A Love Letter to the Books You Never Finished

 Let's be honest. We all have them. The books we started with the best intentions, only to abandon them for reasons both good and bad. Maybe it was the clunky prose, a plot that just wouldn't get moving, or the simple fact that life got in the way. But I’m here to argue that these books are not a mark of failure; they are a testament to your reading life.

Think of them as literary ex-lovers.

You met, you got to know each other for a while, and for whatever reason, it just didn't work out. But that doesn't mean the time you spent together wasn't valuable.

The Book That Was "Right Book, Wrong Time"

This is a classic. You picked up a dense historical fiction novel or a mind-bending piece of philosophy, and you were genuinely interested. But maybe you were going through a stressful period at work, or you had a million other things on your mind. You read a chapter or two, put it down, and never got back to it. This book is still waiting for you. It's not a rejection; it's a rain check. When you're in a different headspace, you might just find that it's the perfect story for you.

The One That Was "Just Not My Type"

Sometimes, you just don't click with a book. You hear a great review, a friend recommends it, or it wins a prestigious award, so you give it a shot. But after 50 pages, you realize the writing style isn't for you, the characters are annoying, or the genre is just not what you're in the mood for. And that's okay! DNF (Did Not Finish) is not a judgment on the book; it's a better understanding of yourself as a reader. Knowing what you don't like is just as important as knowing what you do.

The Book That Made You Fall in Love with a New Book

This is my favorite type of abandoned book. You’re reading something that's only okay, and it makes you crave something completely different. Maybe a boring plot inspires you to pick up a fast-paced thriller, or a heavy topic makes you long for a lighthearted fantasy. The book you didn't finish served a purpose: it led you to the one you actually needed. It's the literary equivalent of a stepping stone.

So, the next time you look at that half-read book on your nightstand, don't feel guilty. Instead, celebrate it. It’s part of the journey. It's a reminder of what you've learned about yourself as a reader and the many stories still waiting for you. The books we finish are a testament to our tastes, but the books we don't are a story all their own.