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Why You Shouldn't Read Books You Don't Like

My reasons for taking the opposing stance on this long-debated topic for book lovers.

By Michaela Decker-LawrencePublished 5 years ago 6 min read
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Photo by Ed Robertson on Unsplash

In college, I had a roommate who was an avid reader and book collector. Our dorm room overflowed with piles and boxes of books. Personally, as a book lover myself, I didn't mind this. Believe it or not, she and I were both English majors, and the contents of the books we read often fueled our many conversations. In addition to discussions and geek-outs over the stories we loved, we also had several talks about the act of reading itself, and literature impacted our lives. Although these discussions were often celebrations of authors and their contribution of great stories to the world, they also revealed some key differences in the ways that different book lovers consume literature and think about the ways in which it is to be enjoyed.

One of our primary disagreements stemmed from an underrated question that readers have been debating for years: Should you finish every book you start? We've all been there before. It's the moment when you have begun to read a book only to discover that it's terribly written, dull, disjointed, or that you just plain hate it. For some, there can be a lot of pressure in such a situation to finish the book regardless of personal feeling. To close it and give up would be quitting, and you're not a quitter. Right?

To all of you that found yourselves nodding in concurrence with the previous sentence, I respectfully disagree. Reading a piece of literature that you do not enjoy from beginning to end should be a task solely designated for students and professional researchers. Let me tell you why forcing yourself to finish every book you start will have ultimately negative affects on your life experience.

The Investment of Time

No matter how much you enjoy reading, or how fast you read, all books that you read require a portion of your time. Now in my mid-twenties, I have come to realize that time is one of our most valuable, and most scarce resources. It is not a thing to waste. Keep that in mind when you're reading any book for the first time. Don't hesitate to ask yourself, "Is this worth my time?" "Do I want to spend hours of my life on this?"

At the risk of bringing a slightly morbid tone to this post, life is short. Life is also full of obligations, like work and everyday chores. If you're like most readers, reading books is an activity that you do mostly within the confines of your free time. Because your reading will mostly take place within the time that has been predesignated for your enjoyment of life, make sure that you're enjoying what you're reading! We only have a certain amount of time in life to do and read what we want.

This brings me to my next reason for closing the cover on a bad book.

There Are So Many Good Books

In the midst of all the books that have somehow reached the shelves despite subpar plots or writing, there are several nuggets of literary gold. J.K. Rowling once said, "If you don't like reading, you haven't found the right book." I could not agree more with Rowling on this topic. Too often a few poorly written, disjointed, or just ill-fitted (to the reader) books ruin reading for people who would otherwise grow to love their experiences with literature of they had simply read better examples of it. For those of us who already love books, we have our favorites, and we are well aware that some books are better than others. So why waste time reading a bad book when there are so many good ones that you could be reading instead?

The time and energy you spend on reading a book you don't enjoy could always go to the far better use of reading a book that you love! Spend your time reading all of the good books in the library, and on the bookstore shelves simply sitting there, waiting to be enjoyed, and maybe even to change your life.

Someone Else Who Doesn't Have a Copy Might Like It Better

It goes without saying that what constitutes a "good book" versus a "bad book" is sometimes a matter of quality and substance, and other times it is a matter of personal opinion. (That is why I have entitled this post Why You Shouldn't Read Books You Don't Like, rather than Why You Shouldn't Read Bad Books. Your personal feelings and response matters when it comes to deciding whether or not a book is for you). With that in mind, you will realize that a book that seems awful to you might become a favorite for someone else. So why hold onto books that you don't like?

If you don't already donate books that you will no longer be using to a used book store, thrift store, or library, I encourage you to start! These establishments allow for a more widespread and equal access to books for the general public. If you've got a copy of a book you don't care to finish, or will never read again, give someone else the chance to give it a try!

Bottom line: If you're reading a book that you don't like, stop reading it and donate it so that someone who may just enjoy it can read it instead.

The Lasting Impact

Those of us who have been avid readers for several years are familiar with the way that the things we read stay in our minds with the potential to impact our lives forever. It may sound dramatic, but the things you read really do have the power to change you, and how you see the world. Through choosing what we read, we get to choose our lasting influences. It is a part of deciding who we are, and who we will become. It is not a decision that is to be taken lightly.

If you love to read, then you probably have many friends that you've bonded with over the fact that they like the same books that you do. Perhaps quotes and references to books tend to pop up in your daily conversation. You might even find yourself comparing the people that you know to book characters, and using those comparisons to describe them to other people. Books are one of the many elements that affect how we think and behave. If we enjoy something that we read, we will probably remember it for a long time—sometimes even forever.

Taking this into consideration, why would you bother with books that don't deserve space in your conversation and in your memory? If you know that a book isn't going to make a positive difference in your life, it may make a negative one. If you find yourself reading a book that's having a bad effect on your emotional health, it's especially important to remove yourself from the experience. Make sure that the books you fill your time with are comprised of content that you want to remember, think about, and talk about for years to come!

In Closing...

... Reading books that you don't like is a detrimental and wasteful use of time that can even put your emotional/mental well-being at risk. Use your cherished reading time for books that are well written, entertaining, meaningful, substantial, and worth sharing with the people in your life! If you do, you will almost certainly find your free time, and your overall life experience to be more enriching, and more fun.

Until next time,

MDL

literature
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About the Creator

Michaela Decker-Lawrence

Born and raised in Upstate NY I am a writer, a poet, a dairy-free cook, a wife, a daughter, a reader, a believer, and a story teller.

I love to imagine. I hate to pretend.

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