How I (Finally) Learned To Be Okay With DNFing Books

I'm a long-Covid survivor. The first time I had Covid was in late 2022, and it did a number on pretty much everything in my body, especially my nervous system.

I'm thankfully in much better shape now than I was back then (a combination of time and being fortunate enough to have a care team that's not only knowledgeable and invested in understanding the long-term impacts of Covid but also believes me). However, there are still lingering symptoms and things that are taking longer to return to a semblance of normalcy.

As an example, water still tastes like nail polish remover most days...

One of the things that has finally come back this year is being able to read.

No, Covid didn't make me illiterate. It did, however, make it harder for me to read.

Brain-fog made it difficult to recall what had happened just a few chapters or even pages before, and it would take me longer to finish a book because I wasn't processing the text as quickly as I'd been able to pre-Covid.

In conversations with my care team, we've been discussing the possibility that Covid essentially feeds off of what you've already got going on, and that likely brought previously underlying, mild ADHD into full-fledged force and made it almost suddenly tough to focus for extended lengths of time. As you might expect, this took a massive toll on my mental health; books are a core part of who I am, so not being able to read only worsened the blow of not having the answers as to why I suddenly didn't feel comfortable in my body or how to fix it.

It's taken a lot of time and effort to rebuild what I've dubbed a "reading tolerance," and it feels like I've reclaimed a long-lost piece of myself. I've read significantly more books in 2025 than in recent years, but that also means there have been more books that I've ended up DNFing along the way.

For the uninitiated, DNF stands for Did Not Finish. It's used when a reader decides to put a book down and start something else.

DNFs are common enough. No book will be a perfect fit for every reader who picks it up. A reader may DNF for any number of reasons. It's totally normal.

But up until recently, I struggled with DNFing books. That ingrained ideology of "winners never quit" and "finish what you started" made me resistant to moving on from a book I wasn't enjoying. Not too far off from the sunk-cost fallacy, because maybe it'll get good or I've already read a hundred-some-odd pages of this book so what's another two hundred, and oh yeah I spent money on this book so I need to finish it so that money didn't go to waste.

There's also the fact that I'm a writer. I understand how much effort goes into writing and publishing a book. To DNF a book seemed especially wrong because of that. I'd often feel guilty over it.

Even now, it can take me a full week of deliberation to actually DNF.

I've DNFed roughly 25%-30% of the books I've started this year, and it's gotten easier over time. Part of that has to do with a change of mindset.

Here are some of the things that have allowed me to finally learn to be okay with DNFing books...

Life's Too Short For That Shit

Let's start with the most obvious one: life is too damn short to read books you don't like.

Reading is meant to be enjoyable. We read to discover things about ourselves and the world around us. To go on adventures that would otherwise be beyond our reach. To find comfort or challenge ourselves. To feel things.

But it's also an investment of your time.

If you're not having a good time or feeling completely apathetic towards a book, you don't have to stick with it.

Think of it like buying a pint of ice cream. If your favorite flavor is chocolate, you'll likely get chocolate, but there's nothing to prohibit you from trying pistachio. You might love it, or you might come to realize it was a huge mistake after a few bites. That doesn't mean you have to scoff down the rest of the pistachio and convince yourself that it's the ice cream god's gift to mankind. You can just toss it or hand it off to your friend who might like it more than you did.

And maybe treat yourself to some chocolate ice cream after the fact.

Reading outside of your usual area can introduce you to things you didn't expect to love, but it doesn't always work out. There's no shame in giving it a try and deciding it's not your cup of tea, and instead seeking out something closer to your taste.

Similarly, that chocolate ice cream fan might decide to try a variation on their tried-and-true flavor, say, a chocolate ice cream with popcorn-flavored toffee bits and gummy bears. Maybe they love gummy bears in general but don't love the gummy bears with the chocolate, yet they find that the popcorn toffee pairs surprisingly well with chocolate and are willing to try it in other flavors.

(You might be raising your eyebrows but take it from someone who snuck many samples of Godiva's milk chocolate popcorn bar when she worked there, trust me, it's an amazing combo.)

You may feel inclined to DNF books within your favorite genres because they don't suit you. It could be because a trope you typically love is falling flat in that particular story, or it might be the opposite, and you end up enjoying a trope you normally don't, and you'd be up to read other books that feature it. Maybe the love interest in a romance novel doesn't leave you swooning like you expected, or the magic system in a fantasy novel is too convoluted for you to digest. The book could be from an author you've enjoyed reading in the past, but their latest book isn't gripping you the same way.

Whatever the case may be, you don't have to read on if it's not your vibe. You don't even need a specific reason to DNF, really. A book might not be for you, and that's all there is to it. Hitting pause on a book that's not your vibe clears the way for books you'll fall head-over-heels in love with.

There are exceptions, like reading assignments for class, but in general, it's worthwhile to remember that you have free will and a limited time on this floating space rock. Read what you want. Have no shame in DNFing.

Free Little Libraries

Another reason I've been hesitant to DNF books is that I don't have much else to do with them. A DNFed physical book can feel like clutter taking up space, whereas a book I did finish reading could be viewed more like a trophy of some ilk.

This summer, I did a lot of downsizing, and let me tell you, there were more DNFs in my collection than I realized. Similarly, there were plenty of books I'd finished but didn't plan to read again (three stars and under). But I didn't really have anything to do with them; it's not like an old pair of jeans you can upcycle into a tote bag. I love the rebinding videos I've seen going around lately, but I'd rather do that with a book I loved reading and would want to keep in my collection. These books were just taking up space.

Thankfully, I'm finally seeing Free Little Libraries popping up in my region. I had to go to physical therapy earlier this year for an injury, and seeing the Free Little Library in their lobby was the green light I needed to DNF the book I was at that point spite-reading. I dropped it off at my following appointment and picked out something I enjoyed more.

Bouncing off that pistachio ice cream example from earlier, that book may not have been for me, but it may be a great fit for another reader out there. Free Little Libraries have become an avenue to possibly help a book that I didn't love find its ideal reader.

Kindle Reads

eBooks make reading more accessible. Some readers may have impairments that make holding a physical book or turning pages difficult. They allow you to adjust the font and text size or text-to-speech for users with visual disabilities.

In many cases, they're also less expensive than a physical copy, making them a great option for readers on a budget. Kindles are nice, but you don't have to get a specific device to read your eBooks on; I have the Kindle app downloaded on my phone and a Samsung tablet and can access my library that way, no problem (by the way, if have a reading app on your phone or tablet, I 100% recommend getting a matte screen protector).

One of my major hangups when it came to DNFing a book was that I'd spent money on it. As someone who didn't have a lot of money growing up and makes only a smidge above minimum wage currently, the cost of a brand-new book is a factor that

1. makes me love secondhand bookstores all the more

2. often leads to me putting books on my TBR rather than directly into my shopping cart

so eBooks have become my primary reading method as of late. On a Covid-related tangent, they were also easier for me to read when my symptoms were at their worst.

Knowing that I didn't spend as much on a book makes it easier for me to DNF it in the event it's not what I anticipated. My brain often boils it down to "throwing away" $3 vs $25+. There's still a tinge of that sunk-cost fallacy mentality, but it's not as severe when it's an eBook.

No, DNFing Will NOT Hurt The Author's Feelings

As a writer, I feel like I read differently than non-writers do. I have a habit of analysing an author's writing style or how they're approaching a familiar trope and other elements of storytelling. It's important to learn from fellow writers, especially within your genre, to understand how to write and what makes a story work for you as a reader, and my writer brain is always seeking out ways to improve my own writing.

On the flip side, I know how hard it is not only to finish writing a book but to publish it—especially in traditional publishing. All of the work that goes into it, all of the nuances that a reader may not be aware of. Having that awareness would leave me feeling guilty for not finishing a book I started or like the author would be offended.

That last bit is admittedly flawed logic.

Here's the thing: I wasn't going to tell any particular author that I didn't finish their book or that I didn't like it. For one thing, it's a commonly agreed-upon rule in the bookish community that you don't tag authors in reviews, especially negative ones. That, and it's just not my nature. I'm the kind of person who will nod and say the pasta I've been served is wonderful, even if it's undercooked fettuccine when I ordered angel hair.

Unless the sauce is wrong because thanks to Covid I gag on tomatoes and can usually only handle white sauces, and I will apologize profusely because I will feel like I am the problem in that scenario...

DNFs happen. Just as bad reviews happen.

It can be a tough lesson for a writer to learn, but learn it we must. It's part of the business.

DNFing will probably not offend the author (unless they're targeting the author for things outside of the book). The author in question will not seek me out to berate me for DNFing—especially if we've never interacted. It can definitely feel a little different if you're running in the same circles IRL or on social media, but they ideally won't take it as a personal dishonor against themselves, their family, or even their cow.

They don't have to know you DNFed. And if they found out, it wouldn't be a catastrophic world-ending event. It may not be what they want to hear, but it's shouldn't take the wind out of their sails for too long. You don't owe them a finished read, just as you don't owe them a 5-star review. Taste is subjective.

At the end of the day, writers write because they want readers to enjoy their books. They aren't aiming to write books that are slogs to get through or books that they'd want readers to feel guilty for not finishing. I know I wouldn't wish that upon my future readers.

And more likely than not, those authors are also readers who DNF from time to time, too. Realizing this, separating myself from this parasocial relationship I'd unintentionally cultivated in the back of my mind, has helped me become comfortable with DNFing.

Peer Reviews: When It's Not Just You Feeling Some Type Of Way

Some readers will look at reviews before trying a book. Me? I usually don't.

Reviews for me tend to be something I'll look at after the fact, if I choose to at all. Like an online book club chat. I love seeing if others felt the same way I did and discovering conclusions I might not have drawn in my own reading.

Unless I'm feeling like I want to DNF.

When I'm not as into a book as I'd hoped, I have a habit of checking out its reviews. For one thing, it's a way to see if things will pick up if I press on for a while longer. Second, it's reassuring to know that it's not just me who's not loving the read.

Seeing comments that mirror my own thoughts about things like the pacing feeling off or being icked out by a love interest validates them, which in turn makes me feel less singled out if I DNF. Not necessarily peer pressure, but rather, peer support.

I've noticed I'll start looking at reviews a few days into that deliberation I mentioned earlier, but I've learned to take that search for reviews as an indication to bite the bullet and DNF. I feel like I'll eventually grow out of this, but for now, it's nice to have that gentle, consolatory nudge.

You Can Always Come Back To It

DNFing isn't permanent. There's no law that says you can never pick up a book you DNFed or that you can't give it another shot.

Maybe the book isn't right for you right now. Take Forever Amber as an example. I made it close to halfway through and was loving it, but there was something about reading about the Black Plague and folks evacuating the city while I myself was in a pandemic lockdown that struck a weird nerve and prompted me to put it aside. At this point, I'll likely start it from the beginning because it's been so long but I do plan to finish it.

Even if it's a book you aren't liking right now, it could just be an acquired taste that you don't have yet. Wouldn't it be better to DNF it now and come back when you might enjoy it more than to force yourself to finish it and possibly not enjoy it at all?

A lot of the books I've DNFed this year were ones I tried to stick with because there were qualities I did like, such as the writing style or its plot, but there were elements that didn't work for me. I'd be up for giving them another shot in the future, and knowing that has made it easier for me to move on to something I'll enjoy reading in the here and now.

Readers don't pick up books anticipating DNFing them. We choose the books that sound like they'll be a great fit for our unique tastes. When that's not the case, we shouldn't feel obligated to see it through.

Giving myself the freedom to DNF books has been life-changing, frankly, though it wasn't an overnight realization. I'm still reluctant to DNF, often giving a book until roughly sixty pages to even thirty percent through before I'll even think about calling it.

I'm planning to explore the specific reasons I DNFed books this year, so keep your eyes peeled for that in the coming weeks. But until then, let me know in the comments: how quickly do you DNF a book you're not vibing with? What are some of the reasons you've DNFed in the past? Have you ever felt guilty about it? Tell me everything!