tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post8671260613374435922..comments2023-07-10T01:17:13.383+10:00Comments on Brona's Books: Just Saying - ARC's and DNF'sBronahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11110584237325026052noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post-60925881160801589052018-02-27T09:52:01.711+11:002018-02-27T09:52:01.711+11:00It really is & I still get a little thrill whe...It really is & I still get a little thrill whenever I get an extra-special-to-me ARC (ie like the new Tim Winton! Although my boss got first dibs on that one.)<br /><br />I used to think that 50 was too soon, but in my pre-bookselling days, I would decided whether to buy a book or not based almost purely on my reaction to the first page. So 50 is actually a HUGE advance on that method :-)<br /><br />The 50 limit applies more to books that I want to enjoy, think I should enjoy, but for some reason end up not getting into. Recently it was the new Alex Miller book. I love his stuff but was soooooo disappointed with The Passage of Love. I forced myself to get to page 50 just in case it improved, but it didn't, so I abandoned ship. A couple of other reviews helped me to realise that I wasn't the only one having a problem, which made the decision easier.<br />Knowing I have a rather large back up pile to turn to when one book fails to excite helps as well :-)Bronahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11110584237325026052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post-75059777894738720652018-02-27T09:44:21.392+11:002018-02-27T09:44:21.392+11:00My first year as a bookseller, I was like a kid in...My first year as a bookseller, I was like a kid in a candy shop! I've had to learn to pace myself and exercise some self-discipline since then. The DNF habit is part of that.Bronahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11110584237325026052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post-69927674935096678772018-02-26T12:55:45.831+11:002018-02-26T12:55:45.831+11:00It must be lovely to be a bookseller & get a t...It must be lovely to be a bookseller & get a ton of ARCs. Quite a perk of the job! Seems no reason to finish bad books as you say (though is 50 pages too soon?). I get most of my books from the library so they are free and I often don't get to a lot of them so I just return them, which is okey dokey. I do still try to finish books I start -- I know it's a weird hang up that we should all get over. I will work on it. thecuecardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08870323589682197091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post-32283747271920078732018-02-21T18:28:45.225+11:002018-02-21T18:28:45.225+11:00I envy you those ARCs (at times), although I do ha...I envy you those ARCs (at times), although I do have more than enough in my TBR already without picking up books that I'm slightly interested in. I also envy you your ability to DNF, I'm trying to get better at that, instead of just getting bogged, and setting it aside with much guilt. Louisehttp://astrongbeliefinwicker.blogspot.com.au/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post-29961595148634473102018-02-21T09:21:02.162+11:002018-02-21T09:21:02.162+11:00Ahhh that's the other thing I forgot to mentio...Ahhh that's the other thing I forgot to mention...older books! <br /><br />All these interesting new releases has made it harder for me to read the classics or enjoy rereading old favourites - something I've been endeavouring to rectify this past year or so.Bronahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11110584237325026052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post-70677913582972500292018-02-21T09:17:34.939+11:002018-02-21T09:17:34.939+11:00" that means I have more time to read books I..." that means I have more time to read books I'm likely to love and rave about rather than criticise."<br /><br />Exactly!<br />Reading should be fun, even for those in the book industry. I often see incredible rave reviews for books that I couldn't get into, and just figure that I wasn't the target audience or in the right mood for this book and that's okay.Bronahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11110584237325026052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post-69358556394223998712018-02-21T04:42:19.157+11:002018-02-21T04:42:19.157+11:00I've read books that I wouldn't normally h...I've read books that I wouldn't normally have picked up, and for the most part, have been really happy I did. But I also find it harder to find the time to read older books that I know I would like. It's a balancing act, I guess. <br />I enjoyed reading your own experiences with this!Naomihttp://consumedbyink.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post-31902676413664258952018-02-21T01:14:45.703+11:002018-02-21T01:14:45.703+11:00I've had a similar experience with ARCs. At fi...I've had a similar experience with ARCs. At first I felt obliged to finish and review them all (I get them via NG and publishers rather than as a bookseller). But I found it was making reading begin to feel like a job rather than a pleasure after a bit. So now I DNF far more, and am happy to send brief feedback rather than write a full review. And that means I have more time to read books I'm likely to love and rave about rather than criticise. ARCS are fab, but they definitely have a downside unless readers learn to Just Say No...FictionFanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06212537466233602766noreply@blogger.com