lee_ward54•7d agoProlific Poster

Ran into a guy at a library book sale who changed how I pick novels

I was at a library sale in Cleveland about 2 months ago, digging through a box of old paperbacks. A retired guy next to me said he quits most books by page 50 because life's too short for boring prose. He told me he used a 30 page rule: if a book doesn't grab him by then, he walks away no regrets. That stuck with me because I used to force myself to finish everything, even stuff I hated. Now I quit books after 30 pages too and it's saved me about 15 hours a month. Has anyone else tried a strict page limit like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

patricia_rodriguez7d ago

The 30 page rule is the only way I read now. I used to feel guilty about not finishing books, like I was missing out on some grand payoff. But honestly, life is way too short to slog through 400 pages of something that puts you to sleep. I give most novels about 20 pages now, if the writing style doesn't click or the story doesn't hook me, I'm out. It's not about being picky, it's about respecting your own time. Why suffer through bad prose when there are so many amazing books waiting?

daniel_rivera7d ago

Same pattern as people who quit shows after two episodes now.