When I was a kid, I like many of us, was raised with the idea that you finish what is on your plate, you don't take food you're not going to eat and you finish what you start. Now the first 2 have lead to food issues for me (that I'm working on) and the last gave me a work ethic,which is a good thing. There was, however, an odd byproduct of this, and that was related to book reading.
I love books,always have, and I loved going to the library (still do). I used to have a mentality regarding books that I am trying to let go of here as an adult. Fishing a book I don't like or that engages me just because I took it out of the library. For years I have labored under the impression that I MUST finish any book I have taken out of the library because I took it out, so therefore if I took it, I must read it.
I do think this stems from the aforementioned "eat what you take" idea and until now I didn't realize it. I have been working on the idea for a while that I do not have to eat everything in front of me and that I can have left overs later, so the same is now applying to books. If I am not liking a book by page 50 or less, it goes back to the library for the next person and I move onto the next book. Yes, I am still fighting the "guilt" that goes with this notion, but I am getting there (guilt and I are old friends and I am working on that too.)
All of this may seem silly to others but I was wondering if any other lifelong readers have or do experience this as well.
*Sigh* I could just be being the class weirdo again.
I love books,always have, and I loved going to the library (still do). I used to have a mentality regarding books that I am trying to let go of here as an adult. Fishing a book I don't like or that engages me just because I took it out of the library. For years I have labored under the impression that I MUST finish any book I have taken out of the library because I took it out, so therefore if I took it, I must read it.
I do think this stems from the aforementioned "eat what you take" idea and until now I didn't realize it. I have been working on the idea for a while that I do not have to eat everything in front of me and that I can have left overs later, so the same is now applying to books. If I am not liking a book by page 50 or less, it goes back to the library for the next person and I move onto the next book. Yes, I am still fighting the "guilt" that goes with this notion, but I am getting there (guilt and I are old friends and I am working on that too.)
All of this may seem silly to others but I was wondering if any other lifelong readers have or do experience this as well.
*Sigh* I could just be being the class weirdo again.