Is DNFing Different for Non-Fiction Books
When I laid out my rules for this challenge, I said that I was giving myself permission to be “brutal” with DNFing. I didn’t want to waste time on a bunch of books I was not enjoying, though normally I would finish a book no matter what. Often I’ll finish a book I hate just so I can leave a review of it (I don’t rate books unless I’ve completely finished them).
This week, I finished two books. The first was the Gothic novel, A Falcon for a Queen by Catherine Gaskin, which I really really liked (spoiler alert: Worth It!). The second was a non-fiction book, which I suppose I would call literary travel (but am not really sure what it was supposed to be), called Dickensland by Lee Jackson.
This non-fiction book I did not enjoy. It was dull. I was bored. And I love Charles Dickens and reading non-fiction, especially non-fiction about the real places in fiction books! This should have been a home run for me! But, alas, it was not. I knew after 50 pages I wasn’t enjoying it. But I kept reading. And kept reading. And kept reading. Why did I do this to myself? The book actually got worse. I prayed for it to end. So why did I keep reading it until I finished it? I never would have kept reading a fiction book I felt this way about. Why couldn’t I DNF a non-fiction book?
I think at least part of it is that I expected that, even if I wasn’t enjoying it, I was learning from it. It was non-fiction, so there were facts in it right? So by reading this I am absorbing those facts. Right? I think this is probably true in a lot of cases. There’s always something to learn, and even if the material isn’t presented in an interesting way, if it’s a topic I am interested in, I’ll get something out of reading it.
I also think there’s an element of pride in it. If I give up on a non-fiction book, does that mean it’s too “advanced” for my understanding? Aren’t non-fiction books supposed to be boring? I think there’s an expectation that with non-fiction we need to “work for it” more.
But after giving this some thought, I need to push back on these feelings. I can honestly say, save one humorous anecdote about Dickens (which I’m sure I could read elsewhere), I didn’t get a thing out of this book. And just because non-fiction is full of facts, shouldn’t mean that I have to be locked into reading something that I just don’t like. This book was not worth more just because it was non-fiction – it was just as much a waste of time as a fiction book I’m not enjoying would be.
So, what’s the way forward? I think, like in so many things, the answer is mindfulness. When I’m not enjoying a non-fiction book, it’s time to pause, and ask myself a couple of questions:
- Am I learning something from this? So, it might be boring, but it also might be very worthwhile. I might get something out of the pain of continuing this book. For example, I read a very long book on alchemy in the past year or so. It was slow and hard to understand, but I’m glad I finished it. I might not be an expert on the topic now, but I got a lot out of it. But if the answer to this question is no, let the book go. (lol)
- Would I keep reading this if it was fiction? If I felt the same way about a fiction book as I was feeling about this book, would I keep reading? If the answer is no, it’s time to let the book go.
Do not keep reading a book just because DNFing it makes you feel less smart. It does not make you less smart. (Even if it’s hard not to feel that way. I get it.) If you’re not learning anything from it, and if your experience is such that you wouldn’t keep reading it if it was a fiction book, don’t let your pride make your throw your time down the drain. Pick up something else. It doesn’t mean you can never read that book again (because you can). It means you don’t have to be miserable right now, this very minute, reading something you hate.
And, ICYMI:
Week 2 Update
This week I was able to read 2 books, both physical, leaving my to be read counts at:
Here’s a recap of what I read this week:
A Falcon for a Queen by Catherine Gaskin – Gothic Fiction: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
Dickensland by Lee Jackson – Literary Travel: Not Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 3 stars
Final rating: 2 stars
And until next week, happy reading!