Book Bucket List | Knowing your limits...

The Nancy Pearl Action Figure

I'm not ashamed to admit it.  I have, and will, stopped reading books and never finished them.  I hate the feeling when I absolutely HAVE to finish a book and dislike it so much I have to force myself to read it.  Sometimes I feel guilty, because it was a recommendation from a friend or a super popular best seller, but if I have no interest, I can't bring myself to pick it back up.  I feel even worse when it's a book that's been on my bucket list, and it turns out I can't finish.  I don't feel guilty as often any more though, because I was taught a very important lesson.  

This last September when Nancy Pearl kicked off the One Book, One San Joaquin program, she talked a little about how to determine if you should stop reading a book or not. Nancy talked about her "Rule of 50".  If you're 50 years old or younger, if you don't like a book by 50 pages, then it's time to stop.  If you're over 50, subtract your age from 100, and then that's how many pages you should stop after. (Her reasoning is "Why waste precious time?")

So the question is, after all of this, how do you find books that you'll actually like?  A great resource is Nancy Pearl's own books about books, Book Lust, More Book Lust, and Book Crush for younger readers. In each of these titles, Pearl gives her expert advice on what to read for every "mood, moment, and interest."  I've gotten a few good titles from these books, and am pleased to let you know that I've even stopped reading one after 50 pages. (And didn't feel bad!)