Have you ever felt trapped by a book? Maybe the pace is torturously slow. The writing could be too flowery or too watered down. Sometimes, the story is plain old boring. Whatever the reason, you and your reading material are not clicking. It happens. At what point do you call it quits?
My rule of thumb...
Keep reading until the 100th page. If it still sucks, say goodbye and move on.
Since it takes about a hundred pages for a story to properly build up and begin revealing its true colors, The 100 Page Rule reminds you not to jump ship prematurely. On the flip side, if you still can't stand the book come page one-oh-one, you're completely let off the hook!
The Rule changed my reading habits. As an avid reader with a touch of OCD, I've doggedly forced my way through MANY books I wasn't enjoying, hoping for a plot twist to turn things around, or simply wanting to cross the finish line and be done with it forever.
Now, my approach is much more relaxed. I'm only committed to a few chapters from the outset, so I feel less impatient or annoyed when a story is slow to start, because I've already decided to not push myself past the hundredth page if the book is a pain. This practice has actually made me a much more optimistic reader! It's happened where things pick up around page 90 and the story ultimately becomes a new favorite. You never know!
In a perfect world, every book you crack open will be AH-mazing from the first paragraph. But when that isn't the case -- and it so very often isn't -- challenge yourself to a few dozen pages and see what happens.
TBH, I just put The Rule to the test with the latest book I'm reading. My attention was definitely starting to wane, but now I'm glad I stuck it out :)
Are there books you really struggled to enjoy at first, but ended up loving? I'm happy to trade notes!
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