interested in what's going to happen next. If this vibe/interest is missing, I simply can't go on.

Also, many times it has something to do with pacing and the way the story is told. I don't like books with long (and by long I mean REALLY LONG) descriptive paragraphs -or even worse, whole chapters- about a place, a feeling, a colour, you name it. I like my books to include a great deal of dialogues and I like them to move along at a good pace, otherwise I get bored after a while. 

How about you? :)

Feel free to leave a comment with the link to your own post or your thoughts. Thanks! xxx