tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post2193177734818686331..comments2024-02-17T17:59:25.010+10:00Comments on Christian Writers Downunder: Do you finish every book you read?Jeanette O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11057798704247611224noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-8739316732739789152021-05-05T14:58:37.215+10:002021-05-05T14:58:37.215+10:00Hi Meredith,
I wonder how many books we have to h...Hi Meredith, <br />I wonder how many books we have to have under our belt that we regret finishing before we can turn to the other side. Also, our TBR piles are calling out to us. These days, I'm all for searching to discover as many of those good, engaging books as possible. Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-64127462639788009932021-05-05T08:23:10.682+10:002021-05-05T08:23:10.682+10:00Like you, I used to feel obliged to finish every b... Like you, I used to feel obliged to finish every book to the final page. But as I've got older I've realised it is a waste of time sometimes, sometimes I plan through and find the book improves the further you go, but there are some books where I said to myself this is just ridiculous, and it is a waste of time. I'm about to give up on a book soon because of that. I feel bad of course, but it's frustrating to read such bad plotting and character development. In this book particularly the anachronisms are horrendous. In times past I would've pushed through, but now I'm beginning to think it's not worth it. Thanks for all your thoughts. Meredith Rescehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13119649437940781847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-70616301554882062642021-05-04T08:25:37.965+10:002021-05-04T08:25:37.965+10:00Good on you, Heather. I read Vanity Fair for the f...Good on you, Heather. I read Vanity Fair for the first time last year during the earliest Covid lockdowns. I really enjoyed it, although I'm not sure I would have felt the same way as a Year 10 student. Sometimes we change our opinions down the track 😊Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-47829624112924511012021-05-03T20:59:31.230+10:002021-05-03T20:59:31.230+10:00Thank you for this, Paula. I usually finish books ...Thank you for this, Paula. I usually finish books even though sometimes the start might be a bit slow. The one I really struggled with was Thackeray’s “Vanity Fair”. We had to read it as a school novel in probably about Year 10. I landed it again in Victorian Literature at University, so I worked my way through it that time. I remember we were in the Philippines involved in our ministry there that year and I took it with me and worked my way through it there, reading some each morning when we were free! Heather Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14467749794076917187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-48379792114909514882021-05-03T17:52:41.290+10:002021-05-03T17:52:41.290+10:00Hi Jenny,
You've reminded me of a maxim I trie...Hi Jenny,<br />You've reminded me of a maxim I tried to encourage my kids to take on board. A pastor once challenged us all to try to glean something good from every message we'd hear from the pulpit. (He said, 'If God could speak through a donkey, he can speak through me') So I tried to apply that same rule for every book they read, first with homeschooling and later Open Access College.<br /><br />I'm not sure how it's stuck with them, but I got a surprising lot of fun out of it. Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-26124377711491028542021-05-03T17:48:41.997+10:002021-05-03T17:48:41.997+10:00Hi Mazzy,
I think sometimes we were brought up wit...Hi Mazzy,<br />I think sometimes we were brought up with the feeling that starting any book is the same as making a firm commitment, which might be enough to make young readers tremble at the outset.<br /><br />I have a similar 'didn't grab me' stack to yours, and even now they can stir up a bit of guilt. And alas, even now I face some 'have to reads' since I'm returning yet again to formal study. But I think you're right when you say that they help us appreciate the stunners. Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-35908217417015256082021-05-03T17:43:55.056+10:002021-05-03T17:43:55.056+10:00Hi Jo,
Well said! And good on you for figuring tha...Hi Jo,<br />Well said! And good on you for figuring that out at a young age. I'm the same with classics and best sellers. So true about Tolkien too. He was reading long before the 21st century, and way before certain books which shall remain nameless have gone down in history for having the highest numbers of donations to second hand shops, haha :) Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-16895332041811497492021-05-03T17:38:05.944+10:002021-05-03T17:38:05.944+10:00As a kid I used to think I *had* to finish every b...As a kid I used to think I *had* to finish every book I started. However, one day I realised (still as a kid) that there were too many *good* books in the world to waste my time on *bad* ones.<br />If it has been recommended or is a classic, I will stick it out a little longer, but even then it might get DNF.<br />As for Tolkien's view... Well, books on the whole were generally a lot better written back then! Jo Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07545110963684632667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-27108150198032972021-05-03T10:37:12.116+10:002021-05-03T10:37:12.116+10:00Thanks for your post, Paul - thoughtful as always....Thanks for your post, Paul - thoughtful as always. For many decades, I always finished a book once I started it. And a it was rare book that I didn't enjoy from the reading assignments in school English or at Uni (which I read cover to cover). <br /><br />I will confess, in recent years there are books I haven't finished - some I'll probably get back to and some I won't bother because they were too painful to read for one reason or another. On the whole though, I have rarely regretted finishing a book even if the beginning didn't wow me or if parts of it were not easy reading. (Wuthering Heights might be one exception.) Maybe it is to complete the story, but also because even the mediocre books add to my understanding of the world. Jeanette O'Haganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11057798704247611224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-86325013099167853652021-05-03T08:10:13.518+10:002021-05-03T08:10:13.518+10:00I still regret the time necessarily expended on a ...I still regret the time necessarily expended on a couple of study books, though I take great pleasure now in gleefully extolling their horrid lack of virtues. Perhaps by persisting with the occasional ugly tome, we better appreciate the absolute stunners that do exist out there!<br /><br />Historically I've been a bit of a stickler, but these days, if the book hasn't captured my attention early on, I tend to let it go. As you say, there are so many great books out there waiting to be discovered and read.<br /><br />Thanks for exploring the issue, Paula. I feel like I've received permission to feel less guilty about ignoring the 'didn't grab me enough to finish' stack that have been staring at me just in case ... <br />Mazzy Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03945841786696357456noreply@blogger.com