Discussion: Giving a book a second chance


In life it's said that everyone deserves a second chance, so it got me thinking why do I not give books second chances. 

My crimes against not giving books another chance:

Only in the last year I have started to DNF books. Until now I haven't went back and tried to read them again. And recently I have been thinking maybe I should.

If I don't like a certain genre am not going to pick up another book in that genre. But recently I have been thinking maybe I should try a genre I haven't liked in the past based on books in that genre I have read and see if I can maybe find a book I like.

I don't tend to like reading male POV I don't really know why may be its because as a grown woman I can connect with a girls POV more. Maybe I should give it a second chance and read a few more male POV books.

Lastly if a book is compared to another book I don't like am generally not going to pick it up but thats not fair to that book it could be similar but have aspects I do like. So why not give it a second chance?

What are your thoughts on giving books a second chance? I want to think more now before I by pass a book and think why do I not want to read that book, is it a genuine reason or am I just being picky and judgemental. Let me know your thoughts below!

6 comments

  1. Generally I don't give a book a 2nd chance because if I quit reading it it was normally because I just didn't care and there are way too many great books out there. I will pick up a book again if I feel like the reason it didn't click was because it just wasn't the book for me at that time (a light book when I'm feeling more serious or vice versa). There are a few books I should retry because they were from a different genre that I didn't read at all at the time but have gotten more used to it now and might like them better.

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  2. I think sometimes you do need to give a book/genre/author a second chance but there are times when you know something is not right for you! I was like you and I used to never DNF but I DNF all the time now -- life is too short to read bad books! I think it's important to do your research -- maybe read a few reviews and/or see what your GR friends have rated a certain book before giving it a second chance. Great post!

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  3. Honestly, I'm such a passionate person that there are little gray areas when I'm reading something. I either love with a passion or I hate it with a passion. I sometimes think that I was a little harsh on a book, especially in the YA area. Or I tend to paint the whole genre as awful, without acknowledging that there are some great books in that genre, and I haven't just found the right one for me yet.

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  4. I think this is an interesting idea - however because there are so many books out there that I want to read, I would rather devote my time to them than pick up a book I previously DNF. However I would certainly be open to trying books I haven't read - even if they have been compared to books I didn't like. I say this because until your between the pages, you never truly know what the books about, or how it could make you feel. But great post - it really made me pause and think.

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  5. Good for you for DNFing! I am SO bad at it. I can only think of a few times where I almost DNFed and the book DID get better- but so, SOOOO many times where it did not! But, I think if the reason you're hesitant to try is because it's outside your comfort zone, it really could be worth a shot. And then if you find yourself consistently NOT liking that type of book, you'll know just to avoid it all together! Great topic!!

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  6. I once did not want to finish the book i recommended on Five Year Blogoversary giveaway post, it was night time when i read The Woman In White and i was so scared. But i persevered and now it is one of my favorite books! I think you should consider giving books a second chance. From personal experience, it was quite satistifying not to give up on books and to find out it was a great pleasure to read it all in the end.
    I'm currently reading Sense and Sensibility which started unexciting for me but i will keep reading it.

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