Have you ever started reading a book with the best of intentions, only to find what you thought you going to be reading was something entirely different than what you actually read?
Maybe you picked up a book with the best intentions for learning something new, but then the reading didn’t take you and you’re struggling to continue. There’s an easy solution to this problem.
I had this same problem in April and of all things Star Wars showed me how to deal with it. I’ll show you how to finish a tough book in three easy steps.
Step 1 – Choose your book wisely.
I started The Great Movies by Robert Ebert with the best of intentions. I thought that reading about some of the greatest films of all time, particularly ones I hadn’t yet seen would inspire me to broaden my horizons. I love a broad range of movies, but I have some gaps in my taste.
One hundred great movies in alphabetical order. Could anything be better for learning more about great films?
Surely expanding the breadth of my appreciation for movies would be a good thing. I thought so, but then I read the first essay in the book. I slogged through that first chapter, convinced that it would get better once I got past the introductory material.
Despite competent writing, it did not get better once I got past the opening material.
Step 2 – Persevere!
I heard my inner Master Yoda whispering to me as I struggled with every page. “Keep reading the book, you should. By a renowned personality in the field, it is. Let a book beat you, will you? Hmm?”
I set a goal to read three essays every day until I completed all 100 movies.
When I was young, I loved watching Siskle and Ebert at the movies. Even when I disagreed with them, I enjoyed watching them talk about the movies. After 5 days of slogging through three essays a day, trying to finish the book before the end of April, I came to two conclusions:
- Roger Ebert’s essays didn’t have the same feel as him talking about a movie.
- I enjoyed watching Siskel & Ebert disagree about movies more than I enjoyed them actually talking about movies.
If I’d read the essay about Casablanca as my enticement to watch the film, instead of seeing it at a festival on the big screen with my Gran, I’m pretty sure I would have passed on one of the greatest films of all time.
I’m nothing, if not persistent, so I kept reading. Three dry, dull, essays a day. No other reading unless I read my chunk.
I read every day. I didn’t manage three essays every day, but I kept reading. This continued until I hit the letter S on April 29.
In the essay on Star Wars, he talks about how much he loves the film. In particular, describes that great scene where Princess Leia gives the plans to the plucky C-3PO and tells him to take them to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
C-3PO? Plucky C-3PO?
Reading that, I discovered step three.
Step 3 – Let the Force be your guide.
It’s R2-D2 who carries the plans and the hope of the rebellion to enlist the aid of Obi-wan Kenobi.
So it wasn’t exactly the force. It was complete indignation at such a blatant error in the essay. Even my inner Master Yoda said, “Fucking kidding me, you’ve got to be.”
I stopped reading The Great Movies on April 29. The book might have had essays left in it, but I was finished reading it. Stopping reading, whether the book continues or not, is a perfectly legitimate way to finish a book.
It felt liberating.
Between April 30th and May 2nd, I started (and finished) The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manai, which was delightful, The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton, which I found most satisfying, and started the latest Murderbot novel, Fugitive Telemetry,, which I’m finding most amusing.
Sometimes the answer is as simple as knowing when to move on. I wasted a whole month of that book. I didn’t gain the intended knowledge from it, but I did learn that I need I needed to trust myself enough to value my time.
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time for that’s the stuff life is made of.
Benjamin Franklin
Your time is valuable.
When you’re reading for knowledge, it’s good to stretch yourself, but sometimes you’re going to make mistakes when choosing books. That’s okay.
Stop reading the book. Close the covers. Thank it for teaching you something about yourself.
Maybe your next book will catch your inner spark, and you’ll have more time to devote to it because you didn’t keep struggling needlessly with a book that wasn’t speaking to you.
They’re just books, after all. They don’t have feelings to be hurt if you don’t finish them.
Just don’t tell my copy of Something Wicked This Way Comes, that. He’s sensitive.
And May the Fourth be with you.
