The case for quitting books that aren't serving you
It took me over eight years to get comfortable with the concept of not finishing a book, also known as DNF (Did Not Finish). And then another two years to get comfortable enough to actually DNF regularly. I am not alone. Over the years, I have interacted with many readers who tell me, solemnly and with fervent intensity, that they cannot DNF. However, it changed my reading life. I am not being hyperbolic when I say that DNFing my books has been the number one strategy I have used to enhance my joy of reading and to discover what I love and want more of in my reading life.
I can’t remember when I first encountered Anne’s recommendation to DNF a book. As I said, it was at least 10 years ago. But my hackles immediately rose. Not finish a book? There was no way I could EVER do that. First, it was pure laziness. How could I not finish what I had started? I was no quitter. Second, it was disrespectful. Authors pour their heart and soul into their writing (I know I do), how could I not honor their work and finish? Third, it would be a waste of time to stop. I’d already spent at least a couple of hours on this title and I will never get that time back. I might as well finish. And finally, if I didn’t finish the book, then it didn’t “count.”
At the beginning of 2024, I started a personal reading project to have 80% of my books for the year be 4 or 5-star reads. I quickly realized that I was not going to be successful in this project if I completed every book I started and I was forced to fully embrace the concept of the DNF. It amazes me how often my reading life is a microcosm of my nonreading life; I have been doing a lot of work, including therapy, around interrogating the voices in my head that tell me what I “should” do at every turn. Including my reading. Somehow, I allowed a confluence of forces of murky origin to convince me that it was wrong to not finish a book.
Over the last year, I identified the two main attitudes that stopped me from DNFing a book. First, the belief that if I didn’t finish a book, it didn’t count. Count for what? And who said it couldn’t? Who is making up the rules in my reading life? Second, the idea that I might as well finish. You can almost hear the accompanying sigh. There is no joy. There is no enthusiasm. There is no curiosity. There is only resignation.
In therapy, this 45-year-old is learning that I am the boss of me. I get to decide what I want to do and I get to make the rules. Especially in my reading life. If I even want rules. To combat the idea that a DNF book didn’t count, I created another list where I kept a record of the books that I began reading and did not finish. In 2024, my count stood at 47.
I tried everything I thought I might be interested in, knowing that I didn’t have to finish it if I didn’t want to. I DNF’d book two of a very popular series when I confirmed with a friend that the main character’s emotional growth was slower than I could handle. This further confirmed to me that most Young Adult novels aren’t a good fit for me. I stopped reading a book by a favorite author when it became evident that I was already familiar with the concepts they wrote about since I listened to their podcast regularly. My willingness to try new works caused me to read one of the most eerie, atmospheric, haunting reads of my life that will stay with me forever. My percentage of 4 to 5-star reads for the year was 73%, a percentage that would not have been attained without the DNF.
And as for that resigned sigh over finishing books just for the sake of finishing them? Well, I refuse to live my reading life that way any longer. There is too much going on in the world right now that I have no control over. From politics to natural disasters to the many physical and mental challenges encountered by my friends and family, not to mention my own, there is enough to sigh over. My reading life is not going to be one of them.
What about you? Do you DNF books? Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I still feel like I should finish a book but then I remember my lessons learned and press on. Have I talked you into giving it a try? Please tell me in the comments.
P.S. A trick for when you’re in a reading rut and book journaling tools for every reader.
About the author
Shannan Malone is the MMD Cohost and Contributor. Her go-to genre depends on her mood! You can find Shannan on Instagram @shannanenjoyslife.
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22 comments
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Meagan Maher says:
I DNF books ever since a string of terrible ones put me into a bad reading slump. Reading should not be a form of punishment!
Shannan says:
Agreed Meagan. Thank you for sharing.
Amen! I’ve read vicariously all my teenage and adult life–I’m approaching 70. I’ve always been a DNF type person and now that I’m in the later years of my life–it’s too short to read something I’m not thoroughly loving!! I just flew through Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty–I could not stop reading! Great post!
Shannan says:
Thank you Janna. Happy reading.
Juli Pushnack says:
Thank you, thank you. I am going to try this method.
Anne B says:
I never used to but several years ago now I started. I usually give a book 100 pages. However, there have been a few that don’t even make it that far. I have encouraged other book reading friends to DNF. I tell them it’s so freeing and LIFE is short with too many other good/great books TBR!
Kerri C says:
Excellent article! Thank you for sharing your insights on the subject. I was just telling a friend how often I have begun to DNF books that are not giving me joy. Who knew???
Bernadette says:
I love the idea of keeping a DNF list. Partly because I track my finished reads by date. And when there’s a week or more that passes without finishing a book, it seems as if I’m not reading. But actually I’ve just started and abandoned 2-3 books in that period. I find that when I love what I’m reading I look for time to read. When I’m not loving what I’m reading, I avoid reading. Anyway, (at 46) I loved everything about this article. Thank you!
Carolyn Todd says:
Great post! I frequently DNF books that have bogged me down but I always read the end before I give up completely. I have nothing to lose at that point and sometimes I’ve gone on and finished the book (not often though).
There are too many good books out there waiting to be read that are a good fit for me to waste time reading ones that don’t hold my interest. I think I have gotten better about choosing the right books for me, but I have no issues with DNFing a book if it’s not to my liking, whether it’s a “not now” or “not ever” book.
Sonia G says:
Bravo and amen! I am trying to learn to DNF also but it’s still hard to do. Thanks for the idea of keeping a list of them, that might just make it easier.
Kim C says:
I remember throwing a book (paperback, no one was injured) by a famous author across the room when the protagonist did something so stupid no one would do it. You could see the she was going to suffer miserably for most of the rest of the novel. Ugh. But – only three years ago I started a fun little series thinking I would read all the books. Twenty plus books later, I begrudgingly read the last few. Similar plots, characters had already fully developed, you knew all the tricks. But I’d invested soooooo much! So I finished. Sigh. Thanks for the reminder I can use a DNF strategy – plus there are books I would love to re-read! So I could substitute one of those for one I DNF!
Kathleen says:
I once saw the rule of 100. Give a book 100 minus your age pages. Time is too precious to waste.
Echoing what others are saying…there is always a book I really want to read out there..and it may not be what I am actually reading. I’ve gotten to a place where unless its a book for my neighborhood book club, I don’t power through anymore. The way I feel after finishing a book I loved and one that was a meh…is night and day. I’m not going to love love them all and that’s fine. But if I have not much enthusiasm and it becomes a chore…. I have 200 more on my physical shelf to choose from. Ha.
Stacy Bernard says:
Life is too short to spend time slogging through a book you are not enjoying!!! Too many other books out there to enjoy/read. I do not hesitate to DNF!!!
Lucy says:
I’ve also started a DNF list. That said, there are other books that I finish that would be better on the DNF. I’m working on it!
Connie H says:
Shannan, I could have written this post. The things you used to tell yourself and EXACTLY what has kept me from DNFing books. It’s still hard, I’m a work in process, but I’m trying to DNF books this year. I love the idea of keeping track of the books you DNF – that way, in my head, I still get “credit” for it. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your journey.
Tracy N Dye says:
I absolutely use the DNF. Life is too short and there’s too many books to keep reading what you don’t enjoy.
Candace H says:
I just DNF’d an audiobook with about 60% completed today. It’s still hard for me to do, but I wish it had become a practice much earlier in my life. Good for you, Shannan!
Guest says:
Midlife has also made me a DNFer. Well, I guess I was always willing to DNF but it has made me a more assertive DNFer. I have a slightly different bent on what I do when I am not enjoying a book. First, I ask myself if I think it’s just not resonating at the moment. For example, I tried two different times as an adult to get into How to Kill a Mockingbird and just could not. Then in my 30s a friend I respected said it was her favorite book. Mentally, I thought, okay, you’ve got to give it another go. That time I whipped through it and found it an incredible read. For whatever reason, my 20s weren’t the time for it but my 30s were. Another time I started reading a book that I quickly realized was about a dog with a brain tumor. I had, mere months prior, had to have my beloved dog put down because of a brain tumor. Way too soon and too traumatic for me.
Second – and I realize this is anathema to many people – I do not like to feel suspense. AT ALL. Since childhood I will read the ending of a book if the suspense is too much for me and then finish reading the entire book. What does this have to do with DNFing? If I have decided I don’t want to read the rest of the book, I’ll skip to the end to see what happened and that’s my closure. Done. Finito.
Happy reading!
Alexandra says:
I loved this article! I am a voracious reader and have been all my life. Now in my 60s I still struggle to allow myself the “gift” of putting a book in the DNF pile. I am getting better though because life is too short and there are too many amazing books out there to slog through one I am not enjoying.
I appreciate the suggestion of keeping a DNF list. I will definitely start doing that and I think it will make it somewhat easier to let a book go!
Kristen says:
I still remember my first DNF so clearly – choosing to not finish it had as much impact as finishing the best book I’ve ever read! I still struggle with the choice, but this is an empowering message of self governance- thanks for sharing!
Pamela Cherundolo says:
DNFing is easy if you are a tad AD (LOL – Finally, I may be getting the hang of all the initials I am seeing in today’s world!)
Also, getting samples of books for free for my Kindle is a great timesaver. Then, if possible, I get them from my library or from Kindle.
Finally, I have realized that today’s fiction often does not “relate” for me. For example, having loved “…A.J. Fikry”, I rushed to read “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow…”. I tried very hard to like the book. Just could’t do it.