Sometimes it’s clear that you’re not enjoying your current read but sometimes the signs are a little bit more subtle. You don’t hate it but it’s just not holding your attention. Often it’s not even that the book is bad, it may just be the case that it’s the wrong book for that particular time or you may just be in a bit of a reading slump.
So how do you know you’re not loving your current read. Here are 10 signs I’ve found that this may not be the right book for right now.
1 You’ve read the same page 3 times,
have no idea what happened…
and don’t care enough to read it a fourth time, moving on…
2 You check how far you’ve gotten every five minutes
If it’s a physical book you flick forward to see how many pages are in it, how many are left, whether there’s a lot of writing on them or hopefully how many blank or partial pages there are. If you’re on an ereader, you check either the percentage, page x of x or more often than not the “there are x minutes remaining in the chapter/book”. You also have to start timing your reading just to make sure that little timer is accurate. There’s nothing worse than when you’ve been reading for 30 mins and it hasn’t moved or even worse gone up.
3 You read the last page
I know some people do skip forward when they’re reading but if you’re checking to see how much writing is on the pages and reading bits to find out if something exciting is going to finally happen, or it’s going to switch to the pov you prefer it’s not a good sign. If you’re actually reading the last page to find out how it ends (and this isn’t something you usually do) it’s a really, really bad sign.
4 You go to bed to sleep!!!!
Wait, WHAT?!?! Actually going to bed at a reasonable time and sleeping, what’s that about? Surely beds are for horizontal reading until you can’t physically keep your eyes open any longer?
5 You spend an inordinate amount of time shopping for new books
Look how shiny, new and exciting they are. Yes you have hundreds of books you haven’t read but you’re midway through a book so it’s okay to buy one or two or a hundred more for when you finish it. And obviously you have to do your research. What are the reviews like? Have you checked every bookshop to see which one has the best deal or that collectors edition you really want. Maybe you should have a quick look on NetGalley and see if there’s anything interesting there.
Who am I kidding, I do this regardless of whether I’m enjoying my current read 😀
6 You start reading something else
That shiny new book you just bought, maybe you should just read the first few pages to see if it’s going to be as good as you think it will? And if you’ve started it, maybe you should just finish it? Or maybe you could re read an old book that you love, just to help you get to sleep or to calm you down.
You’re definitely not abandoning your current read, just putting it on hold for a bit, honest.
7 Binge watch shows on Netflix
You know that new show that everyone’s been talking about but you don’t really fancy? Now seems like the perfect time to watch every single episode and maybe also catch up on those other shows you’ve been meaning to see. And I mean if you’re doing that you may as watch all of those shows/films you’d recorded to watch later.
8 Your home has never been so clean and tidy
OK you know there’s definitely a problem when cleaning seems like a more enjoyable option than picking up that book.
9 You look for projects
Similar to the previous one, it suddenly seems like now may be the perfect time to clear out your closet, rearrange your bookshelf, write that novel you’ve been thinking about, learn a foreign language, pretty much anything that’s not reading.
10 You write blog posts about signs you’re not loving your current read
😀
Technically, I’m between books at the moment but I did start this post when I wasn’t particularly loving the book I was reading. Anyone want to take a guess which one?
Do you have any subtle tells that you may not be loving your current read? What do you do? Do you give up and move on or push through?
Let’s chat
A Bookish Life 
Definitely some of my signs! I’ve found that I also start wishing that some of the main characters will die. It’s awful, I know, but that’s usually a solid sign for me.
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Oh definitely. I’ve found myself wishing they’d all die so the book would finally be over, but that’s usually a book I really hate. I should probably just DNF when it gets to that stage
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Yes, I’d say that is definitely a ‘time to DNF’ marker.
I think I sometimes just wish someone would die so that I’d feel like something was actually HAPPENING!
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Oh so you have a sparkling house now? I might do some of these, but housework is always low on my list!
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Honestly, housework is probably the last thing I’d ever do from this list 😀 Much more likely I’ll wander off and start reading something else.
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All of these are so true! I have found that some books just aren’t for me at that moment, and I’ve got better at spotting them so I don’t spoil the book just because I wasn’t in the right mood, but some books are just a drag!
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I really need to get better at spotting them as often if I put it on hold it takes forever for me to get back to it.
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If I don’t like my current read, I generally start a new book (also one of the signs hahaha) and try it again another time
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Oh totally. Or more often for me I feel like I shouldn’t start a new book so I reread an old one.
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All of these are my signs! I usually start considering and looking for something else to read.
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To be honest I’m always looking for my next read. Even if I’m loving the book I’m reading I’m still looking for the next one.
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Haha, what a great fun post! I know that time is too valuable to waste on books I don’t enjoy so now I give them 100 pages to hook me or I give up! But it’s so true that I’ll go and rewatch Buffy when I’m bored with my current read!!!
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I probably persevere longer than I should but I keep thinking it’ll get better and then reach a point where I might as well just finish it.
I’ll rewatch Buffy regardless of whether I’m enjoying my current read 😉
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These are so true! I know I don’t have a good book when I watch Netflix instead. I have a habit of taking my abuse out on the physical book as well. It wasn’t until 2017 that I gave myself permission to just quit the book.
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LOL, I love this post!! They’re all so true!!! When I’ve reread the same page several times, I know it’s time to give it up.
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😂😂😂 I love this and have defo done most of these at times!
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Great post!!
I’m experiencing this exact thing at the moment. I’m reading Mr Dickens and his Carol which is quite lovely, but it doesn’t call to me when I’m not reading and I don’t think about it when I’m not reading either. It’s also taking ages to make progress!
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ALI THIS IS SUCH A FUN POST!! I couldn’t help but identify with many of these… I do know that a book drags for me because I don’t read any of it that day, I check what percentage I’m at and I watch TV! lol, see so many you mentioned! ❤
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Thank you. I may have been struggling with a certain book when I started this.
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[…] https://iwuvbooks.wordpress.com/2018/01/04/10-signs-you-may-not-be-loving-your-current-read/ […]
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[…] Ali @ I Wuv Books. Have you found yourself doing “other things” when there is a book waiting for you to […]
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OMG I TOTALLY just constantly checked the percentage on my kindle for the last book I read…. It was a struggle hahaha
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It’s usually that little time remaining indicator that gets me. I’d probably get the book finished so much faster if I stopped looking at it every 2 mins 😀
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haha yup- one is always a sign that you need to put that book on hold 😉 also yes, checking how long is left also isn’t a great sign 😉 AND GOSH- if you’re reading the last page, probably time to DNF that puppy! 😉 Yeah I’m always looking for new books- so that one isn’t as significant for me- I mean I’m not exactly a faithful booklover… hahaha I genuinely burst out laughing at the end of this post- I didn’t actually realise where this was going lol 😉
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Haha this post is brilliant! Definitely most of the signs describe my own feelings perfectly. xD
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Number 6. Oh, number 6.
I’ve currently got about 7 books going ATM.
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[…] Ali looked at ways to know you’re not loving your current read […]
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