I’m a huge reader. #facts
“Bookworm” is an acceptable term, but I feel like “book dragon” is more appropriate. Worms are slow, sluggish little creatures with tiny mouths and slooooooow digestive systems. Dragons devour. Chomp, slurp, gulp. Done.
Yeah, book dragon is sounding better all the time.
Raise your hand if you’re with me. 🙋♀️
But I feel like there are some things that need to be said about reading. While awesome and fantastic and amazing . . . I just feel the need to reiterate some things to my fellow book nerds.
So here we go.
It’s okay to DNF.
I feel like this one shouldn’t have to be said. But *inhales* IT’S OKAY TO DNF A BOOOOOOK!!!!
*Clears throat*
Yeah.
There are multiple reasons to DNF (Did-Not-Finish) a book. The plot crawled along slow enough to make your attention span pull its hair out, the characters were ridiculous or about as relatable as tofu, or you just read, cringed, closed the book, and couldn’t pick it back up again.
Hey. Guess what.
That’s okay.
Especially if you’re like me. *Hides*
If you’re like me, when you open a book, flip open to the first page, and start reading, you’ve just committed yourself to 300-plus pages of story. For a person with roughly two hundred and six competitive bones in their body, that’s a challenge I’m not readily willing to let go of.
But I will if so driven.
And you should too! Seriously, if this book just ain’t happening, close it. Set it down. Put it away. It’s okay. I’m giving you permission to DNF a book.
It’s okay to not read a popular book if it goes against your beliefs.
I get it. There are so many cool-looking books out there that I would just DIE to get my hands on . . . if they didn’t have appalling profanity or inappropriate content or degrading family values or or or—the list is endless. *Slumps to the floor in an ungraceful heap*
But that’s okay, and I’m good with that.
I’m not about to purposely read something that I know in my heart is wrong.
And you shouldn’t either. I know, it’s an amazing cover. Yeah, the fan art from this fandom is out of this world. True, it’s got the most complex plot points and vast array of characters since WWII.
You’ll get over it.
Why? ‘Cause we’ve got more reason not to read it.
Let me put it this way: Would this be a book you’d be okay reading with Jesus?
‘Cause He’s right there next to you.
It’s okay to come back to a book.
It is! Not DNFing a book, but setting it aside. Coming back to it in a different season.
Can we talk about this for a second, please?
Thanks.
I think we can all agree that we are not the same people we were five years ago. Nor will we be the same people in five years to come. We change. I think it’s called living life.
I did not read the books I do today five years ago. Nor will I probably read now what I will in five more to come. Changing tastes in books aside, our maturity levels grow (well, for some of us at least 👀), as do our outlook and knowledge about the world around us.
Some topics and triggers are simply too much for some of us in this stage in life. Some things, especially for our younger and more sensitive readers, simply do not need to be read. At least for now. (If you’re a younger reader and simply can’t understand why your parents or guardians aren’t letting you read a more mature/adult book, believe me, we have our reasons. There are just some things you do not need to be exposed to, at least not for a little while. 😉)
Does this mean setting aside a book that’s particularly triggering for you and chucking it in the DNF pile? Not necessarily. Putting a book/series aside for a later date does not qualify as “That’s it, I’m done. It’s going in the failure pile.” It can simply mean “I’m not ready for this right now.”
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
I hope this was encouraging! Please share this if you know of someone who needs to hear these reminders. (And, hey. We’re human. We make mistakes. It’s a good thing we serve such a merciful and generous Lord, am I right? Or else we’d all be in trouble with a capital T-R-O-U-B-L-E. If this post stirred your heart, I want to encourage you to give it to the Lord. He wants it, you know. He really does.)
Did I miss a point that you think is important to readers? Make sure to let me know! I always love hearing from you guys. 😁
Catch ya on the flip side!
_Mac 🤎