Is it acceptable to stop reading a book without finishing it?

is completely acceptable.

i ditched infinite jest like 20 pages after having started, because it was a dumb and boring drivel i couldnt be fucked to get into.

>>8603703
It's ok. You don't have to eat trash and you don't own them a thing. Why would you even feel guilty in the first place?

>>8603749
There's always those faggots who insist that you can't really judge it without reading the whole thing, or that the author put a lot of work into it and I should respect that.

>>8603703
>local author
Hopefully you've learned your lesson.

>>8603703
It's absolutely unacceptable. You bought it. So clench your teeth and read the fucking book to the very last page - you have no other choise.

>>8603703
It's not only acceptable, it's essential.

You may feel drawn back to it, to give it one more chance. This is normal, and wrong. Let go of bad things.

When you can close the book and just walk away then only will you be truly free.

>>8603777
What's wrong with supporting local writers?

>>8603703
Yes obviously. Otherwise you're wasting your time that you could otherwise spend reading something you enjoy.

Would you finish food that tastes shit?
Would you sit through a 2 hour film if you can see it's shit after 10min?

>>8604238
>Would you sit through a 2 hour film if you can see it's shit after 10min?
You'd have to. If you don't, people will dismiss any criticism you might have of the film with "but it might have gotten better later on." And if you do sit through it, and didn't like it, they'll say "it couldn't have been that bad if you sat through it." The same comes for video games, where "it gets better after 20 hours" is a common compliment.

>>8604402
Just tell em "I don't feel it justified having to waste X minutes/hours to finally start enjoying it when there are other books/movies that can have me enjoying it from start to finish."

>>8603703
Of course it's okay. Most often it's not even the plot it's the awful writing style. I just can't bring myself to read on.
Drop it and find something better.

I finish books I don't like. Most of the time it just helps me to articulate what exactly it is I don't like. It's like hate-watching TV. It's an exercise in a sense, and in that way I can enjoy something even if I don't like it.

>>8603703
It's only acceptable in extreme cases, like where a writer cannot write or think, where there's absolutely no discernible talent. 99% of the time it isn't advised.

>>8603703
Are you seriously asking a bunch of strangers for permission to stop reading a bad book? WTF is wrong with this board?

>>8604730
This is what happens to people when all they have going for them in life is a contrived image of intellectual purity and superiority

>>8604730
yeah this is embarrassing

>>8604773
The point of posts like OP's are that he's already sure of what he wants to do, he just wants social approval to do it.
It's a hard lesson but at some point you realize that you have to go your own way.
Me? If there's no anime girl on the cover, I'm about half ready to walk away.

>>8603703
easy as follows:

would you eat a whole plate of food you didn´t like?

>>8604986
Yes

>>8603977
They're generally very bad, although I know a few exceptions in my town.

I think it's important to make distinctions sometimes.
Ask yourself are you dropping a book because its boring,
or are you dropping it because it requires more effort than other books
to draw a deeper understanding of it?
We're all guilty of having quit on a book because it was work.
Be honest with yourself with these things. Is it shit or am I being lazy?

I tried Moby Dick as well, OP.

>>8603763
No, I think if you don't like the writing than its just not for you. It's the authors job to make it enjoyable to his intended audience.

I mean, if you really want to help the guy out, sense it's a local, why not just write him a short letter with some constructive criticism? At least then he'll have a chance to improve.