I read an article in the Guardian today about a new British survey which highlights the disconnect between owning a book and actually finishing reading it.
Among the top unfinished books were DBC Pierre’s Vernon God Little, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and James Joyce’s Ulysses (you can see a complete listing of the top ten unfinished fiction and non-fiction titles from the survey, on the BBC website).
I’m certainly guilty (not that I really feel that guilty) of not finishing books, usually for one of the following reasons:
- I just can’t engage with that particular book at that particular time
- I get distracted by another book
- I just don’t read it fast enough and have to return it to the library (usually because of one of the other reasons listed above)
What intrigued me though was this comment from the Guardian article:
Fifty-five per cent of those polled for the survey, commissioned by Teletext, said they buy books for decoration, and have no intention of actually reading them.
Books for decoration? While I agree that books have a certain aesthetic pleasure, this kind of reminds me of Barbara Kruger and her ‘I shop therefore I am’ imagery. If you buy the ‘right’ book and display it, you can claim a particular type of identity.
9 Comments
March 13, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Hey Miss V!
I like the blog already…
I have to admit that I’m like those in the survey who buy books (usually secondhand) partially to own, but mostly because I’ve heard good or interesting things about them, and I want have them as the ‘work of art’ they may be and then be able to read them in my own time. I often get distracted before really getting into a book, and like the chance of being able to pick it up again later. I actually tend to finish more borrowed books (apart from Neuromancer… but I did give it another go last year and it was amazing), so, yeah, perhaps I should borrow more… Actually owning a book allows me to be too lazy.
Ulysses is a good example. I’d read lots about it, knew it was meant to be difficult, unusual and controversial, and finding all that intriguing, bought it a few years back (in that Sorrento second hand shop!) never intending to read it immediately. I had a cursory read of 10-20 pages, got a feel for a bit more of what it’s like. Now I am still curious, and know I will come back to it one day.
I actually picked up Conrad’s Heart of Darkness late last year, with similar inspiration (hearing that it was meant to be hard), and that drove me deep into it and by then I had to finish it. I guess it was also my curiosity of the parallels between the book and Apocalypse Now. It was well worth the read. But that doesn’t count for the discussion here, since it was my wife’s.
Then there was No Logo by Naomi Klein, which i started years ago, found it interesting, but too heavy, full of facts etc, probably picked something else up for ‘lighter reading’ and never got back into it. I often have 5-10 books on the go every few months, many never get finished. Now I’ve come back to No Logo and am really getting into it.
Similar story with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson – a fantastic novel that I just couldn’t concentrate on years ago, then totally loved last year. It’s mad.
And then there’s other bizarre books like Naked Lunch by William Burroughs, which I did force myself to get around half-way into, and i still really want to finish, but since that was years ago I’ll have to start all over again. Likewise with Brave New World and most of Irvine Welsh’s books.
I think I just enjoy having a range of books (and these days most of them are my wife’s) on shelves
to dabble in every now and then, similar to throwing a different CD on for a change. I just wish I could make more time to read and then actually finish books, but I’m so easily distracted.
Then on that last point, it doesn’t surprise me that some people buy them purely for decoration, because they also have that function (although I’ve had to hide some books I’ve owned over the years, like the Satanic Bible, which I bought purely out of curiosity, but imagine it wouldn’t necessarily go down that well with all guests – and it’s really crap by the way), but it seems a waste to not actually read them eventually… as long as they’re not by Rowling.
March 13, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Now that is really crazy – to buy books just for street cred! Yes, I am definitely guilty of buying books and not reading them, but I always intend to read them… Usually, I don’t finish them because:
(a) I have too many other books going on at the same time;
(b) I put the book down and forget where I put it;
(c) That bad baby won’t let me finish it; or
(d) I’m just not in the mood (usually, I’m not in the mood for existential angst or stories where everything is miserable. I just want an enjoyable read.)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was bad – far too long – I did finish it, but reluctantly. I didn’t bother to read the next one. Enough already. And I never even bothered with Ulysses – one look at the front page was enough.
March 13, 2007 at 8:15 pm
i don’t blame them. i forced myself to finish no.9 and totally regret it. there are just some books that suit my reading tastes and some don’t. that said, i often wish i would read the more famous classics to have a more “intellectual” image.
i might try to read no. 1, 4 and 6, if there aren’t other books to distract me…
http://sulz.daria.be
March 13, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Thanks Count! I also find that sometimes when I come back to a book the experience is different – I guess you have to be ‘ready’ to read it.
I’m the same LE, I always intend to finish the books that I buy or borrow, it just doesn’t always happen. As for Ulysses, S has a copy but I think it’s going to be on the shelf, gathering dust, for a while yet!
Hi Sulz, yes, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with not finishing a book if it’s not to your taste – why waste your time.
March 14, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Hi there! Like the blog. I forced myself to finish Ulysses. In retrospect it was NOT worth it. I’ll never get those hours of my life back afterall.
March 15, 2007 at 10:23 am
I used to feel guilty but now feel that life is TOO short to keep reading something you don’t like.
Buying books to look at… hmmmm…. I have to admit that I have bought second copies of old, pretty versions of classics to look better on my shelves.
March 15, 2007 at 11:09 am
Thanks Ms Make Tea, I think the only book more punishing would be Finnegans Wake.
Caroline, I must confess I like pretty versions too! If I’m buying a book and the shop has two versions, I’ll choose the nicer looking one.
March 16, 2007 at 11:29 am
Hey, nice blog – I found that statistic about not even intending to read books very interesting too. I wrote a few thoughts about it here (hope the link works).
March 23, 2007 at 8:25 pm
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