How Long Do You Give a Book?

Recently Goodreads posed the above question.  It made me think about my own reading habits.  I always have a book in front of me, and my preferred reading is a good mystery.  But I, like most of you, belong to a book club, and our members each get a choice as to what books we'll read in the coming year.  We read fiction and many of the books are excellent.  I probably would have not chosen certain books on my own, but my book club membership gives me the chance to read these books and enjoy them. I'm glad I have this opportunity to broaden my reading experience.  Yet, once in a while a clunker comes along and reading it is not a good experience.

Once I start a book I like to finish it.  I rarely give up on a book but sometimes I have to.  It was interesting to read the answers those on Goodreads gave. Many felt like me, but when they had to stop, it was usually after 100 pages.  For some reason 100 pages is the benchmark.  For me it is about the same.  Some books start off slowly and you need to give them time.  Others never seem to get interesting.  I often wonder how they were able to get published.  For my book club this month I found the selected book boring and difficult to follow.  Yet it won a Pulitzer prize!  I simply was not able to keep reading.  I went at least to 100 pages but no improvement.  I even "fast forwarded" to see if any sections were more compelling, but no.

Readers, what do you do? Do you stick with it at all costs, or do you feel like most of us, "so many books, so little time?"