The dreaded ‘Did Not Finish’. An acceptable approach that a reader should proudly own, or an admittance of failure and lack of dedication?

I really hate to DNF. I would much rather slog my way through a book than admit defeat, although I rarely feel a sense of satisfaction when I reach the end. Rather, just relief.

Unfortunately my reading for 2026 got off to a very slow start courtesy of one of our book club choices. As much as it pains me to admit it, the fabulous Margaret Atwood is to blame. Her autobiography (or, rather, “memoir of sorts” as she describes it), Book of Lives, was one of our choices for the first gathering of 2026. Sadly, the majority of us did not finish (sorry, Margaret).

I toyed with writing some form of book review, but I feel I’ve dedicated enough of my life to the book already. What I will say is that I really wanted to love this book. The first few chapters were compelling; disappointingly, as we progressed through her life (at a snail’s pace, I might add) my interest waned.

I made it to page 277 which I felt was a huge achievement, until Goodreads told me I was only 50% through. Demoralising.

Just call it and move on

For something that really doesn’t have a huge impact on life, I struggle to make a decision on walking away from a book. I will weigh up the pros and cons, talk myself into just another chapter, tell myself it won’t take that long to finish, and then hate the whole experience.

My lovely friend is far more sure of herself; she is brutally honest and unapologetic which I admire and enjoy. I shared my Book of Lives journey with her, weeks after she had decided the book was not for her!

I’ll admit, claiming to be trapped by a book was a low point. As soon as I’d decided to DNF there was, for a moment, a sense of relief and excitement for my new-found freedom to read whatever I wanted! I could join my friend in the land of people who were no longer reading Book of Lives.

Lessons learned?

What have I learned from my four weeks of indecisiveness and torment (it’s not personal, Margaret)? As it turns out, absolutely nothing.

After a quick sojourn into A Court of Thorns and Roses (Sarah J Maas) territory, which I have been meaning to read for some time, for reasons unknown I thought the best way to get back on the reading wagon was to pick up A Little Life (Hanya Yanagihara).

Spoiler alert: this was a mistake. I am 61% through but disengaged days ago. I cannot have another DNF so soon, and I am frustratingly compelled to find out what happens (I already know but need to read the actual details), so I’m fairly confident that I am going to see this one through to the bitter end.

I know my personality, and this book will annoy me for the rest of time. Any sense of accomplishment will be overridden by an annoyance and bitterness that I wasted so much time on it. At the time of writing, A Little Life has 937,050 ratings on Goodreads with an average score of 4.28. I admire those people, and I’m pleased for them. I also think they were reading a different book.

So, which approach is best?

I think that my friend has it right. Accept you tried, own it, and move on. I’m not quite there yet but I would like to be.

Reading is always such a personal endeavour. What works for one won’t work for another, that is the beauty of life and the arts. The celebration should be that someone is reading at all. Whether or not they finish is neither here nor there, we just need to ensure that their choice is respected.

What next for me?

Well, finishing A Little Life (obviously writing this blog is classic procrastination) and then we’ll see. My determination to not have another DNF will outweigh my annoyance. I will choose something that reignites the love of reading (and that makes greater steps in achieving my reading target for this year!).

Happy reading to all, may you enjoy your book choices and finish every one.