For me – boredom.
And if we think about it, what makes a book boring?
I think it’s more common to come across this in non-fiction genres. Sometimes an author gets too academic and throws in too much stats and research and loses the point (and my attention and interest along with it). Or I simply don’t find the remaining chapters relevant for the purpose of why I picked up the book in the first place.
But I hardly ever not finish a fiction book. Especially considering that my fiction genre is romance almost exclusively. How hard can it be to hit all the right spots in a romance novel? All I’m looking for is a) boy meets girl, b) some ups and downs in the relationship, c) they realize they are in love with each other, and d) a happily ever after. Sometimes throw in some steamy scenes, some quirky side characters, maybe some mystery or family problems or childhood angst, and you’ve got a winner.
With my recent binge from Stuff my Kindle day though, I’ve had to park 2 books in my DNF (did not finish) folder. I dissected the reasons:
One book was icky – hero propositions his employee (the heroine) while still working through his divorce (in other words, still married). Sexual scenes introduced too early in the story. It didn’t give me a very good feeling about where the plot (or lack thereof) was going and I simply didn’t have the heart to go on. And I really didn’t like the hero and heroine to begin with.
The other book was simply written in too much of a narrative with little dialog. As I read paragraph after paragraph, I could hear the mantra of the book Made to Stick sounding in my mind: “Show, don’t tell”, which is a key principle to good writing. The author’s writing style was an excellent example of telling and not showing. And now I really understood why it is so important to “Show, don’t tell.”
So there – reasons why I don’t finish a book: bored by the content, characters, plot, or writing style.
How about you? What makes you give up before you reach the final page?
Rin Ranger 