I have an annoying need to finish a book once I've started it, no matter how bad, unreadable or uninteresting it may seem. Recently, 'Sanctus' by Simon Toyne fell into the first category, and Gabriel García Márquez's 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' fell into the second and third over a decade ago, and it still annoys me.

Just giving up on them would be a much better idea, and would allow me to start reading something I might actually like that much sooner. I can understand that - I just can't quite bring myself to do it.

But Tim Parks* advocates something even more radical and - frankly - disturbing.

Not finishing good books.

"Do we need to finish them? Is a good book by definition one that we did finish? Or are there occasions when we might choose to leave off a book before the end, or even only half way through, and nevertheless feel that it was good, even excellent, that we were glad we read what we read, but don’t feel the need to finish it? I ask the question because this is happening to me more and more often. Is it age, wisdom, senility? I start a book. I’m enjoying it thoroughly, and then the moment comes when I just know I’ve had enough. It’s not that I’ve stopped enjoying it. I’m not bored, I don’t even think it’s too long. I just have no desire to go on enjoying it."

Why Finish Books? - www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/mar/13/why-finish-books/

Generally, when I get to the end of a good book, I'm either happy that it's concluding in a good way (that's 'good' as in 'satisfying', since not all books have 'good' as in 'happy' endings), or else I wish it could just continue.

I don't ever recollect not wanting to finish a good book.

I think Mr Parks should get checked out for senility :-)

* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Parks