emelee Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Do you sometimes skip pages or even whole chapters of a book that you want to finish but don't feel like reading everything of? I sometimes do that when I feel like the book is dragging on and on forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Never. If I feel like the book is dragging, I put it aside for a while and try something else. If I feel it's just not worth the time, I try my best to finish it. If I still can't bring myself to keep flicking through the pages, I abandon it. I would give up a book but I'd never skip pages or chapters. It would completely ruin the flow of the narrative for me, I'd miss out on things I want to know about characters or the plot, and ultimately it would end up making it more unreadable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 (edited) Who me? Never or at least not often. On the other hand I sometimes do skip through pages when I am trying to finish a book or at least certain uninteresting chapters like the 4th book of the Game of Thrones. Then, there are books like The Graveyard by Neil Gaiman that I will take my time and read certain parts twice because they are enjoyable and I don't want to miss anything. Edited June 8, 2013 by muggle not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleonora Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 I used to skip pages when I was at school and had to read all those boring books of italian classic literature: pages and pages of nothing were definitely too much for me at that time. But I don't do that anymore, mainly because now I choose what to read and then, well, I don't read italian classics now I can avoid them!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 I sometimes tend to skim whole chunks when a book is extremely dull. But when I start doing that, I usually end up leaving the book unfinished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 (edited) I don't skip pages but if a book gets boring or such I will on occasion skim them rather than read the whole page. EDIT: Like bobblybear, if I have to skim too much I will abandon a book. Edited June 9, 2013 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 I don't skip pages. If a book isn't holding my attention I don't waste reading time on it - I put it down and read something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Many8 Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 It's happened only once. I used to read everything (I'm scared to lose something that is important for the story). I used to skip some part of the page, but rarely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 I do skim read the end of a book sometimes - usually happens if I'm not enjoying a book group choice and I want to know what happens so that I can discuss it at our meeting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Nope. If the story isn't engaging me to the point where I'm skipping stuff, I just ditch the book. I used to continue with every book I started right to the bitter end and never skip a page, then I realised that life is short and too full of fantastic unread books to waste any time on something I'm not enjoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwish Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Nope, I agree with everything Kell has said. Life is too short, if you are not enjoying the book then ditch it! Even if I do enjoy the book and there is a slight boring bit I still won't skip it, I would be so afraid that I would have missed something quite important! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emelee Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 My problem is that I don't like to ditch books. I feel as though it's better to skip a few pages here and there instead of ditching it. Then it feels like I have read the book and know the whole plotline and how it ended. To me, it feels like I edit the book when I skip a few things. Authors tend to write a lot, and then remove certain things until both author and publisher is satisfied. As I reader, I feel like I can skip some extra pages, as the text comes alive for ME, the reader. I look upon it as though when you watch a tv-series, and you don't watch all the episodes. But that it doesn't matter because you can still follow the plot. However, I don't do this often. In recent years, it's only been a few books that I have had to read for school that I would not have chosen to read myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 (edited) I'd generally agree with Janet and Kell: I tend to put aside a book if it's not keeping my attention - there are too many great reads to waste time on one that isn't doing that. However, like Claire, I have recently, since joining a book group earlier this year, skimmed through books on one or two occasions which I would otherwise have ditched so that I can better talk about it at the meeting. On no occasion did I find anything to suggest that I would have regretted just dropping it if I'd been reading it for myself! I've found with books I want to finish (which was your question) that I've lately become rather more careful about reading them all and, if anything, have thus slightly slowed down. Edited June 9, 2013 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngloSaxon Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 No because then you might not read one if not the most important of the book, patience is a virtue... I want to finish this book I'm reading now but it is taking its time but I will not skip any pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I might skip (or rather skim) a paragraph or two, but never a whole page or chapter. If a book was that boring, I would give up completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I don't think I have ever skipped a page but occasionally I do skim read bits and pieces especially in non-fiction books where I feel the section isn't needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pangolin Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I do this sometimes. Very often if a book isn't holding my attention I'll skip to the last chapter and read that. If it has a good ending, sometimes I'll skim through the bits I missed out to see how the story played out. More often than not though if I feel the need to skip bits it's a sign I'd be better off reading something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittytn1 Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 I don't really like a lot of description - particuarly when someone is describing landscape or a room, so I often skip that. It does sometimes mean I skip something relevant though and end up not understanding what is going on later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmac Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Don't really skip pages, more like just scan them if they seem a bit too wordy, however, if I find I'm scanning too many I'll retire the book to the archives if it's on my Kindle with the intention of going back at some time, which usually means never. If it's a hardback that I've bought and it's a disappointing read to the extent that I'm rushing through pages it gets taken to the library for them to put in their book sale or into the system. I used to put those books into the book case with the intent of going back to them but that has never happened so they have all been banished now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86WM Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Never. I couldn't live with not knowing what had happened in between. I'd sooner quit a book all together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cchstore Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 I have skipped many times...when its boring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 I think the only time I have ever done this was with the rather long poems that are in Lord of the Rings. Other than that, no. I'd rather struggle through a difficult bit, than risk missing something important to the plot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander the Great Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I hate spoilers, so I never do that. I'll only do it very occasionally if there are multiple stories in a novel (as in, different plots/plotlines) and one interests me a lot of ends with a cliffhanger - I'll sometimes look for what happens next if I'm really too curious. But I'll always go back to read what I skipped. When a book is boring, I either drag myself through it all the way or I put it aside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I'll only skip if it gets gruesome .. then I'll just sort of squint and take in the key words. It has to be really gruesome though .. I can cope with a reasonable amount of gore. I have a sort of compunction .. almost amounting to a superstition .. to read every word .. so unless it's too gory (which is my only get out clause ) I will read it all. I've not been successful at abandoning either yet .. but I'm working on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 I can't remember the last time I had to skim read a book, I know I've mentioned earlier that I do occasionally skim read to the end for book group reads, but I've abandoned that idea now, just like the book if I'm not enjoying it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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