Ok, I'm not sure how much reading advice I should be giving because, to be honest, I'm a slow-ass reader. And I mean slow. Like two books a month slow. But, I suppose, everyone has their beef with books and reading. For most, it's the lack of time in the day to actually read. Or maybe your beef is that there are just too many published works to choose from. Well, here's mine: I refuse to finish reading a book that doesn't engage me. I just can't do it. I can't force myself into hours of unimaginative misery just to say I finished the thing. And it's not like I don't give the book a solid chance either. I pick it up and put it down over and over and over before I toss it into the reject pile. (Oooh, that was kinda harsh. Ok, not the reject pile per say. Maybe the 'this book isn't for me' pile).

Anyway, I finally allowed myself to put books down that I didn't care for and I stopped feeling guilty about it. You're not going to like everything you pick up. Maybe the characters are shallow, maybe the pacing is off, maybe the story is too slow for you or maybe you just aren't 'feeling it'. Doesn't matter. Give yourself permission to stop reading. I know a lot of dedicated readers who force themselves through slow, uninteresting books and I say: No More! Put that book down and move on. The sooner you break-up with your book, the happier you will be. I know it's hard. You've put time and effort into your reading relationship, you've read for countless hours into the middle of the night. Maybe you were excited to start that best-seller and were so bummed when it didn't grab ya. But do it, break-up with that book and cut it loose. You know you want to and you'll be a happier person for it. :)

(Any of you ever not finish a book? If so, which one was it and why? For me, it was The Help. I'm so sorry to the author but it just wasn't for me. I got hung up on the southern language and slang. It made the reading difficult for me which was frustrating. I just couldn't enjoy it.)