Nancy Pearl, author of "Book Lust", and former librarian
Source: Christian Science Monitor interview with Nancy Pearl, Todd Crowell, 11 August 2005
Quote in context:
Pearl says she is a strong believer that no one should ever finish a book
they are not enjoying, no matter how popular or well reviewed it is. "Believe
me," she says, "nobody is going to earn any points for slogging their way
through a book they aren't enjoying but think they ought to read." She finishes
probably one book for every five she starts.
She expounds what she calls the "50 page" rule: If a book doesn't grab
you in the first 50 pages, put it down and try something else. Life is short,
and there are many books to read. (She often returns to finish books she set
aside. Reading enjoyment is as much a matter of the reader's mood as it is the
style and content of the book, she says.)
