It’s January, so book communities are full of reading-resolutions articles and challenges. This is something I have traditionally ignored.
I’m hugely proud of anyone who sets a goal amount of books for the year, because life is very demanding and carving out the time is an accomplishment in itself, but I’ve never been a numbers person when it comes to reading. I’ve also never managed to make a resolution that involved a specific celebrity’s or club’s reading list without immediately rebelling against it and finding literally anything else more interesting. As soon as it becomes a To Do list, I’m unable to even.
That said, this past year I fell into a rut. When you read and edit in the same genres day in and day out (even when they are your absolute favorites), your brain sometimes refuses to turn off the editor switch. It’s high time to shake the mental snow globe and challenge myself, and I need to make it more playful.
Here’s what I came up with so far:
Exploration
This year, I want to try at least 3 new/long-ignored genres. Trying something new and discovering you love it is one of the best feelings reading has to offer.
I know for some of you the This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me release in March will mark the first foray into isekai/portal fantasy, so the BDH will be with me on this path. For the Horde!
Controversy
I’m deleting my TBR lists.
Ok, take a moment. This is still a safe space. I don’t mean my unread purchased books; sequels and auto-buy authors are also safe.
But the endless Goodreads shelves, bookmarks, and lists that have been accumulating for almost two decades have started to feel less like possibility and more like a pressure that weighs down on my shoulders. I’m a very different person than I was when I started them, they’re chaotically spread all over the place, and I’m realistically never going to catch up. If a book is meant to find me again, it will.
Consider it the reading equivalent of that decluttering trick of turning your hangers around in the closet as you wear the clothes, and donating whatever is left unturned at the end of two years.
Spontaneity
I want to do at least one trust-fall post where I ask for recommendations based on a trope or vibe and then try to read every single book that gets suggested, without being too controlling and selective.
I still love you best of all, but this will probably not happen on the blog. The BDH shows up with thousands of recommendations as soon as Gondor calls for reading aid, and we would still be here next century.
Letting Go of Guilt
At the same time, I want to teach my brain that to DNF is not a sin. Life is too short to finish books you don’t like.
I will give books a fair try, and I will give myself permission to skim, because I know I will still crave closure. But I will no longer force myself to finish because anything else feels illegal.
If you’re a ruthless DNFer, please teach us your ways!
Nostalgic Rereads
As a teenager, I devoured books by South American authors, particularly the Latin American Boom and that distinctive magical realism strain that will forever linger in my brain. García Márquez. Borges. Cortázar. Vargas Llosa. Sabato. I want to reread them with (allegedly) adult eyes and see if the spell still holds and manages to stimulate my reading appetite out of monotony.
Now it’s your turn! The Horde reads a lot and it reads well.
Have you done any of these and how did they go? Will I regret my TBR purge? Is there any reading resolution you’ve made in the past that went particularly well for you? Please brag so we can try it too!
first?
First first of 2026! 🥇
Wow! I’ve never been first before! such an honor 🥲
I used to always finish every book like I was on a mission, but now I’m old and realize life is too short to waste time reading things that don’t either make me happy or expand my mind.
Every book suggested?
Well, personally, Sharon Lee is starting a reread of all the Liaden books, in publication order, and is posting her thoughts on her blog. So I’ve started with her and will continue through all 27+ titles for now.
Happy New Year everyone!
This sounds like fun. I used to love those books.
“I still love you best of all, but this will probably not happen on the blog. The BDH shows up with thousands of recommendations as soon as Gondor calls for reading aid, and we would still be here next century.”
I might have giggled at this sentence. I made a resolution to go through my shelves this year and reread some old favorites that I had not touched in a while. I love doing this as some books read very differently as I get older. My Jane Austin’s are on that list due to her anniversary year.
This is a good resolution, I think I’ll try it.
+1 Jane Austen
TBH Ilona Andrews is the only author I buy new. All other books are from charity shops, friends bookcases or the library! I tend to go on the cover art…… It’s the same way I buy wine, if I like the picture I go for it 😂
This!
Cover art alone brought me to a series that I finished that led me to Kate Daniel’s series via if you like this series try this one list. Literally devoured (dead tree and audio)the complete House Andrews catalog between April and August of 2024. Good cover art for the win!
Cover art was my go to when paperbacks were around $3-$5 in B. Dalton’s and Waldenbooks in the mall! (yep, I am OLD!) I still use it in the library. Now the covers and painted edges are still tempting, but I use Kindle unlimited, Hoopla, and library physical copies to vet them before I buy.
heeheehee. I confess +1.
I’m reading along as well. I just started “Agent of Change” and got sucked in right away.
I’m a long time fan as well and have unearthed Agent of Change. With the knowledge of later books it should be interesting. It’s been years since I’ve reread the entire series. I’m also looking forward to Sharon’s comments as she rereads.
I’ve read almost all their books, but they have disappeared off the market place & the library no longer has any listed. Finally took them off my want list. Just have to re-read the PB’s I have. All the used book stores around here have closed D*** it.
Reply to Kathryn. Please check more e-libraries. I read all of the Liaden books except three from e-libaries. In addition to your local library, check for county libraries and I just found out California has a statewide online library. I also successfully purchased the previous five Constellation collections from online used bookstores. Never give up, Never surrender!
Me too!
Trying to place this as a reply to Sheila. It weirdly showed up at random…
Me too!
And I find this correction hysterical. Happy New Year!
I got caught up in the Liaden Universe recently because Nalini Singh kept recommending them. There are sooo many books and the reading order is kinda hinky but I am enjoying them.
Can’t wean myself from the Liaden Universe, and reading Sharon’s comments about what she likes/dislikes after 30 years and which bits she wrote or Steve wrote is a rare treat.
I’ve never read these books, thanks for the recommendation! I just bought Agents of Change. Fingers are crossed, I fall in love then have 27 new books to read lol
Happy New Year!
There are also multiple short story collections, too. I love the Liaden books (and Sharon’s Carousel books). You are in for a treat. I’m planning on joining Sharon’s read a little late (because I tend to gulp them down). They hold up for many rereads. -Enjoy!
I am finishing off a few that I managed to miss.
I just paid $50 to join the Brooklyn library as an it if state card holder. It’s digital only, but their ebook and audiobook selection is huge
Well, I recently re-read your Hidden Legacy series – and it helped me to deal with a very difficult moment in my life, so I’m very grateful to you for writing it. As far as this year goes, my plans are to read 26+26 books – 26 new ones and 26 re-reads. We’ll see how it goes. 🙂
I’m so happy Hidden Legacy brough you relief! I will pass on to House Andrews 🙂
I’m also going back & re-reading authors/titles that I’ve read before but haven’t picked up in a long time. For a lot of them, it’s been 20+ years (basically since high school) & I want to see how much my perspective has changed or not changed. Good luck to you!
I’ve re-read books that I read in high school/college/twenties with varying results. 20-30 years of life experiences changes your outlook. Examples are “Gone with the Wind” which I read at 17 and thought was romantic. I read it for a book club at 40 after I became a Mom and couldn’t handle how horrible a Mother Scarlett O’Hara was. “1984” which was scarier when I read it as a full adult. “To Kill a Mockingbird” I loved when I read it at 16 and have loved again during a book club read in my 40’s and reading it with my teenager during his high school read of it.
Good for you!
Reading should only be on your chore chart as a new reader – then – when you’re hooked it’s just a happy fix.
No reading resolutions for me – I’m not competing with anyone – not even myself 😊
Enjoy- and Happy New Year!
It took me decades as a reader to DNF. I think life’s too short to do something that’s meant to be fun, if it’s not actually fun. So many books, so little time!
Agreed! I remember the first time I DNF a vook. I was on a plane and was MAD at where the author was taking the story and as I was standing up I just slid it into the back pocket of the plane for someone else to hopefully enjoy.
The only reading resolution I make that involves actual effort is an annual challenge organized by Book Riot called Read Harder (https://bookriot.com/read-harder-2026/). I’ve been doing it with a friend since 2019 and as we head into our 8th year the shared spreadsheet we track it on is a digital artifact with power that only grows. This particular challenge is what I use to force myself out of my reading comfort zone, and its been successful in prompting me to find interesting books I wouldn’t have without an external push.
Because I’m a voracious reader regardless I just don’t have stress associated with the numeric trackers, I like keeping the log so that I can circle back occasionally when I need to jog my memory about a specific book. I’m running trackers on both Goodreads and Storigraph (for reasons) and Storigraph in particular has some interesting stats trends it will show you if that’s your thing, but if something else works better, do whatever works.
Read Harder sounds fun and challenging!
reply to Gail,
good for you, a log is a hugh help/
I have Office on my PC & have Excel files of all my books. Keep Ebooks, PB”s & hardcover in seperate files. Also rate them, show if traded or donated so I dont duplicate. This helps as I notice a lot of very old books showing up a E books. Over the last 60 years I have donated over 10,000 books.
Happy Reading all
According to Amazon, I read 163 ebooks last year. This doesn’t include DNF books, which I have no problem doing. I read about 6 chapters, and then the last two for closure and I’m done. I’ve always been a fast reader, and Hank g a kindle with me at all times, means at any available moment, I’m reading.
I have become a ruthless DNFer, and it has made my reading life happier. If a book is not bringing me the joy I expected it to, I stop reading it. I’ve stopped in as soon as a few pages, though usually I give it 2-3 chapters. I have gone as far as half a book and still stopped.
Alternatively, I will skim/skip read books that I like enough to want to know what happened but not enough to read completely. Life is short. Reading should be fun – not a chore.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me will be my first official journey into isekai/portal on my own. I have sat by my hubby as he has listened to or watched lots of anime in the genre, so I am familiar with it. His first comment when I mentioned the summary was “Oh! you’re gonna read an isekai.” 🤣 I am excited to see how they handle it.
I am in the DNF camp if a book and/or series doesn’t hold my attention or the author went in an entirely different direction right in the middle of a series without letting the reader know. There’s one particular author I’m thinking of who did this, and lost me as a reader. It’s ok not to finish a book.
Then there are series I’ve read pretty much from the beginning and keep going strong even after over 60 books.
My advice for you, Mod R and the Horde, love what you read and read what you love. It makes the DNF pile a lot less frustrating. 😁
When you say “even after over 60 books”, might you be referring to Nora Robert’s/JD Robb? She’s one of my must-reads (along with our beloved AuthorLords.)
Christine Feehan for me. Her Dark series got me right into paranormal romances but I’m finding the characters are just the same all the time, the romance is the same & it’s turned me off that particular series for now. The early stuff in that series still gets a reread but the later stuff not so much.
I have a tip for how to get closure on a book you feel you will DNF. I’ve been doing this for years as I occasionally start a book, realize something isn’t working for me but my brain demands closure- I go to the last chapter and read it. Then if I’m curious about how we got to that point, I flip to the next to last chapter and read it. Sometimes that reignites my interest and I return to where I stopped but mostly it just helps me wrap up the loose ends so that I can move on.
I think the last book I did the jump to the end with was Paladin’s Grace. It’s a simplistic method but I’ve found it highly useful.
I’ve done this and it works for me too. Useful.
I do that too. It’s very useful.
I am right with all of you who DNF, too. Took me being retired to let go of guilt associated with it. And skim/skip. I have no patience for authors who use endless redundant internal monologue or who describe every single piece of clothing any character wears at any time throughout the book. So, freedom to continue the joy of reading whatever I want whenever I want. Life is good that way.
yes this for the “Ugh, why did i get this?”
Me, too … However, I did not start doing this until this past year. I was a ‘plow through no matter what’. 70 years of reading … and I ending up reading a lot of schlock and/or boring stuff. Never again.
+1
I usually have a Goodreads goal that I blow out of the water by July. So last year I set a higher goal. And then I discovered “The Wandering Inn” web series which has a ridiculous number of super long posts (some pages are 70K words in a single post, there are well over a thousand pages now), and didn’t read a book for 3 months while I worked my way through the entire series. So I didn’t reach my goal.
I made a commitment last year to be willing to put down a book if I don’t like it instead of trying to force myself to read it. What happens when I try to force it is it ends up sitting on my end table collecting dust, but I don’t start a new physical book since I already have one “started”. This only happens with physical books, so my collection of paper grows while I continue to not read the book I started. I’ve never had this problem with Kindle books. Maybe because they are cheaper and easier to ignore on my phone. I also have this problem with video games, mostly because I feel bad about spending $70 on a game and not finishing it, so instead the PS5 collects dust while I doom-scroll Netflix.
I start skimming at that point or I put it on the shelf so it can fade to oblivion. I usually have a couple books going anyway so that may help me with ignoring it. I definitely try not to waste time with uninteresting books & hopefully you can find a way to do so too.
I used to finish every book I started out of spite even if I was hating it. I wasn’t a quitter GD it! Then covid came along and I realized I could leave this mortal coil with a book I actively disliked as my last read and I couldn’t stand it. It isn’t always easy because I find myself trying to convince Me that it might get better in just another chapter or 3… or thousands of good readers marked this 5 stars they can’t all be wrong can they? They CAN be wrong, or if not wrong then just not right for you in particular. I just DNF a book last night that I got 80% of the way into before I realized not only was I bored with it, I was making notes and highlights on the nit pickiest things because I was so bored. I do have to go the extra step and immediately remove it from my kindle so I don’t keep seeing a book that isn’t at 99% or New.
I read all the time and I don’t like pressure from any source. I keep a wish list on Amazon and Fantasticfiction.com but what appeals at the moment doesn’t always appeal to me later. I have favorites I reread regularly, and am always looking for new authors who could become favorites, but those are few and far between these days.
I am a ruthless DNFer. I believe because of this I enjoy my reading journey more. This year I hit 205 books and average rating 4.3. I give books about 100 pgs or 12 chapters to grab me, if it doesnt then Im out.
Before I used to slog through books I wasnt enjoying and it would throw off my mood for other books as well. So I’d take longer with that book and never get to other books. A vicious cycle.
So my advice, DNF or pause what you’re not enjoying and read something else. Its freeing!
I have a hard time with DNFing a book, But I have gotten better lately.
Usually I can recognize if the book just isn’t for me, or if I just don’t care what happens anymore – and put it down. When that happens, I donate the book to one of my local little free libraries and hope that somebody else will love it instead.
My reading goal setting is mostly an arbitrary number that I pick out of the air for the main purpose of seeing just how many books I read in the year. I don’t really care if I meet my goal – but it does feel nice if I do pass it. Because that means I’ve made a dent in my TBR. 😂
also my want to read lists online. I make and often never look at them again. 😂😂
Definitely doing that wrong. hahaha
I used to be a fanatical finisher of any book I started, but age has made me ruthless in the other way: if 3 chapters don’t catch my attention, I’m done. I do skim to the end to find out who done it or what happened, but that’s about it. My reading life has become so much more pleasant.
I’m a big fan of DNFing. If a book doesn’t give me what I want it’s wasting my time and I let it go
I’m a DNF’er and proud! If I push myself to keep reading a book I’m not enjoying, it’s very likely I’ll go into a reading slump and not enjoy anything for a while. So I DNF.
Same as you, I have done a purge on my TBR shelf on Goodreads. Was I as ruthless as I could? Eh, no. But it was something.
As far as reading resolutions go, I set a target for both number of books and number of pages. I’m tentatively trying a new approach and reading through the alphabet. I’ve made it to D so far (A Day Of Fallen Night, by Samantha Shannon, in case anyone is interested), let’s see how that goes.
This post really resonates. I review my TBR pile (actually a list) every 4-6 months and ruthlessly purge it. Sometimes it’s just not the right time, and if I am meant to read it, it will find me again. I give each book 50-100 pages and if I am not really engaged, I let it go off into DNF land. I am treating my reading like my possessions: decluttering, finding the value, reclaiming my time. Honestly, it’s part of protecting my peace. My TBR pile should bring me joy, not stress. There are so many wonderful things to read that I have accepted “everything isn’t for everyone” and started DNF’ing. I am not getting younger and my reading time is valuable. Wishing everyone the best in the new year! Happy reading.
Yes! +100!
I can relate to the issues with To Read lists-I belong (voluntarily) to a book club, and I nearly always rebel against/resent having to read the assigned book 😀
I have rotten luck with recommending books to friends, and vice versa: nearly every book I suggest for someone, they hate (my book club House Andrews recommendation backfired horribly).
I’ve had oddly amazing luck with books people mention in passing disliking or being bored reading, though. Yay Spontaneity! 🙂
I can’t get my mom to read IA either. It’s exactly the kind of books she’d like, idk what her problem is. It’s like the minute I recommend anything, it goes on a never to read list, so I stopped. Now she tells me about books, and when I say I’ve already read it, she’ll ask why I didn’t tell her about it. Gee, I wonder.
Happy New Year!
I lowered my reading challenge goal this year. I read for enjoyment, yet there I was, stressing (ridiculously) because Goodreads was telling me almost all year that I was X books behind.
The only time I have not finished a book was when I got it for free and realized this is why it is free. I think I keep reading a boring or just not for me book is the hope that it gets better . I am going to try the suggestion to read the last chapter. Why I never thought of that? Beats me.
So I need to confess, that many times I will begin reading a book, and if it is especially slow, I will read the ending. If it seems worthwhile, I will go back and read from the point I left off. That said, if it’s a really good book, and I am afraid one of my favorite characters is in peril, I will read the ending to find out what happens. Thank you so much for posting The Inheritance by chapter and letting us know that Ada and Bear both survive. I couldn’t wait for the book to come out, but instead of reading the finale, I actually started at the beginning. I loved the world you created and all of the characters. It’s hard to wait for the next book! Happy New Year.
Thank you for giving permission to join the DNF group. That is my uncomfortable resolution for this year. My second is to explore one author’s writing that is not part of the genre she/he is known for.
I’m not good at goals or planning but maybe this year will be The Year! Happy New Year to the Horde – may you find success on every front!
I just reread Richard Rhodes The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Gripping work; reads like a good science fiction novel, except that it is all too unfortunately real.
My problem is, that excellent writers like Ilona Andrews (and Patricia Briggs, Naomi Novik, some others) have spoiled me for many, many books. I really struggle to find series that combines both excellent writing, internally consistent developed world-building, character development, etc…. I do love fantasy-themed books, romantasy, urban fantasy, all that “tasy” stuff: , but so often there is some completely unrealistic element thrown in there that I’m just supposed to “believe” (whether its a character quirk, or a plot twist, or some aspect of the world) — and I can’t, because it’s not consistent with the world– and then the author has lost me. I’m done. It’s like being on a pleasant- maybe even a thrillling–car ride– and then the wheels stop turning smoothly or develop a skip and I just can’t ignore it, the irritation completely overshadows the ride. That’s when I DNF.
Witness! Sometimes I can keep going, but the cognitive dissonance is so distracting and hard to work around. Sometimes it’s just not worth the slog.
+100! For me, good authors are fun to read no matter the content. If Ilona writes about finding a scorpion or her newest garn, I’m engrossed, despite not loving either thing 😉 . The stories of for instance HA are an excellent plus, of course, but even the writing itself is a good time. So I started to DNF books even after the first 3-5 pages if I realized they can’t capture me with either writing style or story. It depends on the genre, of course, but if Fantasy / Romance / SciFi /… isn’t engaging – what is it supposed to be, then? Also, a big no-go for me is the type of romance, even if well written, which relies on overly dramatic, horrible life stories as an emotional anker for the turning point of the books. If you have to have your main character go through unimaginable terror just so she can fall in love with her neighbor, you’re taking the easy way or are simply not that good of an author, and my emotions are too valuable for you to play with them without any regard. Thanks, bye 😉
my goal is to finish the 100 plus series I’ve been leaving hanging the past 5 years or more. There’s so many good series I need to finish. I am also making myself read nonfiction that’s good for my brain even if it is 5 pages a day.
I was a founding member of a book club more than 25 years ago. Every person got to choose a book for the group to read. Often they were books I would never have chosen, sometimes I really struggled, but I was always glad to sit down and talk about it. I found lots of books I loved, but would never have picked up. Sometimes I hated a book, but was glad to hear what someone else loved about the book. I’ve joined 2 other book clubs and have read and shared LOTS OF BOOKS. And I have discovered that people who really like to read are very nice people. So, join a book club that’s not a genre book club. You get exposed to lots of books and meet some really great people.
Hi, librarian and readers’ advisor here (we suggest options for someone looking for their next read). I had a lot of genres to become familiar with when I started, and I became ruthless about DNF. There’s a practice called “Read a Book in Ten Minutes” you might consider for potential DNFs; it’s freely available online but basically — read the first few pages, skip ahead several chapters and read another couple of pages (do this a couple of times), then read the last few pages. You get the feel for the book without wasting your life wading through drek. If you search on [speed-reading Saricks] you will find helpful hints.
Many people over the years have told me “oh, I must finish any book I start” which is a holdover from assigned reading in childhood. If it’s assigned, yes. For pleasure or personal information, no. I encourage you to join us unrepentant DNFers; it’s along the same line as “life’s too short, eat dessert first!”
As far as exploring new genres, I second the recommendation for Sharon Lee. Her Liaden series is space opera; she also has a small-town contemporary fantasy series variously referred to as the Carousel series, or Archers Beach.
Good luck and enjoy exploring the world of books; I hope you find new favorites to go with your current preferences!
Thank you for the recommendation of Sharon Lee’s Carousel series.
Another great example of “the book has found me” 🙂
I once forced myself to finish a long book. It took weeks. Everyone said it was that author’s best work, but I did not enjoy the plot, some of the parts were just gross to me, and I hated it. Afterwards I realized that I wasn’t going to win any awards, I didn’t need to read the book for a class, and all I did was waste weeks of my time.
I am still not great at stopping a book partway, but I have divided them into 2 camps – not right now and probably not ever. The not right now are the ones I’m just not feeling today. Those are typically books with serious subjects that I want to read, but then when I get them from the library, I always seem to grab something else instead. I keep a list of those, and I don’t feel bad. I’ll pick those up again when the time is right. The second set is the “no, why am I reading this” group. I have skipped to the end before, especially if it is a mystery, and often that makes me interested again. For other things – books outside my preferred genres especially – I remind myself that the book will be enjoyed by someone else, I am not being paid to edit or review it, and think about a book I want to read more than the current book. Then I take the book back to the library, donate it, or recycle it if the book is falling apart. When it is off your shelves, you won’t think about it anymore, unless they turn it into a movie.
Reading is freedom. It is escape. It can be used to learn, to become someone else, to see things from a new perspective. Don’t punish yourself by reading something you don’t like (unless you are in school, in which case ask your teacher or professor if you can substitute the book for something else).
I find it so hard to DNF, but I have started to build skills. Right now, I’ll start by skipping a couple of pages and seeing if it gets better. I do this a few times. If I have missed whole paragraphs and pages and have not missed anything, I set it down and walk away.
I have also taking the path of 1) nostalgia read. I am re-reading old books on my shelves and novels I loved in HS and college. then I alternate with 2) a book I know nothing about that I picked up due to a blurb or random grab at the library. I’ve found new genres and authors this way but when I get several books in a row that just aren’t for me, it makes it hard to pick up the next book. The alternating has finally helped me move forward.
good luck!
I totally get this! Last year I reread a lot of my teenage books (hard SF pre 1988) and really enjoyed and appreciated the aging and how the writing world has changed esp in diversity! The entire collection of Asimov robot novels!
I’m letting my thrifty-ness help on this genre expanding mission as well…listening to audible originals because they are ‘free’ – just listened to some John Scalzi novellas….and really enjoyed.
I still fall into my urban fantasy hole all the time…..but the fresh genres are fun to dip into!
I have a really big physical book collection, so last year I set a goal to read 50 books out of the physical books that I own, and I did it! I have also been pretty ruthless about giving away books that I know I will not read again, or I just don’t feel an emotional connection to. This has been great because there is only so much space in my house. I have also stared using the Bookshelf app to keep track of what I own and what I am reading and gifting to others, and this has been wonderful as well. And as for DNF- just give yourself permission! Remember that a novel can still be brilliant, or wildly popular, or anything at all really, and still not be something you will like. Don’t waste your precious reading time on books that just aren’t for you. Happy reading and Happy New Year!
I’m the worst for getting rid of my physical books. Usually something will jog a memory of a particular scene & then I have to reread the book it’s from. Plus a few of mine are older than me so I can never get rid of them because they went out of print ages ago.
Well, I do ‘t use good reads, but I do have a reading tracker each year.
My goal is to actually read less.
I am doing a variant 75 challenge but doing exercise instead.
I averaged a book a day in 2025 and that does not include a lot of my other reading.
I will be trying some new authors and my big project is reading and rereading Anne McCaffrey’s backlist.
Ohh good choice! Anne McCaffreys books are always fun to reread! Diana Wynne Jones too
I just introduced my daughters to Diana Wynne Jones and it’s so much fun watching them enjoy them!
+1 on Anne McCaffrey
I used to maintain a Goodreads list. Since I used read on a Kindle, when Amazon took it over and added the hooks into Goodreads list updates, it was so easy to do. But then I swapped over to Kobo instead and Goodreads wasn’t as easy so I stopped using it more and more.
Now, I agree entirely that the person I was when I added those books to the list is not the same. On occasion, I wonder if there’s anything there worth looking at, but my To Be Read list got to be so big that I may as well not bother.
I don’t regret it. It was hard for the first bit, but it was freeing.
The funniest part is that occasionally, I pick up a book and start reading then realize I have already read it before – but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying it again. That wouldn’t have happened if I still had my list of books that I’ve read up-to-date on Goodreads.
I’m a big DNFer — there are *way* too many books I want to read to spend time on ones that don’t work for me.
I’m a public Children’s Librarian, and really feel it’s important to have books to recommend for all ages. ideally, I’d like to end the year with at least one 5* book for every group – Children’s, Teen, Adult plus nonfiction. It didn’t happen for YA this year.
Totally agree with you on TBR – the ones I put on my list initially are probably 10 years old at this point;
If I could suggest a genre, not books – perhaps look at nonfiction. There are so many neat ones being published…I tend to enjoy ones that may be aren’t as popular – recent 5* of mine include How to Kill a Witch (about Scotland’s history of witch killing), Gracie Gold’s memoir (if you like skating or Olympic sports a depressing read), a history of WW1 poets, and a travelog through every single US National Park (I’ve learned I really enjoy travelog’s – combo of history, social commentary, etc).
Regardless of what you discover to read, I wish you both (and all the amazing moderators) and your families a wonderful New Year!
Yup, my 3 new genres this year will probably include biographies/autobiographies- so dipping a toe in nonfiction.
@ModR – as a fiction reader with an occasional foray into nonfiction, may I broadly suggest that nonfiction books written by journalists might appeal? I’ve found that the journalistic style is a nice bridge from the fiction world. mileage may vary, but if you have to make decisions…😀
You will not regret deleting the TBR! Honestly when I go back and skim through mine most of it doesn’t resonate and I am wondering why I even put it on the list. There is a reason I never got to it, and it’s not because I didn’t read any books.
I think you will love the different genres! I do this with my book club, mainly because I got to the point that I could not stand another WWII historical fiction. Every month we read a different genre – mystery, non-fiction, essay collection, fairy tale retelling, cookbook, poetry, YA, dystopian, fantasy, sci-fi, there are way more than we will get to!
I weed my Goodreads TBR regularly. Getting rid of impulsive additions and things I’m no longer interested in.
Regarding DNFs, I use the Nancy Pearl rule. Take 100, subtract your age, and the result is the number of pages to read before quitting. That said, I usually give a book about 50 pages to capture my attention.
Life is too short to read books that you aren’t enjoying. Have fun with your goals this year!
I don’t make any official reading goals but unofficially I want to read more than 100 books in a year. Made it to 118 last year!
Like a lot of people here I’m bad at DNFing but I’ve definitely gotten better. I can remember at least two books I put down last year. I just don’t have the free time to waste on books I actively dislike. Although somehow it never occurred to me to skip to the end. Maybe because I mostly read digitally?
Being an editor actually taught me to DNF. Before I started working in publishing, and actually just after starting too 😉, I would finish everything, even if I didn’t like it much. But once your submissions pile has reached triple digits, which is not uncommon, that is simply no longer possible. So I learned by necessity to let it go. Nowadays a book will get 2 chapters to convince me, at most (not counting those where you just stop at page 2).
Initially, that was just for work reading, but as my life got busier and busier (relationship, offspring, the works) I started to realise how precious my free time really is. As a student, single and broke, I read and mostly re-read so much, as in, a book per day territory. Now? Not anymore. I struggle to find the time to read a book a week (for personal pleasure, not work) and often don’t even make that. So any book has to be worth it. My spare time is too precious to spend on subpar stuff. So value yourself and your time, basically.
Which also means the “take a chance on a new author” is tricky. Investing time in a book that turns out meh makes me feel cheated somehow. My trick for that is anthologies that include at least one story by an autobuy author. That lets me sample writing by (to me) new authors, which helps steer me to new novels. I can still end up going for a novel that doesn’t suit me, but my chances are better. It does mean I don’t go outside of genres much, as anthologies tend to be genre-based.
I get that you can’t turn your editor brain off anymore. That’s been my standard setting for some 20-odd years now (and means I’ll actually point out spelling mistakes on restaurant menus to whomever I’m with, sigh). What worked for me is that the genre I work in and the genres I read for fun are mostly very far apart. So, that’d be my advice: try something radically different as a palate cleanser. SFF is work? Then try reading cosy crime, spy fiction or Regency Romance to get you out of that zone. Pick up a children’s book occasionally. Or go even further afield and grab a (celebrity) memoir or popular science book.
If you are fluent in multiple languages but don’t normally work with translations, pick up something that was translated but specifically _not_ from a language you speak. See how your editor brain handles that. (Mine hates it, because I specifically work with translations so it actually kicks it into gear – I’m using reverse psychology here 😉)
I do very much get being in a rut, and how tricky it is when your work and your hobby are so close together. I hope you find a way out of that!
I typically don’t reread books or series. There’s to many books I haven’t read yet to spend time on ones that I have, even if I love them.
That’s changing this year. I’m going to reread favorites, like Hidden Legacy and ACOTAR because it’s been years since I read them and I want to experience them again, even if I do remember what’s to come. I’ve been in a reading slump for a couple of years and I just need something I know I’ll love.
Also, I will not be reading AI written books and will be blasting those who say they are the”author”. I tried reading a Christmas romance last month and it was just not keeping my interest and it just felt flat. About 100 pages in, I finally realized it reads like AI posts and understood why I couldn’t get into it. I had no clue (naive me) that people are having AI write an entire book and then trying to pass them as their own writing, but not surprised. Some people will do anything for a buck.
You will not regret your TBR purge. I learned over the years I grew and changed as a person and that included my taste in books.
Also, I think a TBR is kind of like a drawer you keep stuffing things in that “you may need one day”, with a chance of never looking for it again.
Love your ideas! I can attest to my TBR pile. When I look at it in Goodreads, I wonder what I was thinking on some of them.
My philosophy is that there are too many books to wasted on a DNF (sorry, not sorry)
I do love that you are re-visiting books. As we evolve, so do our tastes. I read a book that I originally DNF (but forgot it was one of my DNFs) and ended up really liking the book.
Off to set my book goals on Goodreads!
I live with a scientist, so the house is filled with books that I have no idea about. This year I aim to pick up a book from their section of our shelves (or the stacks by the side tables) and give it a go. I will keep a dictionary handy, haha.
As to DNF, I choose to do the skim, as I do want to know how it ends.
Happy New Year!
I finally been able to DNF a book when I am not engaged. There are too many books available to read one that I don’t care like. I feel no guilt unless it is one I have bought as one is sitting next to me… that I have been ignoring. I have to admit Maggie will be the first in that genre for me but I haven’t read an Andrew’s book that I didn’t love!
I DNFed *so many* books this year. The thing is, if I’m not enjoying a book, I’ll start avoiding reading in general. That’s the last thing I want, so I look at DNFing less as rejecting a book and more as continuing reading. As soon as I give up on something, I immediately pick something up that I feel excited about. Whatever it takes to keep up momentum.
Actually, I did this last night. Mod R, I took your book quiz and got The Edge, which I hadn’t read yet. The quiz was spot on, I LOVE IT. But I’ve been trying to pace myself. I had picked up an older series (not HA) that’s well-recommended on Reddit, but it was just too grim for me. So I returned that and treated myself by checking out Fate’s Edge 😂
I belong to a book club that challenges me to read books I would never select. Sometimes, it is work to finish the book. I often do my college trick of reading the first and last pages of a chapter. At this stage of my life I want what I want. I admire your gumption!
I, a stout fantasy reader, always challenge myself to throw in a nonfiction book each year. (I have the best luck with flora and fauna books.)
I have learned that there are fossils of sea creatures atop Mt Everest, that jellyfish exhibits at aquariums are feats of engineering, and that some plants can recognize kin to cooperatively grow.
and then the other 99% of my personal reading is fiction 😀
I refuse to make reading a chore! I read for pleasure, and to put numbers and goals will make it a chore. I will read what may be on my shelf, reread what I want and read something new if it catches my fancy. If I’m not engaged I will not finish it. (Always used to finish, but too many other books)
exactly this!
I read for fun, because I love to vanish into new (or old) worlds and just enjoy the plot, the characters -maybe just the writing- whatever that book has to offer and if I don’t enjoy it, I don’t see the point of wasting my valuable time.
I find if it’s bugging me and I don’t like it, I don’t really care about the outcome, so I never flip to the back or anything.
I also don’t count the books or keep a real TBR beyond writing down random recommendations people give me. But I feel no obligation to read those books.
I love Ilona Andrews and just wish they had more books or I could find more books as good as theirs. Keep writing!!
I’m a DNFer! And proud of it! Too many times I’ll start a book with intriguing ideas, but it is either poorly written or doesn’t go deep enough into what makes a book fun for me, to make it worth it. I USED to finish every book when younger, even when it was torturous. Once I hit my late 30s, I found the glorious (forbidden?) freedom of ditching books —and doing it with ease came fairly quickly. I realized my life would be too short to even read all the stellar books in the world, so if I wanted to travel via imagination to the fullest (reading), I had to drop everything that wasn’t gold. Even authors I loved while younger, I discovered that I still LIKE their books ok, but many I do not LOVE save passionately read and reread, as the authors I found this century. Also some authors I started with the 90s(?) maybe, and they stayed with writing a few series that are crazy long, and I stopped reading them because they lost their spark, got tired and same old thing. You DESERVE to partake of only the finest delicacies according to YOUR taste, like the most exquisite chocolate truffles, delicious mocha whipped cream tortes and decadent tiramisu served up to you on the brightest shining dishes (obviously I’m biased in my metaphors!). Life is too short—go explore, wonder, discover brilliant new authors you never knew, and promptly binge read their entire catalog! (Or maybe that’s just me!😅) Enjoy your new freedom!
I love this!
I can’t turn my English brain off, I don’t recall ever dnf a physical book, but ebooks hmm if my brain stutters over the spelling, word choice, sentences that don’t make sense or trypo’s a couple of times I’m done with it!
I thought I’d reread authors from decades ago but got honest with myself and have decided to leave them back as past nostalgia as I’m not the same person so would hate to be disappointed.
Hmmmm…… You’re supposed to read the books on the TBR lists? That’s a novel concept that I haven’t considered. 😉
Honestly, I have a list saved in Amazon of “Want To Read”. It’s really just a list that I don’t look at. If something looks even remotely interesting, I’ll add it. Then they’ll tell me if it’s on sale and I can decide then if I want to read it. 🤷♀️
I have so many books saved to my phone in the Kindle app (you never know when you’ll need a book and not have service or what if you get stranded for a long time and the only books you have are what’s with you?), so sometimes I’ll browse though what’s downloaded and see if anything takes my fancy. I usually just search for whatever I’m feeling when I need a new book.
I read different genres depending on my mood and try not to judge myself if I’m only feeling a certain way for however long. I can only think of a few books that I DNF’d and one of those I tried to pick up 4 separate times (it was the middle in a long series). Finally told myself it was ok to just be done with those books (honestly, that book had such a hard no from me that I can’t even skip it or try another book by that author). That being said, if it doesn’t bring you joy, or at least escapism, move on. It’s ok. You’re ok. Reading is for pleasure, it’s not a chore. 🤗
DNF is a very rear thing for me.
I have my small authors group which is automatic read, no matter how my interests have changed over the years. These are my comfort reads which are guaranteed not to disappoint, no matter the cost of books. I always finish these.
For me, trying a new genre or new author requires at least 2-3 books already published to invest time and energy, because some new authors may choose not to continue after one book. The BDH book recommendations blog pages are my favorite to re-visit for new authors and genres that will not disappoint, while w*aiting for new books from my favorite authors.
Joining a public library is a good place to experience new genre and authors, and a good way to support public libraries in the community this year.
I’m so looking forward to Maggie!! I’ve purposefully avoided spoilers so very interested. I’ve also been reading isekai manhwas for years haha so very interested to see this crossover happen xD
Also would love to read some books that make me think. Last year Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold was a favorite but I need a new fave. I want something to challenge me!
I’m also looking forwared to my yearly re-read of Iron and Magic 🙂 I’m a little sad I didn’t save the free snippets from the blog earlier, especially since a possible hugh 2 might be like 2027+, but I honestly think I re-read them so much I can practically re-read it from my own brain hahahaa
I am inspired to stop hoarding my TBR lists! They congregate as opened tabs on my browser, lists on Goodreads and Amazon, and physical lists on my journal. No more! I will look for recommendations based on mood and read new authors to broaden my horizons.
This year was the year I read difficult books and classics. I will continue with that and happily print miniature cover pages to add to my reading journal. I enjoy track and reviewing books on the StoryGraph app.
As a counsellor who works with clients with PTSD, who’s brains have a hard time with reading my usual recommendation is to go back to their favourites and reread them as many times as they still love them. That way they have a positive emotional connection and if their brain skips out for a bit, they’re not missing anything that might harm the story experience.
I agree with those who have said life is too short, not to spend time with your favourite books and authors
I belong to two book clubs. I have given myself permission not to read the required book, or to stop after several chapters if it is not to my taste. Now granted I am doing these book clubs to expand my taste, but it is ok not to finish if they aren’t to my taste.
I do go through book slumps and will go back to reread favorites.
I like the idea of cleansing the TBR on the various sites (Goodreads and Storygraph).
I find it very hard to DNF. Predominately an audiobook girl and have to factor in the narrator as well.
My goal last year was to read one non-fiction a month (John Green Everything is Tuberculosis was excellent). That lasted until June then I missed some and felt I had to double up towards the end of the year – got 10 under my belt. I hope to do better this year.
Further I want to read a physical book and a kindle book every month. My time, like others, is precious and audio helps me, you would think I would DNF easier.
Love the idea of deleting the TBR notes, saved bookmarks, etc. I have a LOT of those and deleting them would kind of be a weight lifted. And getting out of my reading comfort zone sounds appealing as well.
Re DNF-ing … I make a practice of trying out new-to-me authors from the library first. If I buy a book I often become grimly determined to finish it so I don’t “waste” money. I don’t feel that same commitment to finish library books. (Libraries track circulation numbers so any ‘borrow’ is good regardless of whether it’s read or not.)
Ahh, the DNF. I just recently have been able to do this guilt-free. I remind myself:
— Time is too short.
— I have other books I could be reading instead of slogging through this. Or, you know, doing adult stuff.
— There isn’t a test. I’m not going to be graded, judged, or whatever because I didn’t finish the book.
I realized, too, that I was taking this approach to series as well. I MUST COMPLETE IT!! Nope. I don’t have to. Can’t make me. So, indulge your inner two-year old if needed to help you DNF.
I hope that whatever approach you take brings you joyful reading.
When Amazon first released their Kindle you could log in and everyday they would have a new list of about 20 ebooks for you to download absolutely FREE. As you can imagine my TBR list grew quickly and extensively over time I could no longer remember what the books were even about and some books I no longer even recalled adding in the first place! So like you I made the decision to delete everything I no longer recognized or remembered reading…. Looking back I am so glad I did. I never would’ve have gotten through all those books and being the organized person I am the annoyance from the unknown books would have continually driven me insane. So while it sounds crazy sometimes it can be helpful in more ways than one!
When I was younger, I read a couple books about speed-reading techniques.
One for non-fiction actually made sense: look at the table of contents, check the footnote/reference section to see how extensive the research was, then read the opening and the conclusion. That might give you all the information you need on that topic. Or make you decide to go back and read the whole thing because it seems worthwhile. Or junk it because it isn’t.
For fiction, the finest speed-reading technique I ever found was called “How to read 500 pages a minute”: Pick up a 500 page book and start to read it. Skim the first part for a minute. Decide it’s not for you and quit reading it. You have just “read” 500 pages in a minute and saved a week of your leisure time.
As I get older, this one becomes more pointed: On first starting to read a book or watch a movie, ask yourself: “Is this worth the amount of my life it will cost to read or watch it?” If the answer is “No” — dump it.
As I get older, it seems like two trends are intersecting: the rise of the unedited books in genre (scifi romance, romantasy, scifi, mystery, etc) and a growing intolerance on my part for errors – typos, homophones, continuity errors, bad plotting, poor characterization, etc etc. I am DNFing more than I am finishing. I DNF’d a book last night at 20% when the author used “grizzly site” for “grisly sight” – it wasn’t the first problem in the book. So, actually, my goal for next year is to read LESS. It doesn’t help that I am still on complete home rest from a cardiomyopathy issue in late 2025, because reading (and audiobooks) are my main diversion.
Also, when I can got out and sign up, I need to go to my local library and get my card so I can use Libby/Overdrive and Hoopla.
Maybe your library is one of the libraries that offers digital cards that you can sign up for online? 🤞
Hi Mo,
Many libraries will bring you materials if you are homebound, whether temporarily or permanently. I suggest you call and ask for help getting a card to use their digital collection and also enquire what it takes to be served by their Outreach department.
I don’t make NY resolutions. They are a burden and I immediately resent whatever the eff I just committed to.
Instead, I have to trick myself.
I get the a point of being uncomfortable with *not* reading/doing whatever is hanging…and I tell myself, “ok. I am choosing to read/do this. It is my choice. If I change my mind after I’ve started, then that’s ok”. But my choice is to start it.
It’s stupid, but it works for my twisty mind.
I’m an unrepentant DNFer. This is somewhat new for me and is my reaction to abundance and familiarity.
I always have another book lined up. I’ll even tackle books that I suspect I won’t care for FIRST, believing I can give up on them after six chapters and cross them off my list.
As for familiarity, here is a thought I have frequently when I seal a book, half read, into its tomb:
I’ve seen this fourteen times before and nine of them did it better. There’s nothing wrong with this book, but we’re fifteen chapters deep and it hasn’t really touched me or taught me. Farewell, book, I’m sure you’ll find your audience in someone else, someday!
The really easy abandon-me books are where the author and I have such different thinking that I either can’t get my bearings at all or I can’t respect any analysis that the author brings.
“The landlord you’ve described to us would never actually do that.”
“The city government failing that you present is so simplified that I can’t even respect it as a parody.”
One from yesterday:
“The sounds and motions you’re describing can’t result from the fight moves you’re giving us. Do you even know what these words mean or are you just pasting from your AI output?”
You don’t have to respect the work. You want to, but you don’t have to!
This past year has been my first where I truly embraced DNFing books. And it was amazing. I probably only did it a handful of times over the year but it was absolutely freeing. It could have been anything- badly written, too young, not the right vibe atm, don’t like the audio narrator… I allowed myself to read whatever I wanted and only what I wanted. It’s energy i hope I continue to bring with me into this year’s reading.
Book clubs and rigid TBRs/goals/tracking turn fun reading into assignments in my brain. My inner 12 yo then doesn’t want to read it. I love all of these 🙂
I just want to read this year. Anything. And enjoy it.
I have certain authors I follow and easily read the new books from them, House Andrews is there of course.
Then everything else I read is free falling – what ever I see online recommended or stumble upon on my app.
I cannot commit to any list/book club eymtc. as I have enough pressure at work. Reading has to be a “get away from your brain moment” for me 🤷♀️
Ebooks have been wonderful for aging eyes and smaller storage spaces. 😄
I only keep a “wish list” on Libby – have been borrowing more books and audiobooks than buying (except for HA, of course).
I’m a fan of DNF – give it 25-50 pages depending on book size then let it go.
Re-reading (or re-listening) old favorites are like comfort food for me. Besides HA, Vorkosigan, Liaden and Mercyverse books fall in that group. 😊
I used to religiously finish every book I started, no matter how long it took or how painful it was. I’m a menopausal Genexer and have realized that my time is valuable, and there is no need for me to waste it reading something that doesn’t satisfy me or make me happy. I’m now a practiced skimmer and ruthless not-finisher. If a book doesn’t capture me in the first few chapters, if I don’t like or can’t relate to the main character (there are a lot of losers out there), if I start feeling like its a chore to go back and read more of the book, or if I’m simply not in the mood for that type of story…. bye bye! And I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it anymore. Reading is my major hobby/passtime and is for my pleasure, it is only worth it if I enjoy it. I am so grateful for authors like you guys who I know I will enjoy no matter what. There is absolute treasure out there, and there is also a lot of garbage. Throw away the guilt! no one is keeping track of what you read or whether you finish it but you!
Hard core DNF’r here, but only in the last couple decades. As a kid I HAD to finish anything I started reading. This decision took off when Kindle Unlimited became a thing and I found some (judgement ahead so TW here) truly horrendous stories. The writing, the faulty plots, the gratuitous vi*lence against only the heroine/women, grammatical errors that most word processing programs would’ve caught if only they were used. I could go on but you get it. As House Andrews stated, there are only so many hours in a day. Why waste time with cardboard stories when you could be finding a book you can’t put down?
I’ve done the nostalgic re-read and I highly recommend it. You are a different person than you were when you first read that book. Life changes us. Your view of the story and characters may be different. Sometimes you can sink back into your childhood and other times you come away with a new outlook on the story and yourself.
I don’t typically set reading goals. If I find a book that interests me I try it and sometimes the book is ok. Other times I end up getting all the book in a series. The free books from audible plus have got me hooked on 4 different authors I now love. When I have nothing new that appeals at any given time I reread Jeanine Frost, Ilona Andrews or Patricia Briggs Treasures
Happy new year! For DNF: I once finished a book that had so many red flags I guess I kept thinking this can’t really be what’s happening, and stuck it out. It never pivoted. I was shocked by the positive reviews. Those were not my people! Clearly. I’m not talking about a cliff hanger or a plot twist … but a premise that involved violence on a whole other level. After THAT… I now am able to DNF. But it’s rare bc I stick to my safe spaces these days. BDH and HA recommended books have always been finished.
Ok — other DNF — has included non fiction that I had good intentions but just couldn’t keep going. 😊 sorry to Jean Luc Picard I mean Patrick Stewart. I feel guilty about never finishing your autobiography! Real life you vs Starship Captain you … my expectations were misaligned lol
Reading is a pleasure for me. I don’t do anything to damage it. If a book isn’t appealing, I am known to read the end and see if it goes anywhere. Sometimes it encourages me to continue reading, and sometimes it’s a great reason to stop. There’s no reason, imo, to read a book which doesn’t appeal. Life is short!
I don’t set reading goals because I always read a ton anyway (250-300 books/year but I’m a retired, empty nester.) I read for fun, so if I’m not having fun, I stop reading a book. Usually though they’re DNFY- Did not finish yet. For whatever reason, I’m not currently into it, but if I wanted to read it in the first place, I may well come back to it later.
I reread a lot, but usually that’s rereading something on audiobook that I’ve read with my eyes. I love revisiting my favorites in a new way.
“The BDH shows up with thousands of recommendations as soon as Gondor calls for reading aid, and we would still be here next century.” LMAO! <3
I've only had a TBR pile like twice in my life, so I'm of no use to you there. I read anywhere from 500-750 books a year (thank you kindle for letting me know that little factoid). I just read fast. I spoil my dogs, I cook, I read, I listen to music, I sketch, and I play a few video games. My life in a nutshell outside of work.
I will "DNF" a book after a few chapters if I am not enjoying it. I don't have to justify that. It's a simple "my free time is extremely valuable – am I having fun?". No = DNF. It might even be an old favorite book of mine. Sometimes, I'm just not in the mood for it. I'd suggest thinking of it like money or calories/nutrition (I'm diabetic, nuff said about that). Whatever motivates you more personally. Example: If you spend an hour on a book and are just "meh", is it worth $60 of your free time? Would you have happily paid that money for the past hour? If that's not a "yes", put it down. It's ok even if it's a great book to set it aside. Next week or month, you might crave it, and it'll be awesome THEN 🙂
Happy New Year, hope that was helpful!
The only thing I try to do is read something every single day on my kindle app. The caveat is you need internet to have it count. I lost years of daily reads due to a hospital having craptastic internet and a knee replacement. By the time I realized I lost years, kindle support could do nothing. Still salty on that one. The other thing is I let kindle challenge guide me into trying new things. Some I stick with. Others not. I get in ruts too, so belonging to an online book club and a physical once a month one is a lot of fun. Authors pages keep it fresh. I read 3-4 books at the same time if I’m in a rut. If tired of one, switch. Works. Sometimes a book goes unfinished, but not too often. For me, if well written, it’s a not now mood thing. There are winter books, summer reads, tired and bored reads, sick and need humor reads. Mood matters to me a lot. I have comfort genres. I figure if heaven doesn’t have kindle, I’m in hell or purgatory at best.
I managed to beat my yearly reading record in 2025 by reading 453 books in kindle unlimited. My goal was 52 books. I was riding the feeling of satisfied accomplishment for most of the year after meeting my goal. I think there was one book I didn’t finish because of some mental block, and another I dropped due to trigger issues, and made sure not to try any others by that book’s author. My method when DNF’ing a book is to consider my own mental health first. If a book makes me feel unwell or hopeless, then I drop the series unless I can see a light at the end of the projected tunnel.
Does anyone keep a Reading Journal? I watch a lot of planner videos on YouTube and noticed the Reading Journal subgenre. I do track what books I have read in a notebook just because, but I don’t create beautifully drawn pages in a notebook, with pages devoted to my comments on the plot etc.. who had the time. Reading should be fun, a pleasure, not pressure to read so many books in a week, and record the number of pages, how long it took to read, note the plot, tropes, etc… what’s the point?
I keep a journal, it’s not a daily need to jot something down. It’s just something that clears my mind. I get a 50 cent cow notebook, 100 pages college-ruled, when I hit the last page I reread my entries, look at the drawings and lists, then throw it away. No fuss journaling and it really is cathartic.
I’ve found myself not really liking one of my favourite author’s long time series because the stories have just become all the same, only the names have changed.
I’ve started rereading stuff I haven’t read in a while (Nalini Singh & Jean Johnson) or going back to old favourites (Tamora Pierce, Ilona Andrews). I’m trying some more youth novels to try & find stuff my niece will like & enjoying the more subtle romance & less in your face sex of youth books. Also still reading short stories that are straight up smut 🙂
I’ve taking recommendations for books but I’ve never done someone else’s reading list. Is this a thing people do to expand their book base?
Has anyone ever read a book that was very highly recommended, and it was absolutely horrible? I just had that experience, I kept listening to it hoping it would get better but it didn’t. Will not be reading/listening to anymore of this author.
Way too many times. Even when I think I know the reviewer’s taste, I’ve been fooled. They’re not me, I’m not them.
Who are your auto-buy authors? You’re one of mine!
I will pass it on to Ilona, but to be clear – this post is by me, Mod R 😊. You can check the author right below the article title.
So, interestingly, when you get this blog as email you don’t get the “by” author line. I’ve sometimes read the blog in my email and been very confused about who the author was (is?). Don’t know if that is something that can be added to the emails.
On TBR, it took me way too long to learn this: Other people’s must-reads are not mine, and mine are not theirs. Even with good friends whose opinions I highly respect, our tolerances for various items are not completely congruent. There’s a particular balance of elements that resonates with me, and other readers prefer balances that differ to greater or lesser degrees.
(Same goes for anything else: No one else’s top ten list is ever exactly like mine.)
I left Goodreads around the same time I left other social media sites. For my brain wiring, it’s just a black hole of time and energy that is more happily spent reading actual books.
The author who taught me to be ruthless about DNF is many years dead now. The book was Ancient Evenings. I read that whole thing, so sure that it *had* to get better sooner or later. It turned out to be the first book I ever threw in the trash (still one of only a handful). I’ll never get those hours back.
My resolutions occur in real time, when needed and not by the calendar. Reading resolutions are about what kind of things I need to learn or read at that particular time.So my current life priorities guide my reading resolutions. This winter I’m taking the time to read more nonfiction on subjects of longtime interest to me, along with enough comfort reading to balance the tough stuff. Mind you, I *like* nonfiction, but some takes more processing than others.
Wishing everyone all the reading their heart desires in 2026!
DNF was hard at first, but then I’d take a few minutes and re-wire the book in my brain. I would come up with an easy(ish) story and ending for the book, and convince myself that’s what really happened.
It took a little bit of effort at first, but then got easier and easier. There are times now, that I don’t feel the need to even make up a story/ending on some books.
Now I’m a hardcore DNF-er. There are just so many stories in this world that need consuming. This way I get to consume stories that haven’t even been written! lol
Goodreads is my happy place. I have so much fun organizing and reorganizating my books. I also have really enjoyed the Goodreads challenges to try new authors and genres. Gamification works for my brain. I ruthlessly revise my TBR regularly but I use it because my brain fog is bad enough that I don’t remember what I want to read next (besides the new House Andrews, Nalini Singh, Ben Aaronovitch, Lucy Parker, JD Robb, John Scalzi or JAK.) I also love GR for helping me keep track of my stats, especially reading more authors of color. I am a suburban gringa; I need to be pushed to try new things.
Last year I turned off my Kindle Unlimited account in January to work on my purchased or free TBR pile. I started at almost 500 picks in January 2025. Finished New years Eve at around 360 novels. Of those 120 or more novels, more than half were DNF that I permanently deleted off my Kindle account. The rest I finished and led to new authors I have never read before. Many of these novels were free or 99 cent purchases.
This year, I still plan on wading through the pile but I always take time every year to reread my favorites. I usually reread every book from Ilona Andrews and T.A. White. Currently in the process of rereading Brandon Sanderson (he is not every year his books are too long, lol).
Then any authors whose latest series comes out, I have to read the whole series or at least the last book in the series. My new favorite series of 2025 was hands down, Dungeon Crawler Carl. The series has made me laugh, and cry, and smile. This was my first and only foray into LitRPG.
Greetings to Fellow Sanderson fan. I have been using GA ad a way to re read Sanderson on long drives
Happy New Year to all!
Thank you, ModR, for this timely post! I have a pile of 50 books in my reading room to be read and released to my library used book sale area this year. (All are used books adopted from various sources – for clarity, none are House Andrews). This post and the passionate detailed replies from fellow Horde members has supplied DNF strategies I can utilize to get through the pile. So, thank you to the Horde as well!
Sending peace, health and safety to all!
So, I work at a bookstore and whenever we return things to the publishers, I get a higher discount. So on the topic of okay-DNFing, my trick is to take the huge pile of pulled books I collected from the return pile, download all of the Kindle 10% previews and read all of those. If the next week when I go back to the bookstore I remember the 10% (what the book is about) and fondly, then I buy it.
Yes to everything you posted! I realized a while back that those Goodreads challenges, if I made realistic goals, stressed me out towards the end of the year. So I make a ridiculously easy goal that I know I’ll hit probably in June and then just get a bunch of you go girl types messages instead of stressful one.
Once upon a time I too had a hard time with DNFing books. Then I realized life is too short and there are too many books. I will skip to the very end and read the final scene and/or chapter and many times that is enough closure for me. If a book really isn’t resonating then I don’t even need to know the ending. I also have done a fast skim if the book is only semi working. No guilt!
I will say that going back to read books I once loved can be bittersweet. I checked out a book from the library from an author I read a very long time ago but I had to put it down. What in the 80’s was forward thinking female main characters were now very much outdated. It was interesting to see that though.
However, there are books that stand the test of time and I love that with art we can pick up old favorites to experience any time we want. With the finale of Stranger Things it got me thinking about generational hits that we continue to hand down to our kids and keep living. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and now Stranger Things get to live on. At any time we want we can dive right in and re-experience some of the magic. I do this with House Andrews books and do it with all art mediums.
I like your idea for challenging our reading on much smaller scales that feel like discovery instead of pressure. Great post Mod R!
DNF: I have no idea if this will work for you, since most people seem to be bothered by ‘spoilers’ and I never have been.
If I get a few chapters into something and start wondering if it’s worth the bother, I read the final chapter. If the response to that is ‘meh’, I get rid of the book. If it holds my interest, I go back and plow my way through the dull part. Or skip it – that works, too, since the dull part tends to be only one chapter.
I find that that I’m impatient and so book spoilt that if an author doesn’t grab my interest within a certain amount of paragraphs that’s it – bye bye . Next book
I’ve been a ruthless DNF’er for over 2 decades . I borrowed a local librarian’s formula. It works well because as you get older you feel you don’t want to waste as much time on something that isn’t working for you right now. Anyway
100 pages – my current age = # of pages it has to get good before I drop it.
When I started doing this, that was 58 pages to get good. Now it’s 35 pages get good. Of course if it’s truly dreadful I’ll drop it before then.But I don’t pick up that many truly dreadful ones anymore.
love this formula and attitude to DNF
I don’t often take recommendations on what I should read. I try everything Ilona suggests, but don’t always like it.
I tend to describe my taste in fiction as ‘the more thoroughly mixed the genres are, the better I like it’ and/or ‘I like my high adventure mixed with low comedy’. And that second is why Ilona Andrews is on my pre-order immediately list.
Love that you trashed your TBR, maybe one day I’ll join you especially the old stuff I’ve never looked at.
I am a willing DNF participant, as a mood reader I rarely toss to DNF until I’ve put it down three times with a few exceptions: if the writing is just so bad, too many errors, I start suspecting AI and I can’t find info on author, racist or problematic author I find out or suspect due to writing I’ll research.
I treat DNF like food I have to try it but then why torture myself with something I don’t like. The Time Travellers Wife was super popular I tried and put it away tried several more times. Then one day I gave myself permission to DNF, it was liberating and saved me from my reading slump.
I always set 100 as my book goals but know life sometimes fu(k$ with best laid plans so I will adjust in early December to a challenge but achievable goal.
Good luck!! DNF isn’t a bad word its a gift to yourself.
To find new authors, I find a book of short stories by authors I either don’t know or have only vaguely heard of in one of the genres I tend to enjoy (there are several).
I truly miss Mike Resnick. He was a fine author in his own right, but he was absolutely brilliant as an editor. If he was the editor of a book of short stories, it was pretty much guaranteed I would find at least three authors worth the bother.
If you ever venture into romance let me know, that has been my comfort reads in between doing my sue diligence as a hoard member and re reading Ilona Books. I want to read more of the nonfiction books that I have accumulated amd yes life is too short to guilt over books.
I’m a ruthless DNR person! If it doesn’t grab me in the first quarter – I’m done. Life is too short for books I don’t like.
I’ve also been thinking about deleting my TBR on Goodreads. I keep editing it down, wondering why I put various books on it. Think you’ve inspired me to go for it.
This year I want to try and read the TBR books I have physical copies of. They’re all NF, which I enjoy but only in small doses. A couple were my late fathers (he never read them) before they were mine. Might be time to “rehome” if I’m not going to read them either.
Happy new year!!
Oops, DNF
I’m a ruthless DNF’er. RUTHLESS. I started by your aforementioned “skim” method. At times, I even read the last two or three chapters (I have yet to regret not reading a whole book from doing this. Mostly skip-to-ending happens when I’m halfway through and really suspicious that I’m going to continue to be disappointed. Reading the ending has always justified the DNF except in one case, I didn’t understand the ending at all. It was like…not the same book. STILL NO REGRETS). Honestly, while I love reading there are SO many books to read that I don’t feel like I have to wade through something that becomes a chore. Sometimes I set it aside with the “idea” that if I still want to read it in a week, I can pick it back up. This procrastination let’s me move to another book and rarely do I pick the DNF back up. BUT, I sometimes do and am then rewarded. If the book sticks with me enough that a week later I think about it, it’s probably worth the read! If it doesn’t I generally don’t even REMEMBER the book so there is NO GUILT! In this case, just know you can always try again. It makes it pretty easy to step aside and read something else!
Happy New Year! May all your goals come true.
Happy New Year! Like you, I read through the South American authors in my 20′ and 30’s. Garcia Marquez is timeless and he holds up in “older adulthood”. Some of the others are hit or miss. If you have particular memories attached to reading them, then don’t revisit them. The magic goes.
As for the virtual TBR list, ditch it. If the books resonate when you’re browsing you’ll buy them. And it’s okay to have books in your real TBr pile that you may never get to, the pleasure is knowing you could. Remember, AE Newton said, “We cherish books even if unread, their mere presence exudes comfort, their reading access, reassurance”.
I’m with you on getting rid of the TBR lists. I had so many and was feeling so overwhelmed that I would get stuck and couldn’t figure out what next new book I should read, so would re-read a favorite. That’s not a bad thing to do when you want a comfort read, but it’s not a great way to find new authors/books to love. I’ve actually tried some new authors with mixed success.
I’ve joined the DNF club the past few years. I was a contract editor in a past life, so it’s hard for me to read some of the shiny new authors out there. One or two minor mistakes, no biggie. But if a character’s name or eye color changes halfway through the story – I’m out. If you or someone you know wants to be a professional author, for the love of grammar and content consistency, PLEASE pay for the professional editor.
I’ve also started to challenge myself by reading one new book off a library recommendation list that is in a genre I don’t normally read from or have never read from before. I’ve also been reading at least one “classic” book each year. Both have been pretty fun challenges. The classics are a great option, because you can often find versions of them for free, which means more books without hurting the budget. 🙂
Happy reading, BDH!
I don’t know if “suspense” is one of the genres you’re considering, but Thomas Perry’s Jane Whitefield books are pretty terrific. I recently went back and listened to them all on audiobook. He has other books in other series as well as some standalones. I enjoy the earlier ones, but I will say the last few books have been a little bit too violent for my taste.
Agreed
My reading goal is at least 55 books this year and at least two new authors (which could mean all of the series they write). Last year, I only had the goal to read 50 books, and I read 52 (really, it was more because I only got this count from my Kindle, but I read some hardbacks, and I’m being lazy because I don’t want to count them). I’m already starting to read a new author, Ali Hazelwood. I’m loving her sense of humor already, so I’m sure I’ll read all of her books. Happy reading, everyone.
According to the ridiculous spreadsheet I keep because I’m anal-retentive like that, I DNFed 9 of the 292 books I read in 2025 (of which approximately 65% were re-reads). My personal DNF rule is 50 pages (or around 25% Kindle completion) and if I’m not into it, I’m not into it. I typically note on my ridiculous spreadsheet why I DNFed – in part because I read so very very much that I was starting to have a hard time remembering if I recognized an author’s name because I’d enjoyed them previously or because I did not.
At least half of the reason for the spreadsheet was so I can check past years for an author’s name before I spend money I might regret 🙂 The other half is because I got really curious about my reading metrics (and sick of answering “how many books do you read anyway” with “a lot”). I tend to fiddle a little bit with the pivot tables (yes, there are pivot tables in my stupid spreadsheet) depending on what I’m curious about this year.
As a fellow spreadsheet geek… I love this.
I tend not to make reading goals because I read all the time. So saying, I will read X number of books is just not something I would think to do. It would be like saying I will take X number of breaths this year. It happens with no planning on my part.
About the only thing I do is that I will try to read one non-fiction book a week and that at least one a month will be outside my comfort zone. So rather than history I will read a book on maths. Or crosswords. Or something totally off the wall like how music can shape your brain.
I agree with the elimination of the TBR lists and not feeling guilty about the DNF. Some books sound amazing but they just do not quite hit right. Unless they are something you need to read for reasons just don’t. Perhaps a decade down the road you will pick it up again and this time it will speak to you.
Happy reading to all!
I started to DNF books some years back, just to make room for more books I actually like!
I have two levels to quit a book. level one is I hate it and will never regret not reading it. usually I give it a few chapters or the first 50 pages.
the second level is where I think the book is ok, but I’m not in the right frame of mind to read just now. those I add to a list of books I have started but DNF and may want to read later.
life is too short to keep reading books you aren’t enjoying!
I have a library list I peruse when I want something I may have not had time to read before… but I am willing to remove if it’s been months/years and I still pass them by! I gave up on goodreads when they were acquired by Amazon. I learned to dnf mostly because there were a few books I just didn’t care how they ended!!
good luck and breathe free from lists!
I didn’t know TBRs and reading goals were a thing until recently. I’m not that kind of person anyway.
I’m a mood reader and I just read whatever I’m in the mood for!
also I very rarely DNF since I’m pretty picky about what I read.
If I decide to read a book I’m pretty sure I’m going to like it.
also I think being a mood reader helps, as if I’m not in the mood for a particular title, I put it down and come back to it another time when I *am* in the mood for it.
I am a ruthless DNF’r because life is short and the TBR list is long. My dad’s rule was 100 pages but mine is a few chapters (of a new author) and more if I have previously liked the author to give them a chance to convince me. If I DNF, I don’t count it as ‘read’ but I do mark it so I know not to go back.
It’s a … voice check for me- a vibe, a sense of the story. It’s impossible to explain but I know it very quickly when it’s present. I read several hundred books a year, and only add sequels and favorite author releases to my TBR lists. I like the idea of new genres though. Your nostalgic reads are ones I’ve never read.
I know it horrifies my reading friends, but I am a ruthless DNFer. If I’m not engaged about a third of the way through, I will jump to read the end and be done with it. Never with Ilona Andrews — that’s why I love their writing so much 🙂 Life is too short to feel forced to read something you don’t love.
My mom finished ever book she started, she said she ‘owed’ it to the author.
There are no authors at my house so I don’t owe them anything. 😉
I got it in my mind that I NEED to put everything I read on Goodreads. If I didn’t, it didn’t count. This year, I am not going to set a number goal. I plan to read some new genres and try the “ read and embroider” idea: read a book then embroider a meaningful small meaningful patch on a (sweat)shirt. I plan to still read on my Kindle but use “real” books more too.
You will not regret purging the TBRs. No one needs that kind of pressure.
I DNF a lot of books in 2025. I took a lot of books out from the library on other peoples recommendations and meh, they were not for me. Really not for me. Time is precious, if a book isn’t even a tiny bit interesting in the first chapter, DNF.
One book had a woman self-described as pitiable. Nope.
My re-reads are mostly from the last 10 years. Having tried to read older books again, most of them don’t stand the test of time. I did re-read a bunch of Anne McCaffrey’s books, still good.
Yes! and Mercedes Lackey.
I read what sounds good. it might be a comedic caper or a serial killer book. it may be a historical romance or a cozy mystery. Most often though, it will be an urban fantasy book. I also enjoy steampunk stories, space operas, or maybe a recommendation from someone who knows or writes what I like. the overwhelming majority of books I read are written by women.
One thing that helped me become a DNFer was coming up with a fixed rule for determining how much reading was “enough” to see if I’d like it. There have been plenty of books I’ve read and liked that took a while to get into, but more that never got there. Eventually what I decided on was giving a book 100-Age pages to get me into it. So as I get older, have less time, and know more about what I like, I give a book fewer pages to get good, while also giving the book a fair chance.
You mentioned Latin American authors. I would recommend Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
No number goals but need to work on DNF. I have approximately 10-12 books sitting around with a bookmark in them, started “in the mood” and lost it as life changed. I re-read based on which world/life/character tickles me now. Also, tend to devour all books by a new author immediately. House Andrews is always good for a “get away”.
In 2026, I aim to feel less guilty about not enjoying books that are “it”. The prize winners, the autobiographies of famous people, the soul-crushing happily never whatevers, the ones that have massive following on BookTok that are based on abuse, suffering and despair…
No thank you, after a long, tiring day I would rather go home to the best inn in the Galaxy, bask in the comfort the kind and brave innkeepers provide for me, and read about the endless shenanigans of their more or less murderous guests.
I hope whatever books you will pick up, will give you that comfort and a bit of happiness.
I am in the DNF camp, too, but I have a couple of strategies to engage with a book. It’s easier when I take out a book from the library, because it’s risk free. Sometimes, I won’t finish, but I will put it on hold again, as I might be in the right frame of mind to finish it months later (or sometimes I’ll have it on a suspended hold until I’m in the mood to read it). Sometimes, I’ll read the first three chapters and the last three chapters of a book. In some cases, I may take out the audiobook (this works well with non-fiction).
I have looked at many of the “100 best books of….” and realized that I’ve not read any of them, and I don’t let that bother me (it’s the same with “best film” lists). I like what I like, and if I can find find a friend (or horde) to fangirl with, I’m happy!
I gave myself permission to DNF a few years ago, as I came to the realization my time and brain bandwidth was too short to slog through: books that were poorly edited; plots that meandered all over the place with nothing really happening; characters I really hated.
I could mention a few books I absolutely refused to read after flipping through a few pages at the bookstore ( here’s looking at you, “50 shades of whatever”), but they may be someone’s absolute favourite. If you’re into that, go for it!
I’ll never bookshame anyone, for me if I find my brain checking out, skipping pages to get to something, anything, that moves the plot along, I fire it into the donate/pass along box with no regrets.
Happy New Year. When it comes to what I read each year, I don’t put pressure on myself. When I see a book that appeals, I generally buy it and read right away. I don’t like having a bunch of books lurking in my kindle app that I haven’t read or that I’ll get to eventually. That just causes me stress. I have no problem not finishing something that I just don’t like after I start it.
That being said, there are books I absolutely cannot wait for and have to try to be p*tient. Especially a certain wedding we might get to attend this year with fangs. Being p*tient is soooo hard, but I will preorder the moment I’m notified it’s an option.
I am a voracious reader (like many here), and I do have a goal on Goodreads that I usually blow out of the water, so I don’t really stress about the count. But because I read so much, I need to track my books for the ones that I have read or the ones I do want to read. Then I have to cull through some of my TBRs for book club to find ones that the group might also enjoy. I have also found that I like some of the reading challenges on Goodreads and find areas that I would not normally enter to read – or areas that are sorely lacking in my reading repertoire – like the Native American month selections.
I have also improved on my abilities to DNF. Like so many others, I struggled with it. I usually read 50-100 pages and then if I am really not enjoying the book, I go on Goodreads to read some of the lower scored comments. If my dislike is shared (and usually better verbalized), and someone else has suffered through the book, then I am more than happy to chuck it and continue on to something I do prefer. Sometimes I read the end too… but usually at that point I move on. [Also, because I listen to many books while commuting, if I find myself loathe to get in the car and head home, then chances are I should stop listening to that book – looking at you “Cutting for Stone”!]
One thing I taught myself is to also clear my physical TBR–just because I bought it, doesn’t mean I still want to read it months (years–eek!) later & the sunk cost isn’t worth the space the items are taking up in my house & brain.
My reading goal last year was just to record every book I read over 250 pages. I have a terrible memory and thought this works help if I need to explain or describe book plots to people (I work in a library, so this happens fairly often). This year’s reading goal is going to be more of a challenge. I worked at a bookstore a number of years ago, and while there collected quite a few advanced reader copies. However, most of them have been sitting on my shelf unread. Since I’m running out of shelf space, I’m going to see how many of them I can read this year and if I want to keep any of them afterwards. I’m a big mood reader, so we’ll see how week this goes.
For most of my early adult life I read science fiction exclusively. Then around 2006 I was waiting for my son in a Borders bookstore and came across a book called Dime Store Magic. It was the first time I’d heard about Urban Fantasy. I’ve been an Urban Fantasy fan since, which is how I discovered Ilona.
I have no suggestions, but I wish you well on your mission.
+1 for Dime Store Magic! ANOTHER one I will have to reread
Don’t know if it was a purge but if a book doesn’t hold my attention pretty much from the get go I simply return it to the library if I borrowed it from there or place it in the second hand bookstore pile if I’m not going to keep it. If the bookstore doesn’t want it I either donate it to one of those ‘Little Free Libraries’ we have in our area or the local community center. No guilt, just a realization that there are many other books to try if the one I’ve got isn’t doing the entertaining job:)
There is a young man on IG reading the classics chriskindareads, and he is inspiring me to find ones I never read. Banned books are another source I want to mine. I spent much of this past year on rereads for comfort but I’m ready to try different things this year
as a diehard DNF’R…..I read for fun, escape, and to process emotions knowledge in my hobbies and peace. a book that does not bring joy in some form is a waste of time I could be having joy. the only books like this I’ll finish are one a where someone says explicitly that the first book or so is rough but at a specific point it becomes the thing. if I reach and surpass that specified point and it’s still meh. DNF. If I don’t love it I move on “There’s too much chocolate cake to eat to eat cookies I don’t like.”💁
that being said I also assess if I’m in a meh mood and could it be flavoring a book. those I add to another pair and may revisit later. if I’m not in a meh mood and I still feel meh about it, it’s gone.
I stopped looking at my GoodReads tbr list! I just kept adding books and it got too overwhelming. I forgot why I added them to be honest. And I believe I did not finish 2 books this year because I didn’t like them. It wasn’t easy but I felt like I was wasting my time.
Good luck!
Last year I got a Fairyloot subscription and was inspired by Project Shelf Control Togo read the books in my home and keep or unhaul, and the result was that all but a handful of the books I read were new reads.
I ended the year being kind of burned out (cause lots of new books and information but also just Life Stuff) and decided to just reread a bunch of Jennifer Estep and forgot how much FUN they are.
So I’ve decided, in the new year, I’ve decided I’m also going to go back and just reread the things I decided to keep on my shelf and move across the country a bunch of times that I haven’t touched in years
This past year is the first time I’ve guiltlessly DNF’d any book at all, let alone multiple books. It was incredibly freeing. You are right, our time is too valuable to waste trying to slog through something I just can’t get feels for.
I also really feel your burning of the TBR list … there’s so much in mine, and I honestly can’t even remember what drew me to some of them. I got rid of good reads years ago, but my Libby TBR is kinda ridiculous right now.
After I finish my current read, I think I’m going to go back on my own reread binge, starting with TA White in preparation for the new Firebird book. The problem is that I have so many older series that are absolute faves, and there’s so many books in each series that I may be in nostalgic reread mode for the first half of the year 😆
+1 on the Firebird.
A few years ago I did my first Goodreads book goal. I passed it in August. Then the next year I resolved to only count new reads with a realistic goal (I’m a massive re-reader), and I failed miserably. To be fair, it was a highly stressful year and comfort reads (thank you House Andrews) was all that got me through.
Then I stopped counting.
I’m now in a place where I’m planning a new read goal again. I also picked up an old book, not an old favourite but an author I liked (Robin Hobb), and read High Fantasy for the first time in 20 years (PNR and UF have a hard hold of me) and I’m enjoying it. Time to put down the internet and pick up Book 3
I’ve done the #readwhatyouown thin on Booksta & that helped clear some of my physical TBR but I can only really stick to it for a short period. Deleting my TBR sounds so freeing. I may try that!
As a younger reader, I believed that I HAD to read every single book I borrowed from the Library.
Suddenly, in my 20’s or 30’s, I just stopped and gave myself permission to Not Finish before the books were returned.
I think this came out of too many books where I did not give a s*** about the main character. Or, fersure, when I couldn’t keep them straight in my mind (why Game of Thrones and not The Goblin Emperor? Maybe bc I became invested in the latter but all the former characters tended to die off?)
Probably it also connected to how much time I had. Life is too short to care about any book that doesn’t grab you at some point.
RE NOSTALGIC REREADS (sort of)
I tried reading Vanity Fair as a teenager. Hated it. Went back in my 30’s and laughed through the whole thing.
Read The Lord of the Rings as a teenager. Loved it. Reread several times but it just wasn’t the same. The movies, however, are great to review every single time.
Interesting topic….And as usual, I have SOOOO many opinions! 😂
Instead of a TBR list, my list of books to read has always been my “hmmmm, this might be interesting” list, and I have never tried to read everything on it. I just like having recommendations when I’m looking for something new to read. (Note: MANY of the books on my list came from comments on this blog! HA, Mod R, and the BDH never steer me wrong!)
I will also say that when I do pick up a book I don’t know anything about and I don’t like it, my approach to DNF has always been ‘hmmmm, this book is just not speaking to me….so why am I wasting more time on it rather than on something I might like?” I have no desire to waste precious reading time, so DNF it is.
New genres? Sure, why not! Again, more times than not I try new genres because I read about them in comments on this blog and they sounded interesting. 😁
Finally, re: an annual goal for number of books read: I don’t set a specific numeric goal but I do try to best my record from the prior year. If I don’t meet it, no biggie. It probably was because I read some really big books that took longer than usual to finish.
Of course, this year I have decided to enroll my almost 67-year-old self in the local college and get a Liberal Arts Associates degree (for no reason other than because I want to and I love to learn new things) so I have a feeling I will be reading a LOT in the next couple of years! 😂
-Instead of a TBR list, my list of books to read has always been my “hmmmm, this might be interesting” list, and I have never tried to read everything on it.-
yes! this! my list is where i go when i’m looking for something new to read, that i already know piqued my interest. nothing on the list is a *have to*. its just a pool of possibilities i dive into.
I try to finish every book I start. I’m not great at DNF’ing a horrible book but might manage 3 a year when truthfully it should have been 20. LOL. I’m always hoping the book will turn around and turn out better. I don’t have a TBR for the reasons you mention. I only download samples of what I think I might enjoy and maybe 50% of those turn into actual purchases. Samples have become a life saver so I don’t have to fear the DNF monster as much. 🙂
Ruthless DNF er here. If it doesn’t grab me by the cheeks and squeeze in the first 2 chapters, I’m done. I’m too old for bad books.
Words that have stayed with me about the DNF debate – I attended a talk by a visiting librarian who said not allowing yourself the option to start but not finish a book was likely to stifle your willingness to explore new authors and genres.
I have left books in the dust. There are some books that have rated as absolutely 5 stars and I started the first chapter and thought 5* really?! Not for me, and donated them.
I don’t do TBR lists or keep a check list. On my bedside table I have four books that I am concurrently reading. Once done they are traded in or kept for rereads. Audiobooks are a lifesaver, I can listen while doing simple minded chores.
I made a promise to myself a long time ago; a classic, and a non-fiction at least three times a year and if I find that after two chapters it’s not doing it for me, gone. I love spending time with my peeps, picking up a project, or taking a walk and reading is my “thing”. I am not going to waste my time being bored.
I read between 2 and 4 books a week. I have to admit I am retired and can do that now! LOL
I used to finish every book I started and was very proud of that. Now in the crazy new world of kindle and self publishing and so many more books available, I decided that I don’t have enough time to read books I’m not enjoying. Poorly edited – DNF. Unlikeable characters – DNF. Just not grabbing my full attention by the end of chapter 2 or 3 – DNF. I only buy select authors now and read everything else on my library app. If I love it I will then buy the book. Time is too precious too waste on boring books.
Of course anything by House Andrews’ is an automatic pre-order.
the dnf was my block for so long. eventually I realised it was slowing down my reading by insisting I finish everything..and making reading time miserable and pushing me back to doom scrolling. once I realised I was accidentally giving up my time by making myself finish books that weren’t for me, was easy to let them go and find something by a trusted author to go to next- this step was key. had to know what I was going onto was definitely an improvement.
This! Don’t waste time on books you don’t like!
For DNFs, I give a book a hundred pages. If I haven’t gotten into the story and characters by that point, I’m never going to. I’m usually irritated enough by then that it’s easy for me to put it down.
For me, the book I hate the most is the one where the ending spoils everything that came before. In that case, I tend to get on Goodreads and pontificate at length how stupid that particular book was.
I don’t set a goal, when I’m in a reading groove the amount of books I’ve read in a year drifts into the 1000s. See me reading all 30 Anita Blake series in two weeks while on PTO.
I’m also a mood reader, so I’ll specifically look for a book that is of the mood I’m interested in at the moment. That’s how I discovered LitRPG for sci-fi.
I have no issues DNF’ing a book. If I’m reading a book that makes me roll my eyes or just can’t keep my attention then I just close it and move on. It wasn’t for me, and that’s ok because it might be for someone else. Time is my most precious commodity and I’m not wasting it on a book I don’t like.
I’ve never burned up my TBR. But I download samples from the Zon as my TBR list. And I’ll routinely delete them when I’m looking for a book and realize I am no longer interested in that sample. (My TBR is 2300 right now).
Good luck on your reset! I hope you find some amazing reads out there.
My goal is to read 25 new books. I tend to do more rereading. This number is lower than the new books I read in 2025, but I’m going back to school this month and I don’t know how much fun reading I’ll actually be able to do.
For Nostalgic Rereads, I just reread Little Women. Amy made me laugh and I cried when Beth died. Knowing what is going to happen makes no difference with that book.
I am currently rereading my Georgette Heyer books and the Vorkosigan saga, and find they still hold up.
Mostly my goal in 2026 is to reread all the paperback books I have treasured and kept for years and decide: Don’t keep, I have outgrown this one. Keep the print copy because I want to hold a book when I read this. Replace the print with the digital or audio book to save space. Or … I still love this one so much that must have it in all formats.
Edgar Rice Burroughs and H.G Wells
Unfortunately not the same as an adult. Some things gleam and inspire only once.
To DNF a book:
Close it, remove the bookmark for good measure.
Then, put it down. Throw a blanket on it, or get it out of sight.
Forget about it. Absolve self of guilt.
Have fun!
I don’t do DNFs, because I just haven’t read a book I didn’t enjoy in years. By this point I know what I like, and careful attention to reviews, ratings, and what my Goodreads friends with similar tastes thought of a book ensure I don’t need to DNF any. 🙂
This past year I did ruthlessly purge everything on my TBR that was under a certain rating overall on Goodreads. I’ll still never read what’s left and I’m always adding more but that’s ok, maybe will do another purge soon. But I have a short list that I mainly work off, and the big list is just a reminder that I thought a book sounded interesting if it comes up again because someone recommends it to me, etc.
I did actively try new authors and neglected genres in 2025 because I felt like I hadn’t in a while, but 2026 will be a return to favorite series because I only have so much reading time. I’ve been wanting to reread some nostalgic favorites as well, mainly from childhood actually, so will see how that goes.
DNF: I have a rule that if I’m not happy reading a book after 50 or 100 pages, I get to stop. This is easier with library books.
If I’m having trouble stopping, I get out the next to be read book and read a few pages.
Also, I have given myself permission to read selected chapters of nonfiction books.
I just blogged about when I DNF and why. I’ve been an avid reader for almost my whole life and until late in December of ’25, I’ve never had a TBR list. Now I do, but it’s very informal. I’m reading a lot of ARCs, so release dates make the rules. Otherwise, I read what I feel like reading when I feel like reading it.
I think of it this way: life happens and the author would certainly prefer a reader who’s rested, comfortable, and ready to engage over someone who’s stressed, irritable, and needs a vacation and a massage in the quest way. Maybe a few mojitos. Do both of you a favor and either do not engage while in the wrong headspace or shut things down and back away slowly. You can always come back to it later if you want.
* worst.
Love autocorrect.
i had to learn that i could DNF a book. it is an ongoing battle, i still fight my brain on this. but there are a million other books out there i’d like to get to! i don’t need to be wasting my time on a book that doesn’t make me happy. i think practice is the only thing that makes DNF easier to do.
i have 3 TBR lists, and none of them on goodreads. one is a list of series’ that i am currently reading. i write down what the next book in the series is. i don’t generally like to read a whole series straight thru one after the other. i need to mix it up and bounce between different genres. i also include upcoming/new releases in the series i’m reading, and when that release date is. i get my books from the library so i have to keep checking the library website to see if they got it on order yet so i can put it on hold.
the other two lists are of books that caught my eye. one is nonfiction, cookbooks, craft books, garden books, home improvement books. the other one is fiction. i include notations about the genre/type of book it is, and if something about the book in particular caught my eye. are there dragons? is there a dog? is there humor? is a disability involved? when i need a new book to read, i open the notebook and flip thru looking for whatever appeals in the moment. i don’t always start at the beginning of the notebooks, sometimes i flip to the end, sometimes in the middle. sometimes i flip to a random page and drop my finger and just go with it. so yeah, three notebooks.
i learned that if you set a reading goal on goodreads, you can change the amount of that goal at any time! including dec 31. sometimes life happens, and i really hate failing.
I used to finish every book I started, but like you I decided life is too short. If you find yourself not caring what happens, or thinking “are you kidding me?”, then start another book. You can tell yourself you’ll come back to the first one if it helps. I bet you don’t.
I am the most ruthless DNFer I know. I once stopped reading a book after the first sentence. It was that horribly constructed. I decided if they couldn’t write a decent first sentence for the first paragraph, there was no point to read further. Ask yourself if it’s worth the time you will never get back.
Here’s a DNF / but-still-crave-closure hack I use all the time. Read the first paragraph of each chapter. (This is easy with a Kindle/e-book, as there’s a drop-down menu of the chapters. Just go to the next one.) Most authors start chapters in ways that signal what has happened, so you miss next to nothing. And, by definition, the book is boring (or you wouldn’t be skimming) so you’re not missing anything vital. If a chapter is unexpectedly interesting, read it. You can always go back to skimming when the book flags.
I’ve usually got a few books on the go. If I find I’m just not going back to a particular one, then I let it sit there.
It’s not DNF. It’s DNF yet.
Sometimes I go back to them – maybe it was a vibes thing, maybe another book grabbed me so hard that all else ceased to exist (this is often the fault of House Andrews!), and maybe I just don’t like it. It’ll become clear in time.
And if it’s a dead tree edition, then eventually it makes its way to the donation bag with no tears shed.
I’m not big on reading goals – I have one on Goodreads cos my kid likes to see how much I’m reading. I don’t include rereads and reallllllly smutty smut (cos I hide that from the kid!!).
This year though I have a goal to read more indigenous authors and some non-fiction about First Nation experiences in Canada. I know I’m still too ignorant about this and want to fix it. No numbers, just a heartfelt intent.
I have never regretted my tbr purge. Even books that sounded good 5 years ago might no longer interest me today. I also finally learned to DNF. I have so much stuff lying around that I enjoy more. I don’t have time for books unsuitable for me. Except gifts. I can’t DNF gifted books. Cost me significant time and motiviation last year. My only reading goal for last year was to read all the already bought physical books that were on my shelf for 2 years or more. (Or throw them out after a DNF.) Very proud of the result, I only have books left now that I acquired in 2025. Leaving stuff too long just doesn’t work for me. I recommend guilty pleasure books in between reading goals. In my case those are cozy mysteries. Low effort, high comfort reading. And rereading my favorites, like Ilona Andrews.
If I am getting into a funk about not finding new material (extremely difficult as I am having a seemingly too long list of no-no’s) and not wanting to reread again the same favourite books that often help me after a too long search for something new, I find it helpful to pick either a kind of biography from people living through extraordinarily difficult times / circumstances or fiction books done by someone who did a huge amount of research or grew up in a culture not similar to mine.
Examples: Alexandre Dumas books count as good in historical details, quiet some of them are connected, what makes them a kind of series.
C.S. Forester’s Hornblower books, that are really good with the RL details too,
Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe book series (I do not like some of his other book series),
Pearl S. Buck’s Imperial Woman (bcs great in details and its about an existing person of history)
Biography wise the biggest impact on me has/had J. Michael Straczyinsky’s Becoming Superman (we have some overlap in growing up details, his are way worse than mine)
I do that for a month or so, and then I am ready for diving into the ‘normal’ books again
I won’t gives book recommendations then. Won’t. Won’t. Won’t.
Oh well: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Happy New Year. Love from Germany
Somehow, over the years, my reading evolved from being an exploration of the world in its multitude of shapes and colors and became a pure feel-good escapism.
I’ve had a hard time recently making myself read a well written non-fiction in a topic that I am trully interested in, and I blame my youtube documentary habit for it. My brain has just gotten lazy.
I still buy these books, but then they sit on my shelf sad and abandoned.
As my goals this year are revolving around less time on line – more time irl, I have commited to reading through that entire non-fiction shelf and not adding to it until I do so. Wish me perseverance, please.
Deleting the TBR list: 10/10 Do recommend. Also, DNF for the win. Sooooo much less stress.
Not really a resolution, but a thing I like to do is read two books – one “feely”, and one “thinky”. One for pleasure and one to teach me something.
I’ve become a ruthless dnf(er). Why? Life’s too short to finish a book that I’m not enjoying. I read the first two chapters, if I’m interested I finish it, if I’m not, if I find I don’t like the characters or the setting or the writing style, I abandon it. Two chapters is usually enough for me to decide.
I also swop genres regularly. A couple of fantasy, an action one, a biography, a historical one, a romance, a cosy style one. Sometimes I read a series then swop other times it depends on my mood.
With all the Books I have, I’ve been known to complain that I’ve nothing to read so I will re read some of my favourites again.
I don’t watch much tv anymore just a select few things on streaming so reading is my ho to.
I’ve finally given myself permission to not finish books and I’ve stopped keeping a TBR list except for a select number of authors otherwise it gets overwhelming.
I mostly read on my kindle but recently bought an induction headset and found I like listening to murder mysteries while working. I’ve tried reading from the same author but it’s just not the same. I think it’s the narrator that makes the difference. He’s very good. I intend to investigate different genres that I haven’t read this way on the future.
They do say change is as good as a holiday.
Wow, your reading habits are very different from mine. I don’t have TBR lists (lists? plural?). I occasionally download a free book on amazon with the idea to give it a try, but most of the time I either forget about it, or give it a glimpse and decide it’s not for me. Nowadays, I often look into the suggestions from Kindle Unlimited to discover new authors.
I’m a prodigious DNF-er. Usually it takes less than a page for me to decide to skip a book. Occasionally it takes a few chapters. It mostly has to do with writing style – whether I like it or not. Even for the books I like, I have no problem skip-reading scenes that aren’t very interesting for me, and moving straight into the nice ones that make me want to linger. After all, I’m just reading for myself. Last year, to my surprise, I discovered I liked many sci/fi books suggested by Kindle Unlimited. I didn’t consider myself at all a sci/fi reader, but some of those books just clicked. So I think your resolution to expand into new genres is a very good one.
By the way. In 2020 before surgery I ruthlessly decluttered every category from cutlery to books and from clothes to bedspreads. Still living so I might have regrettet some decisions but I let go of 50% of my stuff.
Dead tree books had to leave because they took to much space. I kept approximately 100 from 2000. I kept my Most beloved books ant the ones I want to read again some time. But the rule here is to read them and then throw them away. For my kindle right now I apply the same rule. Read once the delete.
I agree with the sentiments. A hobby is meant to be that.. a hobby. the moment I try to to do list it becomes a chore. Hence sometimes forgotten books and yarns projects. Life is too short to feel pressured when reading for pleasure… and hey if you miss out by dnf, you may come back to it (e.g me and Asimov’s Foundation series) and eventually you’ll be in a place to appreciate it, as opposed to forcing a finish which is distasteful on many fronts. life is too short. Wishing you all the best in this new paradigm and to new adventures in new and forgotten realms and times. Happy new year!
The only books I still feel vaguely guilty about DNFing are “classics” – those books that end up on best 100 books of all time lists. Yet, they remain unfinished after decades.
These days, with Kindle Unlimited, I have no reservations about whipping through a book and dumping it whenever I get annoyed or bored. Like so many,if a story has caught my interest but the writing has not, I might skip to the last couple chapters.
Now if I have paid for a book individually that is a different matter. That is becoming few and far between since the number of excellent authors on KU has exploded. If I shelled out extra bucks, I will stick with it and won’t skip to the end, though I might put it down for months and years. However I rarely buy a book now. even from a favorite author, without reading the three chapter intro sample.
My tbr lists are pretty useless, as ModR said, I was a different person back then.
Sub genres like isekai are a little puzzling/annoying to me. I persist in keeping to the highest divisions possible, like Romance or Fantasy. That is probably because I let Kindle’s algorithm do the work of recommending new books, or more reliably, look to the BDH for a new author to try.
As I look at it, it is surprising to me how much I have changed my reading habits due to the book marketing changes I thought I was sneering at.
I read tons of books, always have….usually with Kindle unlimited and I don‘t know how many books I read every year. I used to be not able to not finish a book, but now if a book doesn’t catch me with the first few chapters I let it go…Somehow reading calms my otherwise busy brain.
My goal for this year is to read less and start reading all the “real copies” that are waiting on my book shelves instead of reading them on my kindle.
And read the Lord of the Rings trilogy once more, it’s been ages since I’ve read it. And the Ilona Andrews books I can read again and again (or listen to the audiobooks), they just make me happy.
I don’t do new year resolutions, but yesterday I reread Iron Convenant and restarted with Kate Daniels #1. I already restarted it some month ago, but I was in a bad mental space and couldn’t handle the solo fighter scenario back than.
That will take some time, I hope.
I love reading, it’s a joy to me so I don’t give myself reading goal or target. If I am out and about without my Kindle or book, I’ll read magazine, the back of the cereal box, bottle, menu, whatever I can get my hands on. Hmmm… maybe I am a aimless reader, but it’s fun to me and I learn many trivial facts that help no one haha…
I used to have a huge book and National Geographic collections, but have purged most for practical reasons and kept a few that I love or have sentimental values.
Agreed with an Austen fan here, I am planning to reread her books cos it’s her anniversary and I love her books 💕
I have always gone back to reread old favourites whenever I needed a comfort read. Since the pandemic comfort reading is now making up more of my time than reading new things. So much so that I made a list of authors and series and what month/year I last read them. I am trying to spread them out so I don’t get tired of my favourites by rereading them too often. That said I am 63 and have been collecting books since 4th grade. I did a major purge of my library when I retired and moved to a condo. I had to downsize! So anything I couldn’t remember and hadn’t thought about in decades got punted. I have reread some of the series I kept for the move, only to discover my tastes have really changed in the past couple of decades. I can no longer tolerate some of the casual misogyny and other bigotry that crept into some of the older books.
I have been DNFing books for the past couple of decades too. Life is just too short to waste on a book that is making you unhappy or angry as you read it. I read to escape and so I prefer books with a guaranteed happy ending and characters that I can get invested in. House Andrews never disappoints. I’m also a huge fan of many books by M.C.A. Hogarth, Lois McMaster Bujold, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Patricia Briggs, Amy Lane, Amy Aislin, Alanea Alder… honestly there are too many to name. (Those last three write romances so they are very different from the prior authors I mentioned.)
I am a DNFer. The first time I pick something else to do instead of read “that” book again, I ask myself if I care if the main characters live or die. If the answer is no. I stop. Period. And, although I should not do this, I often do not read other series by the same author. I really should allow each series to stand on its own, but I don’t. I move on.
I’m both a ruthless DNFer, as well as someone who purged my TBRs years ago. I’m just at that point in my life when reading time is precious; I am not going to waste it on something I don’t actually enjoy. Even more horrifying, if I bought a (physical) book and haven’t started it or not motivated to finish it in two years, I’ll donate it to a local library. No point in hoarding books I don’t enjoy/won’t read, when I know there are people out there who will.
I do want to finish the KD series this year though (I know, I know, but I hit a reading slump and a spot of depression somewhere in the middle, and couldn’t get myself to pick up the next one in the series yet). That, and read some non-fiction/fiction adjacent books this year. Something related to storytelling/GMing, project/time management or crafting or traveling, maybe. (If anyone has suggestions, please let me know!)
I am all about the DNF, though I don’t leave reviews to that effect.
Just because it didn’t work for me, that doesn’t mean it won’t work for anybody else. Art is subjective.
I’ve been writing so long that if I open a book and it makes me start editing it because it’s badly written, I’m off to the next book. I have done that so much, when I find a writer who does NOT make me DNF, I latch on and don’t let go.
I also read the same books over and over, if I feel depressed.
Especially audiobooks, because I can listen to them when doing housework, which I loathe.
Thanks for getting me hooked on Graphic Audio, btw. I love the hell out of those.
I relate to a lot of what you just said (especially the housework bit – bleugh). It annoys me when people leave bad reviews after reading 17% or so of a book. To my mind, all that means is they got a first, gut reaction to the book which, good or bad, can’t tell me if the book is worth trying or not. They might have been in a particular reading rut and would have hated anything they picked up. They don’t know if that slow beginning was leading up to a fantastic climax. Honestly, if we all read books like that, no one would have got to the end of Lord of the Rings.
I am a ruthless DNF’er. If I’m not excited to pick up a book, say I’ve got a craving for something else, then I will pick up that something else. Reading is for pleasure unless it’s a book assignment. If the first book starts knocking on my brain a few days, weeks or even years down the line, I’ll find it again and finish it. But, if that book never comes back, so be it. It wasn’t my thing or it was my thing but it wasn’t done in a style I liked. Authors don’t want you to punish yourself by reading their work: that’s where bad reviews come from.
Dearest IA, I am an additive DNF’er. I give a book the first 3 to 4 chapters, and If I am not engaged by the end of chapter 3 or 4, I close the book! I always have others to read. Amazon’s “try a sample” has truly cut down of the practice, but occasionally I get to the 5th or 6th chapter and the book just doesn’t keep my interest, evolves into word salad or just just gets stupid, so I bail. But then; on to the next discovery. Try it, and I hope it helps.
I am definitely a DNFer. If I don’t enjoy a book after two chapters, it goes in the thrift shop pile, or gets buried by current stuff on my Kindle. Sometimes with authors I have previously enjoyed I notice that I am reluctant to pick up a new book, choosing Crosswords over reading, when I have a new release in hand. I will set those aside as well.
I read a lot of books. At least 2 per week. They are how I get to sleep each night, and of course when waiting for things, traveling, and when sick I read. I don’t get sick a lot but I do travel a lot.
Your books take awhile, and are honestly my reliable favorites. Close behind you are books by Patricia Briggs, Terri Reid (although these are very quick reads), Jeannine Frost, Jana De Leon’s Fortune series (although I don’t buy the Mudbug ones), Faith Hunter, and Chloe Neill. I just started a new series that I am enjoying a lot by Julie Mulhern, and I am spending a lot of money ripping through those.
I read a lot of non fiction too, loving history in all its forms, and self sufficiency, plus DIY. My husband and I are converting a church camp with 20 acres along a river into a main residence with several Air BNBs, and are doing most of the work ourselves, in our 60’s.
Yeah, you need to enjoy books without nit picking, but it might not be possible to switch brains on that. I have never had a nitpick brain, and flat out do not see spelling nor grammar errors once I get into a book.
Happy reading and Happy New Year!
I snickered reading “If you’re a ruthless DNFer, please teach us your ways!”, because I definitely am one. If I don’t get hooked in the first chapter, I return/delete the book (unless it’s a NF “teaching” book, such as cookbook or art book).
Life is too short. Why let myself get pressured by lists or “best of category” labels? My reading genres tend to change quickly, so if I’m no longer enjoying the genre, I switch to another or go reread a beloved book.
You don’t have to feel guilty not reading a book, instead focus on the pleasure you get from reading what you enjoy.
Have a wonderful 2026!
I dumped my Goodreads TBR pile this year. I still have much shorter lists in my Amazon Kindle list and Kindle Unlimited list. but getting rid of my Goodreads list allowed me to actually use Goodreads again! previously I would go on there and just feel guilty about not reading anyone if the hundreds of books on there!
I’m so excited for This Kingdom Will not Kill Me! I have read manga and manwha like this but never read the actual novels so I’m excited!!
happy new year!
Every so often I purge the goodreads tbr list. Truth is I keep clicking on books and never read them.
Goodreads is the family spreadsheet.
My goal of 100 is doable, I only track new books not rereads and it collects books in an easier list than the 5000 or so we’ve read. Mostly so I can see what I read at years end.
I hate any kind of forced reading. If I don’t read 100 books, I’ll just lower the number in December
Some time ago (last summer) I had nearly 240 books on the wishlist of my favorite book retailer, not counting the TBR books I already had at home. It really started to feal more like pressure than fun. And all the time, every time I used my smartphone I would get more recommendations. So I started to trick myself. Every time I put a new book on my wishlist I have to strike two other books from the list. As of now, I’m down to 183.
I used to finish every book, even if it felt like wading through sludge, but I don’t do that any more. If I don’t feel any connection to the story in the first third or if I feel like it could get better but doesn’t until the second half, then I DNF. There is really not enough time to read books that don’t move me in any way.
TBR and other lists. I have a habit of buying used older computers (which can still be updated with current security updates). We buy them used from our local community college as they update, much cheaper and my current is much more powerful than I would have ever bought myself…had been a math and CAD computer. Although I backup things, whole lists can be lost when one finally breaks (every 5 years). It can be very freeing. I used to buy all my books, but all the moving and packing over the years… Now I read mostly from the library. I remember giving my grandmother a hard time (long line of readers in our family) for skipping ahead to read the ending and deciding if she will continue… Over time and for more than twenty years, I have become my grandmother. Life is too short…..
Hello,
I, also, always finished a book even when I disliked it. I gave up that compulsion a few years ago, and have never looked back.
Life is just too short, and I have too many other books to read, to continue reading a book I don’t like.
I also gave up my TBR options, and now I only read whatever comes to hand and interest. Haven’t regretted that either.
I wish you all the best with your new reading adventures. I don’t think you’ll regret your choices, or the freedom they will provide.
Smiles and blessings, Nancy
I don’t do book lists or book clubs. I see it as being forced to read things and my brain rebels! I hated being forced to read books in school (I read them but I didn’t like it lol) so I won’t do it to myself. That being said I get lots of recommendations from friends and coworkers that I will put samples on my reader or save at my library. Many don’t make it past the sample stage lol
I will admit I’m a huge skim/ read the ending if I get too anxious. It allows me to settle into the book so I can pay attention not keep wondering what’s going to happen. Reading ahead, it doesn’t ruin the book for me. I will not finish books if it feels like too much work or I get annoyed with it. I’m very good at putting it down to take a break, getting distracted, and just not picking it up again. lol. By that time it has to be returned back to the library or I delete it from my reader page to make room for new books.
I will admit that I don’t venture too far away from my preferred types of books. Once in a while I’ll pick up a different style/trope and usually it reminds me I like what I like and that’s ok.
Reading has always been an escape/safe space for me. I try really hard to keep it that way. It can’t be a to do thing or forced.
I don’t do book lists or book clubs. I see it as being forced to read things and my brain rebels! I hated being forced to read books in school (I read them but I didn’t like it lol) so I won’t do it to myself. That being said I get lots of recommendations from friends and coworkers that I will put samples on my reader or save at my library. Many don’t make it past the sample stage lol
I will admit I’m a huge skim/ read the ending if I get too anxious. It allows me to settle into the book so I can pay attention not keep wondering what’s going to happen. Reading ahead, it doesn’t ruin the book for me. I will not finish books if it feels like too much work or I get annoyed with it. I’m very good at putting it down to take a break, getting distracted, and just not picking it up again. lol. By that time it has to be returned back to the library or I delete it from my reader page to make room for new books.
I will admit that I don’t venture too far away from my preferred types of books. Once in a while I’ll pick up a different style/trope and usually it reminds me I like what I like and that’s ok.
Reading has always been an escape/safe space for me. I try really hard to keep it that way. It can’t be a to do thing or forced.
Longtime public librarian here. I wholly support your resolution to DNF and book that doesn’t match your current mood (or that you just plain don’t enjoy).
French writer Daniel Pennac created a Reader’s Bill of Rights. Third on the list is the right to not finish.
I have been working to convince friends, family and book club colleagues that it is ok to DNF. You can always pick up the book later and give it another try. Sure, at first it might feel uncomfortable to put down a book unfinished, but being uncomfortable never killed anyone.
I read a book until I’m bogged down then go to the last three chapters just to find out how it ends. Mostly E books, free and cheap, and I’m better about deleting them. I do collect favorite author books in E format simply for the ease of storage, portability, and font size. I’ve been hunting for new authors as many of my autobuys are in their 70s and 80s now. I forsee most of them retiring simply due to aging and illness personally or family members. I reread a lot especially when I’m more apt to get interrupted. I mostly listen to favorite audiobooks when I drive or something I’ve read as I need to concentrate more on my driving as I age.
Hi Ilona. In my opinion, TBR lists are like those interesting-looking foods in the fridge that you bought when you went shopping REALLY hungry. You have way too much. It becomes almost a chore to try it all. A lot of it will spoil. With books, if I haven’t read it in a reasonable amount of time, it probably won’t ever get read. Purge the list. I find that the really good books keep coming up in conversations with friends, book club meetings, and articles. Really good books don’t spoil. They won’t allow themselves to be forgotten. When you want something new to read, they’ll still be around.
DNF – it has to capture my interest in the first 50 pages. Otherwise, nope.
I am a guiltless DNF type of person. If a book doesn’t catch and hold my attention, I have never been able to finish it. For me books are an escape something that takes me out of my headspace. If I have to force myself to keep reading it, it is no longer enjoyable and has now become an unwelcome and unwanted obligation and chore. I’m 40, this is not the Pizza Hut Book It club, I’m not receiving a free personal pan pizza at the end, it’s not accelerated reader that I have to do for a grade, it’s supposed to be enjoyable and if it’s not it is ok to not finish. I will read until I no longer can. I also will leave fair and constructive review stating that I did not finish, and that the book was just not for me. I refuse to tear someone or their writing apart because I didn’t enjoy it or just couldn’t get into the story. That is someone’s heart and soul, time and effort in that. I read big name authors and a lot of lesser known authors, some authors just aren’t getting the right direction or editing help that they need and deserve. I want to build people up and try to help in whatever little ways that I can. The same way I would hope they would do for me if I ever write a book(that’s the dream). I have never really kept a TBR list, again it’s supposed to be enjoyable and a list just feels like pressure. I also reread books a lot they bring me joy and out of my headspace, she already knows this and you know her but when my mom passed in 2020 9 days before my 35th birthday I was in a very dark space. My dad had passed when I was 18 in 03 and all of my grandparents were gone also. I found The Dark Prince Series (part of The Night Huntress World) and it took me out of that head space. Books can save you from yourself and your own thoughts and deserve to read time and time again. Life really is to short and you never know when time is up not to enjoy it. Loss has left its mark all over my life from a time when I was very young, read for pleasure and for joy not out of a sense of guilt or obligation.
Life is too short to force yourself to read a book that you aren’t enjoying.
I did the TBR purge and it was a huge relief! I felt the exact same way as you- it started to feel like a burden and no longer matched my tastes, since some books had been on the list for years and I no longer remembered why I put them there. (Was it just because of a pretty cover?) I dedicated an afternoon to winnowing down the list to books that still looked interesting and had an Goodreads rating over 4. Then I searched for every book at my library and on Hoopla. I added it to lists there so I could borrow them where I knew they were available. Simple availability cut most of the list out. Now my Want To Read list is all books that haven’t come out yet (looking at you, TKWNKM!)
Stuff Your Kindle events have taught me to be a ruthless DNF-er. Generally for me, a book doesn’t start off badly and improve significantly, so I’ve given myself permission to skim, read a recap online (I love the Recaptains), or skip to the last chapter to get closure without taking the time to read the entire book. I won’t rate a book when I haven’t finished it, as that doesn’t seem fair, but I’ve saved myself the time.
Doing both of these has made reading much more enjoyable for me, hopefully it will for you, too!
I didn’t completely delete my TBR list BUT I did visit it and clean it up some. I realized some books that I had wanted to read no longer resonated with me.
I became comfortable with DNF-ing because I gave myself the requirement of making it to 100 pages in the book before deciding it wasn’t for me. If the book hadn’t hooked me or garnered my interest at that point, I know I gave it my best and it was okay to DNF 🙂
I used to set a reading goal for myself to try to read a certain number of books during the year but the burden of trying to compete with others and hit a number just for the sake of hitting a number was ruining reading for me. So I focused on habits instead. I’ve increased how much I read by taking books with me places and reading when I’d normally have my phone out and I always read for 30-60 minutes before bed to help me unwind. I love it.
Happy New Year everyone!
Ilona, it has made my day knowing you’ve read “my” authors, the ones who filled my childhood and adolescence with their words and their use of the language. I grew up in Argentina so the fact that their books where at one time or another banned by the bureaucrats in charge, only made them more appealing. Enjoying an author in their /your native language lends itself to appreciating the nuances of the usage, the subtle alterations and metaphors that often get lost in translation. I could add more names to your list… the important part is they are still with me and I reread a passage when I need it: it’s like talking to an old friend.
More to the point of your resolutions: I’m terrible at letting go of unread books and even worst at DNF. During 2025 I timidly started practicing both, with conditions: I need to find a new interested reader for my books, I cannot just throw them away. It used to be easy to donate them to institutions (from public libraries to schools and retirement homes) but not so much now.
All in all, good resolutions to work on during 2016!
Sorry to disappoint, Socorro, but it’s me this time, not Ilona!
Hahahaha! My fingers typed what my unconscious was thinking: 2016 instead of 2026! Wow, very meaningful to me… I’ll have to think about this 🤔
Cheers and new books for 2026!
I ditched Goodreads ages ago. And it didn’t affect my life at all. It’s just busyness masked as useful so they can steal our reading habits to sell. Almost every Discord I’m in has a book nook channel & lists are so easy to find. You won’t be at a loss.
DNF is actually easy. If you don’t like the book put it down & grab a favorite. Get lost again in that beloved friend & whatsits won’t even be on the radar.
I guess I am a ruthless DNFer. I really don’t have a lot of time and I definitely don’t want to waste my precious time reading something I don’t like or even don’t feel at that time. It can be for various reasons. Sometimes it is a great book but I just can’t handle that type of sadness or angst at that particular moment. I usually read the end to feel closure while understanding that I’ve missed the journey that really makes the closure but I’m okay with that. I have a couple non fiction books I’ve tried to read multiple times and just haven’t gotten through them yet. Maybe this is the year I make it, or maybe this is the year I stop trying. Something to think about.
When I am reading a book that I have doubts about, on whether I should finish it, I skip ahead to about five chapters from the end. If I find that chapter engaging and interesting, then I’ll go back and persevere. if not, it’s a do not finish book.
I did just about everything you’re talking about doing two years ago, and I am a happier reader for it. I cannot review every single book I read. I cannot read every single book I download. Auto-buys are auto-reads 99.999% of the time. Every now and then I’ll buy something I just can’t get into, and after years of forcing myself to read something I didn’t enjoy I just…stopped. It’s okay to not like every book.
And FYI, I read Kate Daniels – the entire series – every couple of years or so, because it’s my comfort series. I read The Stand over and over, read Ali Hazelwood whenever I need a juicy romance. And it’s ALL okay.
I’m a ruthless DNFer. There isn’t a trick. If you’re not enjoying it, why waste your time? Ditch it. No one has to know. I don’t leave negatives on Goodreads just because a book doesn’t suit me. I just move on. I also have no interest in going back to read five star reads from years ago. I’ve thought about it, but why possibly spoil a good memory of a good read? You may not like it years later and spoil that memory that was so good at the time and place you were in and that book filled the need, which it may not now. I’m stuffed if I can find good books now though. I constantly reread books I love just to keep that high. In the “old days” I used to get my book recs from like-minded Goodreads “friends”, but now all of them have either disappeared or read far and wide and that doesn’t help me anymore. Reading is such a part of my life, since I was a little kid always my nose in a book, and I can’t find a good book for any money. I used to find them so easily. I know they’re out there, I just can’t find them. Hours and hours scouring Goodreads and I come up with nothing that takes my fancy. It’s the bain of my life.
I am a big proponent of DNF – life is too short to read a book you don’t really like. That being said, I did read over 160 books last year – I am on the nomination committee for a children’s book award, so I read a lot of juvenile literature, some of which is HIGHLY enjoyable! If you want recommendations in that category, let me know!
I started a new goodreads page last year. My old one is also chaotic, and I do not have what I’ve read, what I own, and what I want to read separated. Last year I read 77 and dnf’d 13. (I long ago stopped forcing myself to finish books). I don’t keep a tbr on this one, that is in my library list and my amazon account. I don’t count rereads (or IA would be on my lists every year) or books I read on royal road. (since they are not on amazon, there is no entry on goodreads).
This year so far I’ve read one, Anne Bishop’s newest, and dropped one, the worst book I’ve ever read, which I won’t name. I’m embarrassed for the author. Google is right there. I’ve just started the Courting of Bristol Keats, which has been good so far.
I don’t make resolutions. “Do or do not, there is no try. “
While my goal is always 52 books a year, every other year I will have the stipulation that they all have to be “new” books – so I pick a genre I haven’t delved into before or pick a theme. I have discovered a lot of authors I do like this way, but there have been some that became DNF and I have no regrets 😂.
The other years, I can read/re-read whatever I want, but those years typically still have a decent amount of new authors/books as well!
The TBR I had is long gone and I have no regrets! I meander though the bookstores and see what calls to me.
This is year 8 of the 52 book goal, and looking to further my finishing goal of 5 to 6!
Good luck everyone w your goals and Happy New Year!
If it was not worth buying at the time I doubt you will miss it. If you magically finish reading everything you have bought you can always ask the horde for recommendations. But if you are like me that is an unlikely event.
A couple of years ago, I read 365 books in a year.
Obviously, some were shorter, but unless it was an ARC, it had to have at least 100 pages to count. And I didn’t count rereads unless it had been more than 3 years (I have comfort reads that I reread frequently).
Anyway, the next year, I was so stressed. My life was in a different place, I had huge reading slumps, and there was SO MUCH PRESSURE to do the same or better.
After that, I set my reading goal to 50 or 75. If I start falling behind and it stresses me out, I lower the number. It’s the only way I stay sane. I use it as a fun benchmark instead of a competition that I need to win.
I’ve also started letting myself DNF. If I’m at least 25 pages in and not feeling it, I set it aside for a few days. If I come back and I’m still not feeling it, I let it go. If I’m struggling but I’m still curious about it, I’ll skim a few chapters to see if it gets better for me.
It was super hard to do this, I used to make myself finish books, but there are so many I want to read that I don’t want to force myself to spend time on something that doesn’t click with me.
Honestly, I skip the book club reads. It makes me feel bad when I don’t like something that is so highly recommended 😅.
My goal this year is to give audio books another try. I have trouble visualizing when I’m listening to someone else’s voice, if that makes sense.
I am a very casual Horde member and don’t post often, but you asked about ruthless DNFing.
I am a mental health counselor (aka therapist), and this has affected my relationship with reading very poorly — I’m in a many-years-long reading slump now. (I think it is because my job is about stories, and it is now very difficult to absorb stories for entertainment – like Ilona cannot turn off her editor, I cannot turn off my therapist.) What this means is that in order to preserve my connection to fiction at all, I have had to be bitterly ruthless. Here’s my philosophy.
1. The job of the book is to enhance my life; other than paying for it or borrowing it fairly, I have no responsibility to the book. If it is no longer enhancing my life, I put it down. As far as I am aware, this has never hurt anyone.
2. Books don’t get to hurt me without my consent. In my case, with a lot of lived and vicarious trauma on board, that means I’m all about the spoilers and I frequently read the end to check for cliffhangers. You have the right to do this too.
3. There is no such damn thing as prestige fiction for me, I don’t care what celebrities are reading (even ones I admire), and I do not do Challenges. See rule #1.
I think that sums it up. Good luck out there.
I try to read ( mostly listen to) 20 books. month. I reserve actual reading to manuscripts, early reads, proofreading, and ARCs. I listen all day and most nights (I don’t watch much TV) while knitting, doing chores, walking, etc. By setting my goal at 20, I almost always reach at least 200 per year.(Thank goodness for my public library and a librarian who will order anything I want that’s available.) I don’t count DNFs. But if I can’t stand a grating narrator, or if I don’t get hooked in the first few chapters, out it goes! It has taken a long time to break the drummed in childhood rule of “Finish what you start”. If it doesn’t serve me, I am no longer going to do it. If, for example, I’m invited to a party, luncheon, etc. and I don’t want to go, I make polite excuses and spend my time as I wish. When you realize that your time is your most precious currency, only then will you choose how to spend it. You won’t be able to replenish it. If you are still working, there is even less time to call your own. I look at it as the Marie Condo approach to time. So to answer your question, If those lists haven’t served you in the last 6 months, clear them out! There will always be enough books to read. There are 3-4 M books published in English in the US every year (5-6 hundred thousand from Trad. Publishers.)
I think I may be too picky about what I start to be a DNFer. There’s a few books I have bought on rec or blurb that have been DNSed (did-not-start) tho! There’s also a rare few that are DNRRed (do-not-re-read).
A recent example is that I am currently on a reread of Anne McCaffrey dragons of pern saga – skim Renegades for the important bits, cos I just don’t care about Thella Jayge or Aramina; sometimes don’t bother with Moretta (tho I am reading it now) – as she says in the preface “this may not be the story you wanted”; should probably get rid of all the ones with Todd McCaffrey – too different in tone, not to my taste.
I loved the P.E.R.N. novels too, which led me to the Temeraire saga by Naomi Novic. It’s about sentient dragons from all over the world during the Napoeonic war. I read the whole 9 books about ten years ago and just listened to the audiobooks this December. Simon Vance did a great job narrating.
I looked at my local library recommendations. They change it month to month.
I always try to read ( mostly listen to) 20 books. month. I reserve actual reading to manuscripts, early reads, proofreading, and ARCs. I listen all day and most nights (I don’t watch much TV) while knitting, doing chores, walking, etc. By setting my goal at 20, I almost always reach at least 200 per year.(Thank goodness for my public library and a librarian who will order anything I want that’s available.) I don’t count DNFs. But if I can’t stand a grating narrator, or if I don’t get hooked in the first few chapters, out it goes! It has taken a long time to break the drummed in childhood rule of “Finish what you start”. If it doesn’t serve me, I am no longer going to do it. If, for example, I’m invited to a party, luncheon, etc. and I don’t want to go, I make polite excuses and spend my time as I wish. When you realize that your time is your most precious currency, only then will you choose how to spend it. You won’t be able to replenish it. If you are still working, there is even less time to call your own. I look at it as the Marie Condo approach to time. So to answer your question, If those lists haven’t served you in the last 6 months, clear them out! There will always be enough books to read. There are 3-4 M books published in English in the US every year (5-6 hundred thousand from Trad. Publishers.)
I am Ruthless for DNF. Here are the rules.
It has to be engaging. If you don’t care by the end of the first chapter, you won’t care.
If the author doesn’t actually know what they are talking about, put the book down and walk away.the last thing you need in your head is wrong information, even in a fiction format. The writer that can’t be bothered to research is not someone I want to read.
For the something different, here is an author you might remember from your youth. Andre Norton was much translated into Cyrillic. She was the grand dame of science fiction for fifty years. From the days of manual typewriters. Books are short and action oriented.
And for the really different, James Tiptree. She wrote under an alias and attended cons under the alias of Raccoona Sheldon. Robert Silverberg famously said that there was no way a woman could write as Tiptree did. I can only imagine how many debates the on the subject. Her rl history is extraordinary.
Lastly, Cordwainer Smith, another legendary writer with a military intelligence career. He wrote the definitive textbook on psychological warfare, still used around the world.
Happy new year
Yes, great rule. Also if the main characters aren’t people you want to spend time with, don’t!
I as a rule dont do the set reading list, book count, all I do is feel guilty or disgusted. instead I shoot for hours reading, and I usually lowball it and estimate a year end amount based on when I hit it. usually I hit it and I review the year and realize I had a good year all around, and if I didn’t hit it ot had a low number I realize I did really well in a year of hard moments and I recognize I did so even if it meant putting reading on a back burner. As for nostalgia reads go back and go back often, just because they may have been written for children or teens does not mean there is not nuggets of adult wisdom in there.
As for the tbr… im bad at listening that I dont maniacly review regularly, so I couldn’t tell you the last time I looked at them when I know ive created them and only occasionally recognize that what im reading is in fact on a list somewhere… oops
also, (so long wonder today, sorry 😅🤣) for dnf, I give it anywhere from 15-30 minutes. if im not happy with it, im done and I count it as my regular attempt at trying something new, even if I didn’t like it. ive found that it made me upset that carried into other things about the time I wasted rather than being happy about finishing more reading time. this ive found led me to more aggressively dropping something that wasn’t making me happy to read, and picking out whats ai and what isnt, rather than Jonah and the whale devouring what ever I had started. (side eyeing my younger ‘what evers free on Amazon pre-KU’ years)
I used to finish every book with ruthless determination. Now? If I’m not fully immersed after the first couple of chapters, back to the library it goes. I also refused to read books by male authors, with the exception of a select few (very select, very few, as in just 1, maybe 2). Now, I reads the synopsis and if it sounds like a good book, regardless if the author is male or female, I give it a go. For a time, I also limited the genres I would read, but now I read almost everything, except for most spy/government intrigue novels. I get enough of that in the news.
I read on a Kindle and am pretty ruthless when it comes to my TBR pile. I download lots of samples, many from BookTok. If a book doesn’t hook me in the first 3 – 5 pages, I delete it. If a sample lingers for more than a month, I delete it. And I got over the guilt a long time ago – my free time is too short and there are way too many fabulous reads out there. As much as possible, I’m trying to lead a should-free life. Less resistance, more flow.
I will try any recommended book if it perks my interest…but will DNF any books that won’t grab me. Sometimes I will skim the book and see if it changes my mind. Life is too short to slog through an uninteresting book. That said…I do like to read books by journalists and some politicians. Sometimes they are tough to get through just because of subject. I do enjoy seeing their different perspectives and insights. I like some historical novels and some plain romance. When I’m in a slump and no new books appeal to me I’ll reread some of my old favorites. I don’t really have a TBR list per se…I’ll just look up a recommended author and go from there.
Love all your perspectives! Go Horde!
On the DNFing – I have a Libby tag that is “DNF 🤷🏻♀️” which is my clue to myself that I didn’t get into the book, but it likely wasn’t the book’s fault, but a reflection of where my head was when I tried to read it. That way, I can go back and give it another try if I want.
Since I read from the library pretty heavily, I tend to use this for books that came off a hold wait, I start and then stop early in the read, but it’s not the book, but the genre (I’ve been one a sci-fi binge and it’s a mystery) or the trope just isn’t speaking to me, or I don’t have the attention span for something.
It’s helped me be more comfortable with the DNF.
Also, 100% support letting go of old TBRs. You are right, you aren’t the same person you were and your interests have changed!
While I’m good at DNF, it isn’t any behavior I can teach- I have ADHD. If I don’t get pulled in, I set aside/remove download from kindle and honestly forget about it. It does make me enjoy re-reads better than some folk I know since even if I read an entire book I always forget enough to always read something new the next turn around
I want to be clear: this is not me blasting her. This was just a landmark moment in my life. It broke me as a lifelong reader, and eventually I reinvented myself into someone who could walk away from a book if I wasn’t into it.
For me, that book was Death Angel by Linda Howard. I remember that day so clearly, and it’s been almost 20 years. There were also many things going on in my life at that time, like getting my first guide dog, so I’m sure that makes the memory stick a little more than it otherwise would.
In short, I didn’t vibe with the book. It was the first time I couldn’t finish a pleasure read, and I felt defeated. Thank the universe for maturity, but at the time, it really did feel like my whole identity as a reader (which was also a quintessential part of my personality) had been irrevocably damaged. Dramatic, I know, but.
Anyway, after a while (and it took years, actually), I realized it was okay to walk away from a book I wasn’t enjoying, no matter how deep into it I’d gotten. Oh, I probably should say I made it like twenty-seven chapters into Death Angel before tapping out. That was also a pride pricker; not gonna lie. I now know it as the Sunk Cost Fallacy, but I didn’t have that language at the time.
Knowing when to walk away is just as much a skill as knowing when to stick it out. I can now appreciate this lesson in a way I couldn’t before.
As for the rest, I read according to my favorite authors’ release schedules. I’m picky, and I’ve accepted that. I’m trying to become more open to other people’s suggestions, and have recently taken a chance on Maria V. Snyder’s Chronicles of Ixia series and really like it.
Happy reading to all, wherever this year’s books (and those of years past) may take you.
I will read the books selected by my bookclub but I also want to challenge myself and branch out so I wanted to try and complete the “52 Book Challenge” for 2026
Thank for the insights and ideas!
I’ve really begun to lean on the “download a sample” option to help cut down my TBR list and the DNFs as well. As the doldrums take hold and my concentration levels sink, I find that those first few chapters from a new book and/or author will capture my attention and intrigue, or put me to sleep or sending my mind into overdrive on all of my worries, anxieties, and so on. So my lists get whittled down, time is saved, and my bank account is a bit happier. Win/Win
Life is fleeting, enjoy what you can when you can.
I did the TBR flush 2 years ago after an illness that left me home for 2 months. i thought great time to catch up! instead, i discovered that i had evolved and was more curious than i thought. So now i get inspired by the suggestion of this blog, friends who rarely read and twice a year, i go into second hand library and let the books find me. No regrets!
I’m shameless with the DNFs. Unless I encounter something I know won’t do for me, I have a 10% rule. That’s how long a book gets to secure my attention (I have never quit a House Andrews book and am confident I never will). I do have a TBR a mile long, I will try out booktok recs, reading is a thing I love that benefits nobody but me, and life is too short to spend that limited time on a story I don’t enjoy. That said, I joined a book club that largely selects books outside of genres I like and I’ve been pleased with myself for branching out with that book per month and have only chosen to quit one of them for being a wholly miserable read. Read what you like and like what you read!
I don’t stop right at 10% or after an equivalent amount of chapters, that’s just my bar. Anytime after that is fine, even being most of the way through. I also use a DNF tag and like the idea of using the ‘read a sample’ option more!
I have not finished a lot more books now than when I was young. Part of it is my reading style. I now tend to read about 3 books at the same time. Short attention span? Maybe. But it keeps me more engaged than 1 book at a time (unless it is House Andrews, which of course I speed through) When I find I have been procrastinating getting back to a book, I as myself: “Where is my time better spent? Continuing to read this? or trying out a new writer?” Part of this may be House Andrew’s fault, their books never drag. I’m a lot less tolerant of a dragging plot now.
As for finding new books, one of my main sources is the library. I live in Austin TX, and we have a great library. You can get on their website, and if you are looking for something new, they have a recommendation section divided by category. You can also look for what books have won awards. Also, if you love a particular book, near the bottom of the page for that book is a reference to all lists that anyone has made that includes that book (a great way to find similar authors).
It’s been pointed out to me to try a method of, if the books has not caught your attention by then end of the 2nd chapter and is not getting better skip to the last 2 chapters and read the end if the end is good enough then read the whole book if not it’s done.
Dear Mod R, you have spoken from my heart with your habits of running away from any attempts to organize your reading! Please imagine me running along, yipping and hollering in joy.
As adults, we know how to reach goals. We are used to it, we master it every single day, don’t we?
What I find rare and precious as an adult, is going on adventure – meander along, push stuff with sticks and discover something interesting.
That is what reading is for me.
So I keep it like this:
1. No lists, no obligations. “If a book is meant to find me again, it will” – yes!
2. I always read the preview on Amazon, checking the language, the technical aspects of writing and the chemistry with the main character. I stopped trusting reader’s reviews. Different people value different stuff in books. I only use my own judgement and choose my adventures myself.
3. If I bought a book and it doesn’t grab me, I either change to “God Mode” and short cut to the last chapter, or DNF ruthlessly. Why should I continue to trudge through mud and moskitos if I could be somewhere else, doing something more interesting?
4. If I get a book recommended, I will check it. I never promise to read it.
Actually, I proceed the same with music. Books and music are for my personal enjoyment, and only I myself have the right to decide what to enjoy.
Hope this helps / resonates / supports anyhow?
Thank you jnet, for number 2 – I read the Amazon samples also. I’ve had books where the story description sounded great, but I just could not get past the author’s “voice”. I want to be engaged in the storytelling not read a dissertation. The sample usually lets me know pretty quickly if I want to follow the author on the journey.
I’ve also DNF on series that I liked initially, but the characters did not evolve. The books became repetitive rather than building on the original foundation. I want people and worlds that I look forward to visiting again like friends.
Reading for me is necessary for my optimum survival, like breathing and food. If I don’t / can’t read, I am not balanced / refreshed / reset; I obviously am not getting enough quiet / alone time.
I read 3/4 fiction, 1/4 nonfiction — depending on the book and the day, I can read a book in a day — but more realistically I read 3-5 books a week on average.
I bookmark new releases coming out by authors I favor, recommendations by people I know/follow, titles I come across in other ways.
Except for books I know are keepers (which I purchase for my personal library — yes, of course, I buy/own every single Ilona Andrews book), I usually request books from my local library.
When I come across a new-to-me author with more than one published book — or a series! — it’s like finding gold.
I mostly don’t read things that are poorly written, or fiction that doesn’t feature at least one character I care about.
I definitely reread books/series I love.
All of this is just because I like to write about reading 🙂
I don’t make reading resolutions.
I read what I like, what I can get my hands on, what I find enjoyable / enticing / interesting / necessary.
I do have wide interests in terms of genre, and I usually throw in a palate cleanser book on my own accord if I am dwelling too long in one genre.
Reading — good.
Happy New Year to House Andrews and the BDH — more books, more glory!
[I mistyped “glory” as “gloary” and immediately googled to see if in fact “gloary” is a word even though I was pretty sure I’d never come across it before … seemingly it is not a word, and yet, it may well be my word for 2026 (I was going to repeat my 2026 word which is “simplify”). I haven’t defined it yet but I do claim originator status for gloary.]
Hey, if we like reading, we like words, right? 😉
I think dumping the algorithm-based lists is a smart move. I have also been feeling overwhelmed with recommendations since I joined Instagram for the book giveaways. Ha! How many have I won? Zilch, Zero….sigh.
I am also becoming a staunch DNF supporter. Who has the time to read a book that doesn’t bring you something you need, or want , like education or enjoyment? Some people love to be devastated by books. No judgement from me, but that is not my reading goal. We should be as true to ourselves in our reading picks as in anything else. Don’t be bullied into reading something just because you feel like you should.
Have fun in your reading selections this year and enjoy your new found freedom from that feeling of oblig*tion!
I always try to accomplish a reading goal… every year my books read list has gotten smaller while my TBR list keeps growing, so wish me luck!
I also used to be a ruthless must finish everything I start person, but now, if it doesn’t bring me joy, then I’m done. I also used to only read one book at a time, but now I can be in the middle of half a dozen and not be bothered.
Good luck on all your new books resolutions! Happy Wintering. ❄️
So much of what you wrote strikes a chord in me. When I was much younger I had to finish everything I started. Now if it does not delight me within 50 pages, or sometimes less, I will leave it behind. I also give myself permission to skim to the end if I find it dull. No worries House Andrew, all your books are worth reading fully and more than once. I am at a phase of rereading my old favorite series. Some are wonderful and some no longer interest my older self. That’s okay, too. Life is too short to spend it on things that are both unnecessary and of limited value. Happy New Year to all and I wish you enjoyable, stimulating and uplifting reading throughout the year!
I love your letting go and changing. I too have had trouble with being a DNF’er.
If I truly don’t want to waste the time I googled the ending and then I’m not missing out and it gives me closure. It is the only way for me.
I’m not a DNFer. I always firmly intend to finish. I just give myself permission to be bored and wander off to another book that I find more interesting at the moment. Sometimes, I do actually return to the mood that started previous book. Sometimes not. They are still technically not lost
I will refuse to finish a badly written book. Not enough time in a lifetime for that pain.
I do admire people with objectives but I am unable to commit to one! I read what I want, when I feel like it!
Right now, i’m doing my sixth run of Kate Daniels. I’m getting to a point where I really appreciate some details that would have escaped me at first.
I started a book in November, got traumatized by having to spend a couple of days at the hospital, can’t figure out my way back to that book. I’m not far enough to have been hooked so it’s difficult. Do you have tips for when that happens?
I had a bit of that last year and had to go to pure fluff stories for a while to cope. If you can’t or aren’t ready to revisit this one due to trauma let it lie there til you can. May be better to start from scratch to get back into the groove.
I have been known to read a book backwards when I get to the point I don’t want to continue I always have to read th e last chapter. then I might read the next to the last chapter and continue backwards to where I stopped. I have also given myself permission to not finish a book if it doesn’t hold my interest. I also like to reread books I read when I w as younger, on more than one occasion I have said to. myself I know that I read this book but this is not what I got out of it the fir s t time I read It.
I am a pro DNFer. I typically read the first 3-5 chapters of a book, and if I am still interested, or have been surprised, or can’t predict the end, I keep reading. If I am bored, for whatever reason, I will skip to the end and read the last 4 chapters – this typically gets you to through climax of the story and the wrap up. If you want to DNF a manhua or manga, read the last 15 chapters of the main story. I have never DNFed an IA book, fyi; I can never predict what will happen next.
My latest nostalgic reread was a pretty good sized chunk of Andre Norton’s Witch World. I think I ran across Three Against the Witch World just before I started high school, and started LOTR that fall (via Scholastic Books…99 cents for the Ballantine paperbacks, one a year!). It was my intro to modern F/SF…
I had almost forgotten (it had been a while) how lovely her writing style was. Good stories, and most have worn well over time.
Agreed. I have approximately 130 of her books and wish I could find the remainder of them. I am rereading them right now.
If I were a resolution maker (never ever), I’d resolve to read less and walk more! (Ain’t happening’)
It took me a while to get to the place where I regularly employee DNF strategies. What I will do now is to give the book a hearty try (that depends on the quality of the writing so it’s not a page limit or chapter number) and then I will read the third to the last chapter. If the third to the last chapter, which often contains the lead up to the denouement, interests me, I will go back and fill in the other chapters. Sometimes I will pick up from where I left off, and other times I will dip in every fifth chapter or so (depends on how the book is organized) until I get to the point where the book clicks for me again.
Totally agree on the DNF. If it doesn’t grab you, don’t waste your time. I used to run a bookstore, and amassed a fabulous collection of dead tree books. A couple of years ago, a lack of space and the realization that I had more books than I could ever possibly read, I forced myself to ruthlessly cull them based on whether or not I would re-read them. Our school libraries here are always short on funding, and they received my culls with joy. It felt so good to help and so liberating to lighten my collection to just the books I truly love. I still acquire new reads, so I do the purge every year now, and our local school librarian lights up when she sees me lugging in boxes of books. They keep what they know will appeal and be acceptable based on the age range, and share the rest. It’s definitely a win-win situation! (Needless to say, but HA is on my list of must keep, lol)
I thought you were planning on trying to read every suggestion from one of these blog posts and I was legit worried about your sanity for a second 😂
Happy New Year!
For the last… three?… years, part of my reading goal has been to “DNF early and often” generally (because I’m now in my 50s, and life’s too short to force myself to keep reading something I’m not enjoying), and I’ve gradually gotten better at pulling the pin when I’m partway through a book. Most months last year I DNFed at least one, and occasionally two books.
This year, I’ve decided to quantify it further. My challenge to myself to hit the DNF button THE MOMENT I suspect that a book will be less than a 3-star (for books with diverse characters/settings), or less than a 4-star (for books without). Why the discrepancy? Because I’m trying to read more of the former this year, and it’s easier to read the latter by default, so I’m willing to persevere a little longer with the ones I want to read more of.
All of this is in service of trying to get my Kindle unread library down from its current ~350 to under 150 by Dec 31. Wish me luck!
Happy New Year! I have started deleting some books off my TBR, if they’ve been there for a long time and I still haven’t read them I figure I’m not that interested.
I also started DNF’ing more, I used to always make myself finish, but if I’m not that interested or enjoying it after 100 pages, it usually feels like I just wasted my time if I make myself finish. Sometimes, I just tell myself I’ll try again later.
I didn’t read as much this last year, but I remind myself that I read for fun, and I never entered any contest about it, so I’m not gonna worry about how much everyone else has read.
My Nan makes it a habit of reading the end before the rest so she doesn’t waste her time. As soon as I no longer enjoy a book I stop reading it. Finally learning the ability to discern what works like my high school librarian encouraged me to. I used to devour anything just to read but I have other things I need to spend my time on now.
I have DNF’ed video games, books and TV series because time is too valuable to force yourself to finish something that should be enjoyable but isn’t. I’ve found myself to be less grumpy now that I’m not forcing myself to “check off a box.” It gets easier with practice..Good luck!
Reading has always been my number one activity. I had learned how to read by age 4 and it was all gravy from then on. The worst punishment my parents could hand out was to forbid me any reading material that was not strictly an assignment. I’d go through the cabinets reading soup labels. I read read our encyclopedias, page by page. How could an encyclopedia not be necessary reading? Kindle has been a mixed blessing and curse. Literally a world of books at my fingertips. My two passions, reading and gardening, eat up all extra money. And sometimes I think I garden so as to have a nice place to read. I’m not choosy about genre, but my method for DNF is: if I am not enjoying a book, I read the end. Do I like the end? Hate the end? If I approve the ending, I might struggle through the book, looking for redeeming features. If not…done and dusted. On to the next.
When I received my first Public Library card the wonderful Librarian met with our school group and taught us about checking out the books. She told us that books held a special purpose in educating, exploring other cultures, events and should also be fun. This wonderful woman said that of we happened to choose a book that wasn’t something we could get into or was baddly written, it was fine not finishing it. Life is to short to spend time with those kinds of books 📚
hi there!
I am a “ruthlessDNFer”. My logic is that there are already more great books out there than I will ever get to read so any wasted time on something I am not enjoying is a tragedy.
I may miss a gem or two that got better near the end but I consider it worth it. The only exception to this is my book club books which I push through regardless.
I started DNFing in 2018 which coincidentally is when I discovered House Andrews. I’d always read more well-written books than not so the concept of not finishing a book stressed me out. Discovering (and loving) HA books made me realise that finishing a book I’m not enjoying takes time away from reading or discovering a book I (will) enjoy. Now I unapologetically walk away from what’s not working.
I like all your ideas and to dump lists. If it’s been there over a year, it is probably good to just let it go. As to the DNF, I do that all the time because I can’t be wasting my time on a book I am definitely not enjoying when there is a literal stack of great reads awaiting me. I usually give a book a few chapters but if I’m having to force myself to continue, then I stop and start a different book.
First book I ever DNF’d was “Tess of the d’Urbervilles.” When my Humanities college prof asked a question about the book, I told him I couldn’t answer because I hated the book. I told him the people were loathsome and unbearable and Tess was a simpering, obsequious twit that I wanted to slap myself. After the second time I threw the book across the room, I gave up. He asked me why. He had to work really hard not to laugh. 🙂
I can tell early on when I’m going to hate a book so I skim heavily, basically reading a few words per page and dialog. Sometimes something will happen that will catch my attention, so I read a little more closely for a while. A few books have redeemed themselves, but if I hadn’t switched to coarse skimming, I’d never have known. DNF isn’t really a thing anymore, but I wouldn’t be able to write a paper about some of them.
Ruthless DNFer here! Life is too short for books you’re not enjoying. Think of all the other great books out there you could be reading with that time! Not all books are for everyone, target audience is complicated, be freeeee 💜💜
I am ruthless with DNF books. If
A character doesn’t connect or capture my interest, if the plot is too derivative or the tropes too tired, I let it go. Someone else will love this book. Right now I’m working my way through the Jack Reacher books, chronologically. And waiting for Maggie🥰
I DO enjoy finding new authors to read. Since House Andrews appeared on the scene, that is practically all I am reading on my kindle, but I do occasionally delve in P. Briggs, B. Sanderson, and Jim Butcher. I’ve re-read most of House Andrews works, most more than once. I am also an avid re-reader of my physical books. Most of my favorite authors have passed on but their stories are still part of my favorites list and I still re-read them. Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Peters aka Barbara Michaels, Terry Brooks, Terry Pratchet all share shelf space along with other favorite authors. Some authors I read more than others which has resulted in some books falling apart. Alas, I do not have enough bookshelves to contain all my physical books and they number at least 3 times my kindle book list. DNF has never occurred to me regarding books. If after I’ve read a book that I didn’t like, then I abandon that author and get rid of that book. I have used DNF with movies though.
Technically, I “finish” all books I start, but mostly because if I start to hate the characters, they do something so stupid plot wise it throws me out of immersion, it starts showing signs of tropes I LOATHE, or otherwise just doesn’t hold my interest, I will skip to the end and read/skim the last 2 chapters. Sometimes I go WTH?? and go back to read the middle, but most times I’m like “yep, ended up where I thought” and then I can move on to the next book, or go reread something I love.
I make a point of not making reading goals. If it feels like I ‘have’ to, then I will enjoy it less. Just read when you can and want to.
I’ve tried rereading childhood and teen favorites and it didnt totally work. They weren’t written for adults and after being jaded by adulthood it isn’t the same. However, I do suggest it. Even if adult me saw them as fanciful and even a little silly, I still love the
nostalgia. It’s so comforting.
It took 40 years but I can confidently say I don’t question DNFing books anymore. If the book isn’t intriguing, if I’m not totally invested, I put it down. Life’s short, ya know?
The thing about a TBR is that you grow as a person and your preferences change. You’re likely to lose interest if you don’t get back to it quickly.
I love the trust fall idea, sometimes a random suggestion from a friend turns into answering a blog post 20ish years and many books later ❤️
Thanks for posting, these are good ideas! I hope we all have our best reading year yet?
If I think a book is not going somewhere I like, I sometimes look up the plot summary online and then decide whether or not it’s worth reading to see how they get there. Sometimes it inspires me to finish and sometimes it just gives me closure on the story so I can walk away.
I completely deleted my Goodreads account 4 years ago and with it went my tbr shelf and I’M NOT SORRY. 😂 It had way too much on it anyway. So, a week ago I made a new account. My reading methods have changed so I won’t be adding to my tbr shelf unless it’s on pre-order or something like that. Or something I’m serious about reading in the next few months. If I don’t do it within 6 months then I’m removing it. So, I’m giving myself rules. I’m a different person than 4 years ago so this won’t be difficult for me at all.
Out of the 420 books and novellas , I read in 2025 4! were nonfiction , I am so proud of myself.
Most Of them were reread of books I have read before. I read Franklin L baums, oz books and sky island. I reread all of j d robb’s “in death” series, And Lisa Shearin’s Series about paranormal new york. Rhys Bowens”spyness”. The only book list I have of what’s coming next from my favorite authors.The Andrews are on the list.just read the posts about DNF- if I can’t get past the first 2 chapters I wish ebooks took returns- don’t waste my time. tried to read all of the Pern books, but many are not available..I will see about a state wide library though. love Dianne Wynne Jones, and Grace Burrowes 2 totally different genres.
Well yah, Kindle Unlimited makes it easy to try on lotsa books & yeah I do dump’em if they can’t keep me engaged. For me, it’s more about story because I am not a grammar Nazi — to a certain extent I can read the bad grammar & tenses like it’s a dialect, so long as the story keeps me engaged. Love the coming of age and overcoming odds stories, my catnip of choice. Heh bought the original paperback Agent of Change from a B.Dalton in the mall many moons ago as well as some chapbooks by Meisha Merlin, go Liaden universe! Kindle makes it easy to make lists of books i might read or buy! Do i go back & prune the lists? You betcha! Anyway lately been enjoying the Glyphwright Chronicles by Jeremy Fabiano, but I admit that if late my guilty read has been (clutch those pearls, Martha) male fiction, specifically action type harem-lit! And so I recommend to you Cavalier’s Gambit by William Arand (only 1 of his pen names), with plenty of action, a bit of mystery & a ton of male bawdy humor (but not tasteless, instead hilarious). But yeah the action is great (“2 words, ‘photo op'”) the story makes u root for the MC & his girlfriends, and the bad guys are bad. Lotsa fun for a genre that’s sposed to have me clutching my pearls (I guess). Try new stories? Heck yeah! can hardly wait for Maggie! Delete away at those lists, no pt pretending! Go BDH, we will conquer ALL the books — if only cuz there’s so many of us LOL
I also loved Latin American magical realism in my teen/college years and recently decided it was time for a re-read from a new, more mature perspective. My discovery was that, while I’ve moved largely to audiobooks because they’re convenient, I can’t take in my old favorites that way. Luckily, I still have a number of them as physical books, so my goal is to work through those.
DNFing requires perseverance! And developing strong resistance to guilt: but it is worth it. My mantra became “life’s too short” repeated frequently and particularly relevant at my age.
Happy New Year! I’ve just read six weeks of Blog in one fell swoop. So good to catch up💜
These are my two most prominent reading rules.
Sometimes I start a book and have a huge urge to check out the last chapter, to be sure certain characters make it through. I haven’t given in to that since the first book of The Silver Brumby series…so long ago.
I have a hard and fast rule that if I do not “feel” the book after the first three chapters, it is a goner.
Life is too short for bad books.
I used to make myself finish every book I started. Then I realized when I didn’t care for a book, I just wouldn’t read for days. Made no sense. So now, if I don’t find myself eager to read the book within a few chapters, or if it goes into territory I am uncomfortable with (rape, domestic violence, child abuse and such) and have a visceral effect on me, I immediately DNF. There are too many great books out there to read or reread to read stuff that isn’t working for me. I much prefer fantasy and paranormal type stuff, but I find I like to alternate genre’s, even when reading series (which) is the majority of what I read. I read as many as 300 books a year, as I’m retired, so I now rely heavily on the library and Kindle Unlimited. There are some authors that are automatic buys such as Ilona, Nalini Singh, Deanna Chase, Patricia Briggs. Also a big fan of JD Robb, but get her new one from the library, too pricy for me!
one thing I have allowed myself to do more is DNF a book. I grew up in a time where there wasn’t easy access to books I liked so I always made myself finish a book. now with easy access and more and more authors writing things that I like, I’m now allowing myself to DNF a book that I’m not enjoying without guilt. I do my best to try and appreciate the work put in by the author but I also have a big TBR list that will likely have something on it that I would enjoy better.
I read around 80 books every year but I never set myself up for a reading challenge. I also don’t have a TBR list. And I DNF rarely but it happens.
What is my motto: The book I read must be entertaining/captivating. This means while I have a genre/type I read whatever comes along and keeps my interest (can be 10th reread of an IA book, can be Viktor Frankl “Man’s search for meaning”, some erotica, “The courage to be disliked”, Jessie Mihalik Books, “Be useful” – I think you get the gist).
How do I find books: I am a library girl and only read ebooks. I basically browse the shelves and I am a big fan of “if you liked this try that”. I also ask ChatGPT and have with it an ongoing discussion what I should read next based on my last reads or the mood I am in.
In general I read the blurb and if I like it I start the book. If I don’t get into the story within the first chapter (or fall out of the story at a later point) I stop. I love reading and there are so many books out there that are perfect for me so I don’t want to spend time on something that makes reading a chore. The only challenge I have with this is when people recommend a book or even worse give me a book and tell me they loved it and then ask me regularly if I already read it. The challenge is to let them down gently when I DNF or did not even start it.
Another “problem” I have: I normally always read when my kids are in bed and more often than not I read long into the night because the book is just so good 😊.
I fully agree with your new year resolutions. And I wish you entertaining, captivating books this year that will give you laughter, make you sad, let you await eagerly your partner and just make you happy.
And now I have to go hiking with my family through the snow in the freezing cold after less than 5 hours of sleep because of another wonderful book 😊.
On my kindle unlimited I always read the sample first before committing to reading the book. I started doing this after I was stuck reading a booking that started good but I lost interest in after the first couple of chapters.
Last year was my read all the half finished stuff (bc my OCD demands it) but the samples helped me so that I don’t get bogged down with a massive list again
I made a resolution last year to branch out from my go-to genres (urban fantasy, zompoc/apoc, and some romantic suspense & mystery authors) and expand my horizons a bit. I actually read few new books in my go-to genres last year (although I did re-read a lot of old favorites) but I read dozens of general fiction, historical fiction, and non-fiction books. Very happy with that — and hope to continue with it while hoping to find new authors I really enjoy in my go-to genres (urban fantasy in particular). I hope that it’s a foregone conclusion that Ilona Andrews is one of my go-to authors!
I really curse sometimes that I read
The weird feeling of duty to finish a book even if you’re not enjoying it really resonated with me. It’s nice to know it’s not just me, and that an an acronym has even been coined. And reading mindfully, slowing down and enjoying the craft is definitely something I’d like to focus on. I’ve discovered that what I read and how fast I read is a good barometre for my mental health. 2025 was very challenging but in 2026 I have the bandwidth to re-visit books I’ve read in the past, re-read series (all/any Ilona Andrews of course!) and tackle longer books. I’m already re-reading Melissa J Cave’s ‘Traitor’s son’ series which I only discovered in November. Excellent for anyone who wants to dive into an imaginary medieval world while waiting for Hugh’s next installment!
My name is Judy and I am a DNFer. The older I get, the more I realize I will never Read All The Books. Life is short and filled with so much and I will no longer waste my time trying read a book I either don’t like or is poorly written (or on at least one occasion was so badly edited). I also confess to being a Skimmer. And a Skipper. If I have read at least a quarter of the book and it is not holding my interest, or I can’t stand the protagonist, and/or I have already identified whodunit, etc., I will skip to the last few chapters to confirm where I thought the story was going. On rare occasions I will read the beginning, the end, the middle.
I do not have TBR Lists but I do still have TBR Shelves. But, due to changes in reading interests – and space due to an additional family member moving in – I have been whittling those shelves down (as well as my “Keeper” collection). Once a week (or month) I go to those shelves and evaluate those books: Am I ever going to read this? The print is too small, Why did I buy this? Etc., etc. And five books go into the library donation bag. Some Keepers have been converted to e-format or audio but most I know I can borrow from a library if/when I have time to re-read.
I did branch out and join a book club but it is really more of a dinner book club (a different restaurant each month). Some of the genres are ones I definitely do not care for but I will try them. We do not get into analysing the whole book but talk about why we liked or did not like the book. And then we talk about the other good stuff we have been reading.
Don’t feel guilty. You are you and you need to do what is best for You.
Now if I could only get the yarn stash under control.
Reading is for fun (like breathing).
It took me many years and a book that I HATED (by an excellent writer) to finally teach myself to DNF. I’ve never looked back and I’m a much happier person. There are so many books – including so many books that need to be periodically reread – and so little time that I’m not willing to waste it on books that I’m not enjoying.
I know you can do it!
Happy 2026,
Karen.
Right on!
I use Goodreads because it is connected thru my Amazon account. Every couple years I clean it all up. I dont pay attention to it otherwise.
Maybe twice a year I get bored with what is being suggested to me by Amazon and ask for recommendations from my friends list. Gotta shake up that algorithm.
I have a large number of friends who are readers. One of my friends used to own a bookstore and is still plugged in and has a wide, eclectic appetite for books. She always has a new author or genre. She actually reads more than I do and is very good at finding new genres or authors.
Several friends do multiple book clubs in multiple genres. They have new books all the time.
My sister in law likes historically accurate mysteries and other culture writers. She frequently sends me off hunting Indian authors or Brazillian authors or Middle Eastern authors.
Another friend needs free books, and hates Amazon. She gets her ebooks from groups that take out of copyright and formats them. Some excellent 40s noir stuff there.
I have young friends and older friends, different styles there. My grandchildren like different authors. Male friends mostly like hard science or history, female friends are all over the map.
One friend has several of us reading British history because she was up late for a week reading The Plantagenets by Dan Jones and was so enthusiastic about it I just bought his War of the Roses on audio for my trip tomorrow.
and I just put together a list for a friend who has been out of touch for a while of all the people we know who have written books this year.
Its good to have friends 🙂
do you know “The 10 Inalienable Rights of the Reader” by the author Daniel Pennac?
they are:
1. The right not to read
2. The right to skip
3. The right not to finish a book
4. The right to re-read
5. The right to read anything
6. The right to “Bovary-ism,” a textually transmitted disease (the right to mistake a book for real life)
7. The right to read anywhere
8. The right to dip in
9. The right to read out loud
10. The right to be silent
I love your new reading focus! Reading should be a joy instead of a chore. I hope you find many new worlds to visit and people to meet.
Happy New Year!
I hope your reading goals help relax your mind and get you out of your rut.
I am a DNF’r. These days, I mostly listen to audio books. If I am not engaged or if I have an aversion to listening, I send it back to the library. Life is to short and it is satisfying to send it back!
When I read books, if I’m not sure if I want to continue, I will jump to the end. Do I like the ending? If so, I will read more of the book. And, no, reading the ending doesn’t ruin the story for me. It actually adds to my joy of reading the book because it adds another level – how did the author get to that point?
Thank you again for all you do! I’m excited for Maggie in March!
On the nostalgia front – I’ve gone too far in the wrong direction in the past . My favorite childhood books are like a warm blanket when times are crazy so I’ve gotten in a rut of re-reading too much throughout the year and only picking up new books from my favorite authors or those with a ton of reviews in my fav genre .
Last year I decided to try to get back into the magic of just picking some books off vibes , cover art , and the little employee recommendations at bookstores (no pre-screening , no reviews , no Reddit checks in advance ). Found one of my fav books of the year that way ( A Psalm for the Wild Built) I want to do more of that ; more just just reading whatever I stumble upon .
Have no regrets!! I am about to recommend that the book club I go to just drops the books and becomes a lunch club, because…yeah. Not on the same wavelength as these friends when it comes to what I want to read. Let’s lighten up! Happy New Year, BDH.
I stopped using Goodreads when Amazon took them over. My (possibly) TBR books are now in an Amazon wish list named “Maybe” and the ones I want to buy are in my default wish list.
As for DNF, if I find I don’t like the characters or the book has an idiot plot, I skip to the last chapter and skim it. That way I know how the book ends and I don’t feel I should have read all of it.
I made the unconscious decision to work on what I have already purchased for a while. Space is the underlying issue for this. As much as I deserve a room devoted to books, it isn’t going to happen in this lifetime.
I too, reread favorite authors on an annual basis, and have started to approach books that I was forced to read and did not enjoy them. Some are delightful and others, not so much.
You are correct that reading tastes change and that you need a palate cleanse on occasion.
If you haven’t read it may I suggest “The Guns of August “ or “The Ghost Map”.
Both are nonfiction but read like novels.
“ I still love you best of all, but this will probably not happen on the blog. The BDH shows up with thousands of recommendations as soon as Gondor calls for reading aid, and we would still be here next century.” good idea considering that this post already has almost 350 comments.
My version of DNF, for authors who are not my automatic buys, I read the last few pages and if I don’t like the ending, I don’t read the book. So technically I finish each book, I just don’t read the entire thing. It saves me a lot of time.
I have severe anxiety and I happen to be gifted with fast reading ability. I know some people have enormous TBRs and don’t re-read, but due to my anxiety sometimes I can’t handle anything new. So I perpetually re-read.
I also have an enormous TBR, and I’m an emotional book chooser so it has to call to me. I may follow your lead and do some Marie Kondo purging of my Goodreads TBR shelf!
I truly feel seen about DNfing a book. It is my biggest issue with books. I somehow feel like I’m hurting the author’s feelings. A friend of mine told me last year “authors don’t know if you’ve read their book (unless it’s an arc) and life is too short to read books you dislike/hate.” So it puts it all into prospective.
I found a trick that works for my brain for DNF. I have a list titled DNF, add the book to it and note the chapter I am on, and then my brain can guilt-free never go back to it because if I ever *did* want to finish it I have the info I need to pick it right back up. I never do, so the list being correct isn’t really important, but somehow having it frees my brain to accept a DNF as being acceptable.
I do this too!
I also write little notes on why I stopped, which helps cause I’m documenting the attempt so it doesn’t feel completely wasted.
I have only one DNF trick, but it has served me well through the six decades since I learned to read. It is this:
I won’t waste a single minute on an unenjoyable book. Reading moments are too few, life is too short, and the world is too full of wonderfully enjoyable books, to waste time slogging through anything.
Life is too short and there are too many good books out there to read ones you aren’t into. I dnf all the time. Sometimes I come back to it later sometimes not. Basically, if I am not enjoying something (and depending on the book enjoyment can mean a lot of things- but being impacted by it and not bored and not feeling like I want to skim or skip things to get through) I just put it down. The author doesn’t have to know, and I get to move onto something else. Also, sometimes a book is great it’s just not the vibe I need. So those I put away for later, when I’m in the headspace for it. I read a lot of great books and a lot of crappy books, but I don’t waste my time on books I’m not having fun with. Because every time I spend time slogging through something I’m not into, I’m denying myself the opportunity to read something I might love.
I have decided to be a DNFer and have never looked back! my general rule of thumb and the same goes with Chinese Dramas (highly recommend Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty series) – roughly 2 to 7 chapters/episodes to wow me otherwise I am out.
I find that it’s usually somewhere in this zone that decides it for me. Once I’ve decided that it’s not captivating me, I flip to the last 3 chapters. If I could piece the whole book/story together then it was never meant to be and DNFing will bring me closure.
or if the writing style is just not my taste, then I just drop it.
You are more patient than I am with the C-dramas! I have enjoyed many, but if the first episode is too slow, I tend to quit. I have learned , however, that the C-dramas that start too slow, may improve, so now I’ll sometimes skip to the 6th or 7th episode to see if it’s more interesting – knowing I can always backtrack if needed!
I never heard of DNF before, but that’s me! As I’ve gotten older, (and Im pretty old) I have less patience for writers with meandering habits.
I’ve honed this skill on Kindle Unlimited. After retirement, I could read as much as I liked. And I did. Found many good writers there. But there’s a lot of mediocre writers too.
Now, I go through the KU books with a purpose. Two pages in, if I can’t connect with the female lead, I send it back. Sometimes I finish a chapter before discarding. I like smart ass, but if it’s all talk and no content, I’m done. Doesn’t take long to figure out anymore.
I have also learned to skim. Here and there an author I like gets “wordy” and slows the progression down. I skim till the story picks up again. If the suspense goes on too long, I jump to the last chapter to figure out what happens. Then if the book is worth it, I go back and read the skipped chapters.
I will say I’ve never needed to skim a HA book. You have set the standard I judge other books by. If the book doesn’t measure up for whatever reason, I hit return. Just like reshelving a book at the library. I may be retired, but I have no time for boring! I’ll just reread Kate Daniel’s and be happy.
I just love you guys. I don’t come onto the blog all the time. I like to wait several weeks and then gorge myself on your blog entries. I just find them to be a delight for me in this world with all its crazy. I loved the Christmas tree, so beautiful. I loved that your family unexpectedly made it for Christmas. I love that pancakes has made it on the menu! Also I am looking forward to this kingdom will not kill me. It is outside of my regular reading choice, but I’m up for something a little different and I am always up for whatever you put on my plate. Happy new year to you and yours.
Carla
I’ve attempted some of the Book Riot Read Harder challenges in the past. I never complete it but I find it helpful as a push to get out of my comfy cozy genres and read some stuff to expand my horizons.
I figure if it causes me to read at least one book that I otherwise would have skipped that it’s worth it. I also find browsing their recommended authors list helpful, because then names start to pop out when I’m wandering a library or bookstore.
I am a ruthless DNFer; the way out of guilt is to note where and why you left off in your reading tracker. As a mood reader I am fully prepared to note that I just wasn’t feeling it, or the characters were irritating me, or the story didn’t make sense (this mostly during or after a migraine episode tbh.)
In 2024 I decided I would participate in every reading challenge I came across in January of 2025. 2025 was the first time I was stressed as a reader; I felt forced to finish books I’d normally DNF and to read genres that do not work for my brain (hello celebrity memoirs and horror stories, you aren’t so different.)
Starting the year with comfort reads (so re-reading Kate), then books acquired through holiday gift cards.
I had planned on going through the large collection of TTRPG ebooks I have, but realized that’s something I avoided due to feeling like pressure. They’ll get in there, but “organically,” not forced.
For DNF, my reading time is limited. Don’t have time for anything that doesn’t grab my attention in the first 50-70 pages.
you will not regret the purge. as you delete just skim over it. if anything jumps out, keep it, if not, let it go. there are so many books out there, you will never read all of them. so it’s OK to pick those that you want and enjoy them. happy reading!
For the past decade or so, I’ve re-read some of my favorite books from when I was a young woman (I’m in my 70’s now). I did not expect my completely different take on many of these novels.
I loved, and re-read “Rebecca” in my youth, but, now I’m so frustrated with both Mr. and Mrs. de Winter, I can’t finish the book. I loved “Jayne Ere” , and still do, with a different insight into the characters. Being a Sci-Fi fan, the “Foundation” books by Asimov were a treat, but now, not so much. It’s an interesting way to experience how much one changes through the years.
For new reads, I make no apologies for not finishing a book. Time is too short!
Ruthless DNF. If I keep getting pulled out of the book by incredulity, by inaccuracies that are easily researched (like the weather in a certain part of the world, or the plants growing there) or by general frustration with the characters, delete. If I am not into it by 30% or so, it’s gone. No regrets. There are some great authors out there that I just don’t vibe with, and I’ve quit trying to read their books–no shade, just not for me and I don’t feel pressure to keep trying. I’ve found some gems in the self-publishing world, and some goose eggs in the pro publishing world. Like you say, life is too short to read meh books. I think that’s what makes the really good books worth the wait.
I have been struggling with my mental health all autumn and just to keep life going has taken all my energy. I have not managed to read at all or very little. If I did read, I re-read old books because I needed to know that I would enjoy them.
I have managed a bit better with listening to books while doing other things, if it has been an adaption made by Graphic Audio, that is. I tried to listen to ordinary audio books, but GA has spoiled me there so I only started a few books and gave up. Also, I have only been listening to books I already knew.
So I believe my health is better now and my energy is less restless, so I hope I can start to enjoy reading books again at the beginning of 2026. My resolution is to read more books of authors I don’t already have read or heard.
I wish you all a really good, bookish 2026! 📖 📚 🎉 🍾
My tbr list is on Amazon, and yes, it’s filled with all kinds of things that I will never read. Worse, there’s no way to organize it by favorite authors, so I end up reading what’s on sale, not what I most want to read. You ROCK for deleting your tbr list!!!
On the DNF front, I’m a work in progress. I give myself permission to stop a book any time it overwhelms me. I don’t think of it as “I’m not going to finish”, just, “I need to go somewhere else right now.” This leaves a trail of undecideds behind me, but it does give me the freedom to walk away. Checking books out of the library also makes it easier for me to walk away. But library queues are long, and so I still spend too much money on books I don’t finish/enjoy.
My Resolution for the year is to read all of deLint’s Newford books. No idea how it will go. But I love his writing, and am curious to see what he wrote.
I recently went back to The Vorkosigan Saga (Miles Vorsokigan).
I loved it in my 20s, I found it still really good in my 50s.
Another favorite Dungeon Crawler Carl!
I never used to DNF. That all changed when I got a Kindle. I got a bunch of free books, so naturally there were a lot that I didn’t enjoy. I have a few loose rules about when I DNF.
1. If it has the F word more than once in the first 10 pages. Look, I’m a grownup. I can handle some profanity, but I don’t LIKE it. If the author needs to be that edgy right away, I’m out. The same goes for extreme violence or explicit scenes. I can handle that (or skim it) once I trust the author.
2. If I find I’m doomscrolling instead of reading. That means I’m not into my book, so I start something new.
3. If I’m not into the book at 10%. That’s when the main conflict should be introduced. If I don’t care, I don’t read it. There are a lot of books out there!
Once I DNFd my first couple of books, it came a lot easier.
I try not to make a list of to be read books, but I jot down book titles when I hear or read of a good book. I put the pieces of paper in a basket on my dresser and when I am in a book lull I pull one out. I used to read anything and everything, my husband use to tease that I took so long in the kitchen because I had to read every label. The past few years I have given up horror stories and I am trying to get over having to finish a book. My work around if I can’t slog through a book, I read the last two chapters and then read from the middle out in each direction. A bit strange but I am hoping that this method might finally convince me to pass the story along if I can’t get into it and don’t like the ending. I have been doing this for the past few years and I think that I am getting there. I am old, I can’t waste my years on torture reading. I hope everyone has a very happy new reading year!
One of the first things I did this year was delete my Want to Read shelf on Goodreads! I had books on there from a decade ago and it just felt like too much pressure. It took ages to delete them all, but it was totally worth it! It’s like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
Happy New Year!
I am the same with “must read” list from others. The moment that it is on some list of what I should read is the moment that I want to not read it. (I don’t feel at all the same about book recommendations.)
Conversely, I have a hard and fast rule about books that don’t pull me in at least by the 2nd or 3rd chapter. If it is not appealing to me, I stop reading and never feel guilty about it. There are too many books out there that will be worth my time to read.
Merry Christmas and happy New Year!
For the first time in my life I DNF’d a book last year (actually two books if I remember correctly!) and, while I still think about them, I’m relieved I did it. I used to believe it was the worst thing you could ever do as a reader, but now I realize it’s ok to not like every book out there, even extremely popular ones.
The only advice I have is to give the book a chance again one week after you put it down and, if it’s still not for you, just let it go. No judgement, no bad book karma, just a choice that you’re free to make. And a bit of extra time to read a book that you will finish!
DNF my way
I view buying books as a way to support an author.
This is a “good deed”.
Even though no good deed ever goes unpunished, I do not need to do the punishing myself by forcing myself to finish a book I don’t enjoy.
I have multiple reading journals started and never completed. I have had libraries of physical books that I then ruthlessly purged. I have bought hundreds of ebooks that I also ruthlessly purged. I hate clutter when it comes to my reading. I am getting to where if I don’t think i will read it multiple times what’s the point? That is one of the reasons I love ku and that there are libraries with audio subscriptions now.
I do regret getting rid of my physical books without making sure I had ebooks to replace them. But I literally had boxes of books and got tired of moving them from place to place.
I’ve done the number of books challenge for several years running, I set it at a number that would be reasonable for me to achieve even if life gets in the way. But I have become fairly ruthless about DNFing books. Life is too short to read something I don’t enjoy. However I am a mood reader, so sometimes those DNF books get read eventually, usually in a different format than I was reading originally. I learned to DNF because I kept having issues with going into reading slumps because I wasn’t enjoying the book I was reading. Once I put 2 and 2 together, I started DNFing books to read something I enjoy. Some I just put as paused (I use Storygraph to track my reading and that is a newish feature I really like.) but sometimes I go through the paused books and DNF them later because I know I don’t/won’t care how the story ends, I’m getting better with the ambiguity of not knowing how things end.
But my newest resolution is to do a 1 page or 1 minute a day challenge. I tried it last year and started out well last year then fell off. But I started back up around May or so and I’m trying to keep that streak alive (232 days at the moment). I like that it gives me a reason to listen to a book or read a page or two here and there, and encourages me to read while I’m waiting instead of doom scrolling social media or playing games on my phone. And those pages and minutes add up over the course of a year and helps me with achieving my # of books read challenge as well.
I was very fortunate to have a very high-volume reading year in 2025. However, it often felt like I was just a hamster in a wheel, chasing my own arbitrary goalpost – so I’ve decided to be more intentional in my reading while incorporating a couple of personal goals. These include:
(1) Finishing series that I’m in the middle of (that are completed – I’m giving myself a pass for series that are still on-going)
(2) Read at least 1 classic, at least 50 years old, per month (following the whole, use-it-or-lose-it mentality to keep my brain sharp to linguistic patterns that aren’t modern)
(3) Read at least 1 volume or collection of poetry a month (I don’t read enough poetry, and when I do, I always enjoy the experience)
(4) Read at least 2 non-fiction books a quarter (they can be biographies, memoirs, histories, etc. but no other stipulations).
It seems daunting, but I have to keep reminding myself not to focus on chasing numbers, but to actually absorb and enjoy a varied amount of material.
Happy New Year!
Yep, I have had the same feelings and done some deleting. As you get older especially, you don’t want to waste time on stuff that’s not for you. DNF is wise. I have a lot of physical books and some I have started and are not finished. I do feel guilty about revisiting my favorite old books, instead of expanding my repertoire. I guess you do need to force yourself out of your comfort zone sometimes. It helps to have a friend touch you sometimes. Balance.
Exploration. I consistently read UF and PNR. But, I make exceptions as a palate cleanser when things get monotonous. For example, I will occasionally read epic fantasy like the Night Angel series by Brent Weeks (which IMO is one of the best I’ve read). And sometimes classic fantasy like the Death Gate Cycle. Or “chicklit” as we used to call it. And, more frequently, humorous but well written mystery series. I would recommend you identify elements that are important to you. And that way you can narrow down books within genres that will appeal most to me. For me it is humor. That’s why I mystery is often my palate cleanser: there are many books with humor in that genre.
Reflection. I love the way you explained that you’ve changed and your TBR pile doesn’t reflect your life/values any longer. I had this realization. I’ve changed so much in the last 5 years. So I went over to my goodreads TBR pile and purged. It felt very liberating to let go of the guilt of reading something new instead of going back to something I selected 5 years ago or earlier. Life is best lived forward. Spending too much time looking back isn’t healthy.
Controversy. OR NOT. Ruthless DNF-er here. I am genuinely happy that self-publishing has taken off. BUT, that means that there are more books available that are not well written, or well edited, etc. If the author didn’t spend the time on writing it well, or editing it well so… I don’t have the time to spend reading it earnestly. Sometimes it’s not a good fit for other reasons. That’s okay. Even the best books aren’t one size fits all. I was an English major, so I have years of finishing books I didn’t enjoy. On my own time, I don’t have to do that.
Another thing that helps is my selection criterion. Over the years I’ve created a pretty strict criterion for selection (over 100 reviews, above 4.5 stars, no one star reviews, and no more than 2 two star reviews), and then I get the sample and reading it before reading further. But still… there are books that I can’t finish.
Most new authors spend a ton of time on their first couple chapters. That means two things to me: 1) if the first couple chapters aren’t engaging I should give up, and 2) that there could be quality drop off after the first 1/4-1/3 of the book (after sample). And if that happens, I frequently quit.
It’s like developing boundaries with your parents. It takes time and practice.
If I may suggest an idea for spontaneity? Pick a Genre. Do a few searches (AI, google, goodreads, whatever) identify a single sub-genre you are interested in, then identify top authors in that sub-genre, and narrow it down to three that you interested in specifically. And then post recommendations for books in that sub-genre by your three authors. And ignore everything that isn’t specific to that genre and those authors. If there are too many suggestions, then make a poll of the top ten, explain you will only read 3-5 of those books and for people to vote. Then read only the top 3-5 from the poll. Or DON’T and DNF them if they aren’t a good fit. Boundaries! Goodness knows the Horde needs them.
I am a true DNF proponent. What makes it easy an logical for me, is I spend a LOT of time on reading apps like Royal Road where content is plentiful, original, and (unfortunately) often dropped. Dropping a novel that has been in hiatus for more than 6 months (without author notification) is a form of self-preservation for me.
I have walked the path of DNF and it is glorious to behold all of the hours I did not waste hoping in spite of all of the evidence that the book/story was going to change. If I’m hesitant, I’ll read reviews to see if maybe it really has a slooooooow start and there’s a pivot that clears it all before I commit to the DNF. But there’s no shame in moving on. Not every book is meant for every person.
You will not regret your TBR purge. I have never regretted it yet, and I’ve done it more than once. I started my journey with DNF sometime in 2024/2025. As a new behaviour for me it’s still a work in progress – but I know that each time I allow myself the gift, it feels as though a mountain lifts from my shoulders and I know I’ve done the right thing. In the unlikely event I ever regret a DNF decision – the book isn’t going to vanish from the face of the earth. I like your boundaries around spontaneity. I’m looking forward to This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me as something different. I have always struggled with re-reads. I think the Ilona Andrews titles are the very rare things I’ve ever managed to re-read. Thank you for sharing.
I have read IronPrince and Firestone based on the recoomenation here. wasn’t sure I would like it, but Holy Moly. They were so good and while waiting for books, I picked up on book 1 on another series by the same authors.