The DNF Book Tag

This month I’ve DNFed two books in a row! So, when I stumbled across the DNF book tag on Fatma’s blog, The Book Place, a couple of days ago, I immediately decided to do it as soon as possible. It was originally created by Gunpowder, Fiction & Plot on YouTube and, as the name indicates, it is all about the reasoning behind deciding not to finish books.

Do you DNF?

Yes! Not that many years ago, I would force myself to finish books I was not enjoying, but then I started asking myself ‘what is the point?’. There are so many books I want to read, it’s better to give up on books I’m not liking and to pick up another one that may become a favourite.

If you do DNF, does it count for your finished books for the month?

That has never happened, because I tend to decide not to finish books relatively early on. In theory, I would only count them as read and rate them with 1 star if I had DNFed them almost near the end.

Is there a difference between DNFing & just putting the book down for a little bit?

For me, yes. When I put a book down for a while, I still hope to pick it up again at some point. Although I was not in the mood for that particular book at that time, I believe that I may still enjoy it in the future. When I DNF a book, on the other hand, I don’t have any desire to ever finish it, since I’m almost certain I’ll not enjoy it.

What popular books have you DNFed?

Off the top of my head, there are three books that I’ve DNFed that I think are popular and generally liked by other readers – War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber and The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.

What are some books you wished you DNFed?

All the books that I ended up rating with 2 stars. I hoped that they would still positively surprise me, but they obviously didn’t.

Have you ever re-attempted to read a DNF? And was this successful for you?

I don’t think I ever tried to do it. I’m usually a very confident DNFer!

What do you do with DNFed books?

I keep them in a box under my bed until I manage to pass them on to other people who may enjoy them or wish to read them. Occasionally, I also donate them to my local library.

Do you choose more or less risky titles based on your DNF policy?

The fact that I DNF doesn’t tend to have any influence in the books that I decide to read or not. But I’m starting to think that I should read a couple of pages before buying a book, especially when it is written by an author new to me, because one of the most frequent reasons why I decide not to finish books is not enjoying the writing style.

Do you DNF books? Are you interested in doing this tag? Tell me in the comments!