Passing the Snore Test

Have you ever read a book that everyone and their next door neighbor has declared wonderful, 5 stars, unputdownable? Or maybe you decide to read it because you heard great buzz about the book/author, or enjoyed another work by that author so you assume this other book would be just as great? Then you borrow or buy said book and happily start reading, because it's the beginning, filled with such promise of adventure, magic, romance, or mystery. You can't wait to meet your character companions who will guide you through the land of make believe for a few days.

Then the reality sets in. What usually takes you a few days to finish a book turns to a week, 2 weeks. While reading in bed, you snore and a tiny bit of drool unattractively leaks out the side of your open mouth. A month goes by and you’re only on page 200 with another 100 some odd pages to go. Each time you pick it up you sneer and think, "You will not make me crack. I will finish you!"

This is happening to me now. I’m not going to name the book (I saw you peeking at my side bar. No, it’s not Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), because I know from blog hopping, even from comments I read yesterday, that it’s a well-liked book by a well-known YA author (That’s all I’m sayin'. Lips zipped). And hey, just because I didn't like it doesn't mean someone else won't, so I'd hate to give a book a bad wrap on my blog. But I have to tell you, up until today, I was this close – picture a millimeter between my thumb and index finger – after reading 200 pages to putting it aside. And the worst part is it’s the first book in a series (!) so I’m already not anticipating the ending because the story will be left up in the air (and between you and me, I won’t be reading the rest of the series).

See, the thing is I like to give every book I read a real chance. Doesn’t mean I’ll love it when I finish it. But even if I don't love it, I do appreciate the hard work that it took the author to write it and the the long, arduous road travelled to publication. The book made it, after all, and is getting good reviews. If I choose to read something, I really like to give it a fair shot before bailing. But alas, if it’s a chore to read I will put it down. After all, I am reading for pleasure.

So I had been slogging my way through my current read, waiting for the action to pick up when I got a call from the library the other day. A book I reserved about 6 weeks ago came in. Perfect excuse to drop this baby like a hot tequito. But I decided to give it one more chance since it finally started getting a bit more interesting. It’s going to have to pass the reading-in-bed test. If I put it aside on my own to go to sleep, I’ll finish it. If I fall asleep mid-paragraph, I’m starting Divergent tomorrow!

How long do you give a book before dropping it?