I love the title of this video because Mara in her Accountant Era has entered the chat.

The older I get the more pro-DNFing I get because you are right and life is just too short

@traceysmith311

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Life is definitely too short to read bad books.

Watching BookTube gave me the confidence to DNF. I was forcing myself to slog through everything I started because I was a "serious" reader. Seeing other people who are serious about their books DNF was so incredibly freeing!

I usually note my DNFs because I usually make monthly TBR lists and it's interesting to see if I do end up DNFing books on those lists. I think whether it counts as a book read is such a personal and subjective thing that I don't really care enough to consider it lol

thanks for mentioning the self harm in the midnight library!! I've never heard anyone talk about that being an element before and it was a book i wanted to read but I cannot handle self harm content at all haha so best not honestly. a bit sad bc the it's a wonderful life / sliding doors styling concept was super intriguing to me but better to not destroy my mental health haha ty for making me aware

I used to think a lot about if dnfing counted as reading and all that, but some small changes in my reading habits made me completely ignore it. First change was abandoning goodreads for good and using only storygraph, because it has an dnfed option, I don't have to choose if it counts as read or not, it's a dnf and that's all. Second one was starting daily page goals and consequently caring more about pages read than books read, so having a book count towards read is less important than having its pages count and putting it as read would actually mess up my page count! Because it would count the pages I didn't read as read! That's pretty scandalous to me.

I noticed on Kindle that most of my DNF's were happening around the 30% mark. There is a definitely a gear shift which has to happen after the opening of a book into the dreaded middle bit. I think it is really easy for writers to muck that transition up which is why so many of my DNF's happen around that 30% mark. They tend to happen for one of two reasons. My suspension of disbelief has failed. Or the stakes have revealed themselves to be too high for my mood, I just don't want to be stabbed in the heart at that moment. I don't review DNF's if it is the second issue, no author should be penalised for making me feel too much. I will usually review books where my suspension of disbelief has failed, give them a two or three star, make it clear I did not finish and explain what bumped me out of the story because I think that is what reviews are for.

Thank you for talking about The Midnight Library and some of the issues that aren't talked about that the book is truly about. I kinda finished it, skimmed through the last third and thought, wtf? No.

Love the color of your blouse on you!! I agree about life being too short not to DNF. I normally only count them (or discuss them on my vlogs) if I have read over 100 pages. If I DNF in the first chapter or two, I don't bother to rate it on GRs either. Sometimes I feel like it's more of the mood that I am in at the moment, or that the writing style just didn't work for me, so I don't want to rate a book just on such a short snippet of the overall story. It's absolutely freeing to DNF a book rather than fall into a reading slump!!

I used to be one of those people who had to read the whole thing. Only to realize that meant I was reading less and less because my joy for reading was drying up because I was forcings myself to read things I hated. The older I become, the more I realize DNFing a book, is the smart thing to do, as you say life is too short. Reading should be a joy and for fun, I find that my love of reading has returned. I have found that most of my DNF is around the 30% to 50% range. Will not touch The Midnight Library, I was interested before I heard all about the triggers that it can set off. I really wish people would be smarter when recommending a book with such themes as it can have a devastating effect on people that aren't prepared to go in.

I DNF now because at my age I don’t have the patience or time for poorly written books. I’ve decided to not read The Midnight Library after this review and a few other book tubers reviews. I liked The Girl on the Train but hated the ending of Gone Girl. Also this review has me thinking to not let too much time go by before reading the next book of a series. I think I could have the same problem with not getting into it.

I read the midnight library and enjoyed it. However, I went in somewhat blindly (as I do with most books) so when I found out that the book essentially revolves around an attempted suicide I was shocked. I thought it was my fault because I didn’t read the synopsis. But when I read the synopsis I realized it’s not mentioned there, which I honestly find to be irresponsible. I also believe it is recommended too loosely.

I finished the midnight library. I enjoyed it because I'm going through a lot and put in perspective that it's not always better with things we thought we wanted and things can be better. At first I did think I wouldn't like it because of the self harm part also.

I only even count a book as a DNF if I've read at least 50 pages/listened to the first hour. If I pick it up and it's immediately not doing anything for me by the first chapter or two I just move on and don't mark it anywhere. I do mark my DNFs separate from my finished list, mostly because there are always a few I think I could enjoy/finish at a different time. Also trying to get much more liberal about DNF-ing as I'm starting to read more, it used to be I had so little time to pleasure read that my tbr was much more curated/picky and I never felt a need to DNF. I actually think it's helping me curate my taste even more, and I always love videos like this where other people explain their reasoning because it's so informative for how we all read

If I’ve read 10 pages and I’m not feeling it, I put it down and try another time. I have so many fantastic books I want to read, I don’t waste time. I also have only so much time in a day to read, because I have brain fog and it gets worse as the day goes on. So that’s another reason I won’t waste my precious reading time on a book I’m not feeling.

This year my goal was to start dnfing books and its been so cathartic. I have ocd and have a hard time not finishing things so it takes me a second to work up to dnfing things now that I've decided to do it but when I do I feel so much better

Thank you so much for talking content warnings on midnight library! I have this on my tbr and had NO idea 🤷‍♀️

This probably is the wrong video to mention this but based on your recommendations I gave the psy changeling series you mention I’m about half way through and i love it thanks totally gonna read book 2

I would love to hear about bookish podcasts you enjoy!

I do a lot of "soft DNF's," meaning I decide I'm just not into that book at that moment, which I can usually tell within the first few chapters. I rarely fully give up on a book.

Absolutely, positively, 100%, over enthusiastically, agree with your description of Olivie Blake's writing. I didn't attempt The Atlas Six (and I won't be unless I'm feeling masochistic that day) but I did try to read Alone With You in the Ether. And I had to DNF that so hard because of precisely what you said!

Love your intro!

I don't count DNFS as a read book (unless I would get to 70+% maybe which never happens) but write down / track the pages read. I add them to my spreadsheet but as an actual DNF and with a "not rated" score, this way my ⭐️ratings don't take a hit. I also only use storygraph and not goodreads and on SG you can actually mark them as not finished and don't have to give them a rating either

I was a person who didn't DNF, but I have started to. I do have it on my spreadsheet because I just am curious to see how many books I DNF in the year. So I am counting all of them. But I don't consider them books read, they are their own distinction. I usually give a book 5 chapters if it doesn't pull me in by then we are putting it in the DNF shelf on Goodreads. That is usually about 20% in. I will probably count anything past chapter one. I don't rate DNF though so I will probably end the year with less 1 to 2 star books which is fine with me.

It speaks favourably to your emotional intelligence that you can really struggle with Matt Haig's The Midnight Library but also point out the strengths of his presentation and writing. I recently DNFed Richard Osman's. I read 100 of the 400 or so pages, so around 25%. Everyone else seems to love him!

I completely agree about DNFing when necessary (life IS too short!), and while I’m actually part of the OCD group and having to finish things once I start them, I am getting better about leaning more toward the DNF camp these days. However, had I DNFd the book I was reading yesterday, I wouldn’t have found myself sobbing through the last couple chapters…. Still on the fence if it’s something I’d recommend since it took me so long to get through but, in the end, it paid off to stick it out.

Life is too short to not DNF!!! But when I'm not liking a book (especially if I had high hopes for it and am somewhat invested), I am a great skimmer! ( and yes I do count it as read, and very seldom does it get more than a 3* :) Totally agree on Olivie Blake.

Yep. Right on track here. Thanx for tip on Nora Roberts as Im working my way thru series and appreciate CW. Agree 100 on Midnight Library. Never recommend it. But we diverge on Ruby Dixon. I tried. Almost knocked myself unconscious rolling my eyes. Just not for me. Also had to give up finishing Stephanie Plum series when SmartFriend pointed out comment Ranger made on hopelessness of her life of eternal teenager. Wow. Nailed it. Currently reading all of Abby Jimenez and really enjoying. Her ability to write tricky convos is brilliant

First DNF this year and it was very cathartic. I have zero regrets and it definitely made my reading more pleasant not trudging through books that aren’t for me

I have gotten much better at DNF'ing books and my average ratings are also up. I don't log a DNF in my personal log, but I do have a shelf for them on Goodreads. I am also getting better at picking books to begin with so I have not had many DNF's lately.

I track my DNF's but I don't count them towards my total books of the year. Like I made an exclusive shelf on Goodreads so I can keep them in the same place (because do you know how many times I've almost picked up a book I already discarded??), but if I actually feel strongly enough then it will turn into a hate read so I can comfortably give it a 1 star. I think I have an internal limit with hate reads, though, because I've never had more than 3 of those in a year. But I've been playing around with The StoryGraph, and as far as I can tell, it'll still count the pages I've read when I mark something DNF, which matters more to me.

I find that i am more likely to DNF a book if its really long. If a book is short i will keep reading even if I'm having a shit time. I suppose i hold longer books to a higher standard

Life is definitely too short to continue reading something you don't like. Usually I give a book 75 or so pages before I DNF and don't count it as read.

I will continue holding out hope for a scythe reread 🤞

I agree 100 % with your assessment of Desperation in Death. I too skim read it to finish it but, unlike most of the rest of the J.D.Robb books, it is not a keeper as I will never read it again as the subject matter was awful. As a longtime fan and collector of Nora Roberts/ J.D. Robb I am saddened to realise I no longer look forward eagerly to her new releases. Sadly my list of auto buy authors continues to shrink and the only author I read on the day of release is Ilona Andrews. There are other authors whose new releases I still buy but they tend to be added to my TBR pile. I have decided that life is too short to waste time finishing books which don’t engage me.

If I don't finish it, I don't.count it as read.. I was surprised you didn't like The Midnight Library. It was one of my favorite books last year. I guess that since I am pushing 70, I am not triggered by the suicidal thoughts of a young woman. There have been so many suicides of young people that I know, that I read this to increase my understanding. The multiple lives did go beyond what I thought was believable that one person could be capable of, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. I read it for my library book club, and I enjoyed that discussion, too. My taste isn't too sophisticated. I need to take a Literature class someday. I was afraid to take Literature when I was getting my Accounting degree many years ago.

I have DNF's and DNF's for now piles My DNF'S for now pile is books I couldn't get into because I started reading them if stressed at work, tired, or sick. So I put them aside for a few weeks or months then tackle them when I'm in the mood to read (Anna Karenina and The Color Purple were former DNF's for now..and later became books I read/loved).

Omg A Lesson in Vengeance was not good. The author kept name-dropping which drove me crazy. And i hated The Atlas Six too!!! How does everyone else love it so much???

I'm sad to hear that you didn't have a good experience with Simon R Green. I love him, but I have Not read that book from him. I read his Nightside and Drood series. 😏 Alice Feeney and Paula Hawkins are Not for me. I DNF'D Atlas Six too. I DNF liberally. Books typically get a 75 page -entertain me time frame. If they don't I put it down and move on. My TBR list is long and my time is Finite. 😉 I don't count them as read though. And once an author gets 3 DNF's they are dead to me.☠️ (Coleen Hoover, Sarah J Mass😂)🤷‍♀️ What can I say, I'm an exacting 📙 mistress.🤣

I wish I DNFd The Midnight Library. It felt like a waste of my time and I just really didn't enjoy it. It was super overhyped and, you're right, everyone recommends it.

Thank you for the trigger warning for Tge Midnight Library.

I don’t count DNFs among my read books for the year, but if I read a good chunk of a book before DNFing, I’ll still write a review on Goodreads (usually a very long and ranty one 😂).

I thought the pretentious writing style was kinda the point in The Atlas Six, but IMO this comes down to issues with dark academia in general. The label is often applied in such an after-market way that it’s impossible to know what you’re getting from book to book.

I had to look up the synopsis of Rock Paper Sizzors after you explained how bad it was and oof, no lies, that's pretty obsurd.

I finished Midnight Library but wished I DNFd! Also DNFd The Atlas Six at about 70pgs purely for the writing! Interesting premise but my GOD it was so over written! I will never understand it’s popularity 😭

Ive seen people not like the midnight library

re: Arc of the Scythe- while I really enjoyed Thunderhead I DNF'd The Toll. Overall I don't think the series is worth reading further.

I don't ever count dnfs because that would be too bleak. I do it way too often. The kinds of stories I like to read are either not very common or not very popular (so they're hard to find) and like you I'm fussy about writing styles. BTW I notice a theme in the styles you don't like if you're thinking of picking up the last tale of the flower bride you may want to pick up a sample first.

A good reason to DNF-if you persist with a book-you may end up in a reading slump.

Welp I’m taking Lessons In Vengeance of my TBR. No amount of lesbianism is enough for me to overcome over dramatic writing. I don’t count my DNFs towards my year end total, but I usually DNF before 10% so they don’t even make it onto goodreads/storygraph.

This is the first video I've watched from you & I can already see we're on the same page ... page ... haha ... I'll see myself out. 😅

@bookslikewhoa

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Hahaha welcome!!! 😹

I DNF regularly. I don’t make it past the first page. 😂 I don’t officially count them as read on my Goodreads but I will say I read a book I dnf’d in casual conversation. I don’t think it matters if you dnf after 1 page or 100. If you read a little bit of it, it still counts.

I dnf'd The Midnight Library because it felt too much like reading a self help book and I'm not a fan at all of the self help genre.

I have absolutely no problem DNF'g a book

If I skim, I count it as read. I liked Rock Paper Scissors.

For me, I don’t count any dnf books in my yearly reads. I have to say that I rarely hate books so I don’t dnf often. I really do enjoy even slow paced slice of life books so rarely do I really hate books. I will tell you that I hated Ruby Dixon who I know you love so I dnf’d ice planet Barbarians early in the game…she just isn’t for me but that’s okay as we are all different with different reading tastes. Nothing is right or wrong in my opinion…it’s just what appeals to the individual reader.

I read the Midnight Library, but wasn't impressed with it. I don't DNF very often, but when I do, it's usually for wooden dialogue, excessive use of dialect, and characters that are too over the top.

oh man, I wish I would have dnfed The Midnight Library as well. I was so angry with his portrayal and negative opinions on medication and the whole "just believe you'll get better" message the whole book has. It's incredibly angering and I have visceral reactions when I see it recommended.

@asmrbookishness

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Ooo, thanks for mentioning that. I was going to keep it on my TBR because I am one of those people who likes reading other people’s ideation because it makes me feel less alone but I am vehemently against shaming people for their meds. You cannot just will yourself into good mental health.

I only count DNFs if I read most of them. I only rate them if the reason why left me with a very strong opinion.

Team DNF!!

Desperation in Death adds very little to the macro-plot and it was disturbing. Not an enjoyable read. I wish I skipped it.

I finished the Midnight Library, but I remember how triggering it was for the first third (until the polar bear stuff). And the payoff wasn't that great, so I personally wouldn't recommend it to anyone either.

I DNFed "What Have We Done" by Alex Finlay (so boring didn't care). I also DNFed "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing" by Matthew Perry. I couldn't handle the incessant references to how much money he made. I also couldn't stand his attempts at "Chandler Banter" which fell flat and wasn't funny or whitty at all. It was annoying 12 year old boy BS.

@CherylanneFarley

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Oh yeah on Perry book. Was consumed by jealously at his incredible good fortune and massive privilege. Multimillions of people dont even have ONE privilege and he had money fame loving family unlimited tries at rehab etc

I DNFd The Atlas Six because I found it pretentious.

I completely agree on all points re Midnight Library. I felt like I was trapped in the movie Groundhog Day with a whiney protagonist and it made me nuts. Then, I was puzzled why with all the hype around this book, sickening sweet, did no one mention a trigger warning? Just unbelievable on many levels.