How fast do you give up on a series?

Me and Terry Pratchett's Discworld definitely don't get along. But hey, at least now I know!

I tried to start with the first book in the series a few years ago, but was told that it's not the best starting point. I decided to read Guards! Guards! next and whilst I didn't dislike it, I simply didn't find it all that funny or original. I blogged about it here.

Since then I read Mort and Equal Rites. And now I can drop this series without feeling bad about it. I gave it a proper try. I'd say reading 4 books of a series I don't enjoy is almost trying too hard?

I preferred Mort to the other books. Death is a funny guy. But whilst Pratchett is witty and clever, I miss an actual story. The humour is what matters in these books, but I'm not that interested in humour. I'd like to read an actual story.

Usually I give a book about a hundred pages before giving up on it. I sometimes check Goodreads and Amazon for reviews and decide whether or not I should stick with it. With Pratchett there are so many fans that adore him that I thought I have to stick with it.

But in the end I think life is too short for us to try and spend our free time with books or TV or movies that we don't enjoy.

How do you decide how many books to read before giving up on a series? Or how many pages to read before giving up on a book?

I hope everyone's December is going well. I'm approaching my goal of reading 104 books. I've got eleven to go. And I'm working on my 2017 list! 

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

 

Book Title: Guards! Guards! (Discworld #8)
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥
Source: Library
Goodreads, Amazon UK 

Goodreads Summary: Here there be dragons . . . and the denizens of Ankh-Morpork wish one huge firebreather would return from whence it came. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of draco nobilis ("noble dragon" for those who don't understand italics) has appeared in Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all.)
Meanwhile, back at Unseen University, an ancient and long-forgotten volume--The Summoning of Dragons--is missing from the Library's shelves. To the rescue come Captain Vimes, Constable Carrot, and the rest of the Night Watch who, along with other brave citizens, risk everything, including a good roasting, to dethrone the flying monarch and restore order to Ankh-Morpork (before it's burned to a crisp).

What did I think? When Terry Pratchett died last year, I was, just like the rest of Britain, very sad. Because he's a legend and because Neil Gaiman loved him and I love Neil Gaiman. But at the back of my mind I knew, I'm not a Discworld fan. I enjoyed 'The Colour of Magic' but I didn't love it. Many people told me to start with 'Equal Rites' or maybe 'Mort'. Or 'Guards! Guards!' You'll love that one, they said.

I tried 'Good Omens' last year, the book he wrote with Neil Gaiman, thinking that should work for me, but it didn't either. I just didn't find it funny. Is something wrong with me?

This year I promised myself to read 'Mort', 'Equal Rites' and 'Guards! Guards!' before I make up my mind on whether or not to dive further into the Discworld novels. 

I'm sorry to say I didn't like 'Guards! Guards!'. Don't get me wrong. I can appreciate what Pratchett did here, which is why I'm giving it three stars. But it did not make me chuckle once, it did not entice me and I'm not interested in discovering more about the City Watch or Discworld.

I enjoyed the parodies of fantasy tropes, but at the same time I thought they were over the top. I didn't dislike the characters but I wasn't invested in them and to be honest the story more or less bored me. At least it was a quick and easy read.

I feel like I'm committing a crime... maybe this is the moment to admit, I don't like Monty Python either? I'll be over there in that corner. Sorry.