Thoughtful Thursday: Do You DNF?

Hosted by Reading Is Fun Again

Each week, I will post a new bookish thought that I will discuss. Everyone is welcome to join. You can do this in two different ways. (1) You can discuss your thoughts in the comment section of the Thoughtful Thursday post. OR (2) You can post your thoughts on your site. 

This Week's Topic/Question:

Do you DNF (do not finish) books? Do you call it that or do you call it something else? Do you tell people when you DNF a book or do you act like you never read it at all? How have your DNF habits changed over the years?

My Answer:

(Wo)man overboard! If a book just isn't doing it for me, I'm more than happy to jump ship! There are just too many good books in this world; don't let a bad one happen to you.

I am not sure if I ever cared about not finishing books to be embarrassed about telling someone, and I am now more likely to not care because of the book clubs I joined. Instead of someone just patting me on the back and saying "better luck next time," I get to explain (to people who actually care) why I didn't finish the book. Besides, what's the harm anyway? My not finishing a book doesn't really say anything about it's actual literary clout; just means it wasn't for me. 

Here's some reasons that will make me abandon ship:

• I don't like the main character (*coughs* whiny heroines): I just can't do whiny heroines. Especially if they're supposed to be a bad ass saving the world, I could care less about your boy troubles. YA Paranormal Romance is most often guilty of this.
• Book cover tempts me; writing does not: Never judge a book by it's cover. Seriously. A gorgeous cover can over promise something fierce!
• Slow beginnings: Sometimes a slow beginning is not the worst. Especially if it's slow and does not offer me intriguing little nuggets of the goodies to come. Usually by Chapter 3, if I'm not digging it ... that's a wrap. 
• The author tells, not shows: I don't like it when an author tells me how a character feels. I want the character to tell me. I want texture, scents, smells, etc -- but from their character's POV, not the author's voiceover narrative. That gets boring like a teacher giving a lecture; I want to be in the story with the characters experiencing what they are.

I didn't call it DNF until I got into the blogging/Goodreads world. I probably just say, "hated it!"