Life is too short to waste time reading shitty books.

My younger self used to refuse to DNF (Did-Not-Finish) books, because I constantly was chasing the feeling of success after finishing a book. You know what I’m talking about: that instant sense of accomplishment that comes after you close the book for the last time. Not only did I greatly enjoy the sentiment of finishing a book (especially if it was a longer one), but I also loved adding on to the growing list of books I’ve read. I started my GoodReads account in middle school, and it was so exciting to watch the number of books I logged grow and grow with every story completed. It may seem silly to be so fulfilled by something as simple as marking a book as “complete” in an app, but for bookworms, this is an exciting experience!!

While my commitment to finishing every book I started may have seemed honorable, it also meant that I used to force myself to continue a lot of books that I didn’t really care for. Some books felt like a chore more than a fun time, and it often would take me forever to finish them because I simply never felt the inspiration to pick them up and continue reading.

Since the beginning of 2023, I finally have convinced myself to start DNFing books that I simply am not interested in. Whether it’s the writing style or an incredibly slow plot, if I feel like I have to force myself to pick the book up, then I need to put it down for good.

It may seem silly, but I feel powerful in finally putting my foot down (with myself) and refusing to waste my time on books that I’m not enjoying! My TBR list continues to grow every single day, and life is way too short to waste my time on books that don’t bring me joy. I also realized, was it truly worth getting the instant gratification of logging a book on GoodReads if I didn’t even enjoy it in the first place?

Speaking of GoodReads, another major change I’ve made in how I approach books is that I’m now being brutally honest about my thoughts on the books I read. If you scroll through my profile, you will probably notice that almost every single book logged for a few years there was given a 5-star rating. I can assure you, I did not get lucky and read nothing but 5-star books for many years. Instead, I was so focused on trying to find the good in every book, so much so that I often gave 5 stars to books I either didn’t enjoy all that much or that truly did not deserve such a high rating.

Now that I’ve amassed a following on social media for my book reviews, I owe it to the people who view my content (including you, dear reader) to be honest about the books I’m discussing. Not every single book is going to be a 5-star read, and that’s okay. Books will have flaws, and there’s nothing wrong with pointing those flaws out and letting them influence how I would rate the book. Also, some authors rely heavily on their reviews for criticism and feedback on their craft. Giving an honest (yet respectful) review can be so very helpful to authors!

I feel as though my younger self truly was trying to see the best in every book I read, which is commendable. However, it’s just not realistic to give a 5-star rating to every single book I read (and I’ve come to heavily side eye any reviewer that does this now), or to force myself to read a book I’m not enjoying simply to say I finished the book.

Life is too short to waste your time on shitty books. If you’re not enjoying it, put it down! If you finish it and decide it wasn’t as good as it could’ve been, give an honest review! There is nothing wrong with saving your precious time and energy for books that will bring you joy ❤