
Lately, I’ve noticed a troubling trend: I’m abandoning more books than I finish. The problem isn’t with the books themselves, but rather with the reader. When stressed, bringing an open mind to reading becomes difficult.
Letting go of a book is never easy—especially after hunting down recommendations, tracking it to a shop or online store, and powering through those first chapters to “get into” a story. So what makes me decide to abandon one? Is it a flaw in the book—or in me as the reader?
Sometimes it’s a mismatch. I can usually spot a story that won’t suit my taste, but a few slip through. Often, it’s because the plot feels stagnant or the characters never come alive. This happened recently with the latest Neal Stephenson novel—by one of my favorite authors, no less. After 150 pages, I still didn’t care about the protagonist. For a while I wondered if she wasn’t meant to be the central focus and the “real” story would soon emerge. It didn’t. Perhaps on a calmer day, I would have settled into its pacing.
Other times, the style itself doesn’t click. I tried Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi after endless praise online, but couldn’t get past ten pages. Middlemarch lasted a little longer, but I’ve never enjoyed aristocrats in drawing rooms gossiping. No matter how finely written, those settings can’t hold my interest.
Sometimes, though, the issue is squarely with me. Am I approaching the book in the right frame of mind—calm, open to new ideas, and willing to follow its pace? Or am I stressed, impatient, and quick to judge?
It’s a bit like wine. The same bottle can taste entirely different depending on what you’ve eaten, whether you’ve just brushed your teeth, or if you drink it over a fun dinner with friends. The wine hasn’t changed—only your perception has. Reading is the same. A book’s impact depends not only on its inherent quality, but also on the mental climate of the reader.
Many of the books I’ve abandoned recently are, by most measures, excellent—celebrated, award-winning, even canonical. Their failure to hold my attention may have little to do with merit and everything to do with timing. Perhaps the kindest thing I can do is let them rest on the shelf until my mind is ready to meet them halfway.