Is it rude to not finish a book club choice that was selected by someone else?

Would you join a tennis club and not play tennis? You’ve made a joint agreement that you’ll meet to read books you’ve all chosen individually. I couldn’t be bothered with people turning up and not participating. But you do you.

Lots of people join tennis clubs as social members. I met my OH at my tennis club, I was a keen playing member, he was a social member tbh I doubt he could have even scored a game let alone play one. He did , however, contribute in lots of non playing roles and when we bought a house together we bought one that backed onto the tennis club so I had my own gate through to the club. Our present house has it's own tennis court, he still doesn't play!

It would be the wrong book club for me if it was considered rude for me not to finish a book. Real life or tiredness often gets in the way and I absolutely reserve the right to discontinue a text I find offensive. If people are offended then I am afraid that's their problem.

One person in a book club I go to will quite often announce that she won’t be participating some months because she doesn’t fancy someone’s choice. I find this quite rude especially as she is very keen to offer her own choices. She is American so perhaps it is cultural crossed wires.

No

Usedtobeblonde I watched the film of that book and it was very good. Not read the book.

A friend I go walking with belongs to a book group, and on one of our walks, she regaled me with the latest offering, Where The Crawdads Sing.

It sounded dreadful.

Made me glad I didn’t belong.

Just be honest. You tried it and didn't enjoy so didn't finish it. If they take umbrage that is not your problem.

This is why I have never joined a book club. The only one I was ever invited to was the most boring evening ever, and I pretended I had read the book just by reading a few pages.
The woman chairing wasn't interested in anyone else's opinion anyway...

Bookclubs are surely meant to be fun - I can't imagine being afraid to voice my opinion in our small bookclub, whether it be that I just didn't like a book and chose not to finish it or because I ran out of time. Nobody cares in the grand scheme of things.

Life is too short to read books you are not enjoying. I would say that you found it too violent and stopped reading it because of that. Not everyone likes every book they choose.
Just be honest.

I think as long as you've started the book and given it a reasonable go, then it's not at all rude. However if you just read the blurb and think 'Ugh that's not for me' You may be doing yourself and the book a disservice. Lately I was given two books to read that I would never in a million years have chosen and yet I'm so glad I read them, and sometimes I've chosen my own book , and then found out I hated it ! So as long as you've given it a go, then it's perfectly ok to say you're not liking it.

Be honest and be prepared to justify your opions. But also single out some good points

I woukdnt read a book i couldn't get in to.

Rocketstop2

I think as long as you've started the book and given it a reasonable go, then it's not at all rude. However if you just read the blurb and think 'Ugh that's not for me' You may be doing yourself and the book a disservice. Lately I was given two books to read that I would never in a million years have chosen and yet I'm so glad I read them, and sometimes I've chosen my own book , and then found out I hated it ! So as long as you've given it a go, then it's perfectly ok to say you're not liking it.

That is so true . The very first book chosen in my club was a book I would never have chosen. I struggled a bit at the beginning, but after that I really enjoyed it. Most of the others said the same thing. And it was a book we spent ages talking about .
It was Geek Love by Katherine Dunn.

No, I wouldn't consider it rude. You gave it a try, and found the violence overwhelming, so stopped reading. I'm sure you can still participate in a discussion about the book, and you might find the other's thought about it provoking.

I belong to a book group going into 15 years now, and several times we have someone who couldn't finish a book. Their reasons became an active part of the discussion. Also, the person who suggested the book should take no offense, since we all have different taste!

One of our funniest memories as a group was the weekend we planned away at a fairly remote cabin resort. We had a lovely time, and on the second night which we designated for book group, we found that none of us had finished the book! Tar Baby by Toni Morrison - it was very highly rated, but none of us could get through it. We left all 7 copies on the bookshelf in the cabin. Hopefully future vacationers found it more inviting.

i love books or should i say e books, i read about 3 a week (problems sleeping), i have so many books in my kindle that i read the first four chapters and if i am not enjoying it i stop, as someone else pointed out life is too short, i dislike books that take 5/6 pages to say something they could do in 2. i do look at the reviews on amazon as i think they tend to be honest, i was asked to join a book club but said no as most of the books i had heard the other people talking about were not my type of books, i think you have to be honest and say it was a bit too violent for you, i dislike horror books but like things about witches and supernatural that i read inbetween some of the other heavier thriller books.

I couldn't read a book I wasn't enjoying. I regularly have to pass on books in my book club because I find them boring or a faux history romance. By the same token people pass up books that I select because they are not their preferred type. Life is too short to read a book you do not like.

Having been told by the leader of a book club that I must like a particular book that she liked I decided not to join .
As the months rolled by -I heard numerous negative comments about it and was glad .
But some book clubs must be great or they wouldn't endure.
In theory ,it's better to be honest and in reality -we are often far too polite to be honest !
When I was in hospital a friend brought me a Mills and Boon book.
Oh thank you it's great ,I lied.
Back home and resting ,she visited with I think every title ever produced by them .

This is why I gave up on book clubs - I finished up reading so many books that I did not enjoy and decided life was just too short for that!

I’d always start the reading group choice, because some of the books I’ve enjoyed most have been from my group, suggested by someone else and ones that I would never in a million years have picked for myself. That’s one of the joys of a book club to me, as well as the laughs, gossip, wine and snacks of course! It takes me out of my comfort zone and introduces me to new genres and authors. If I really didn’t like a book though after giving it a fair go I wouldn’t persevere, and certainly none of the members of my reading group would be bothered in the least about that.

Sometimes not finishing a book and being honest with the group about that makes for an interesting part of the whole discussion.

I had no idea that some people would even consider this to be rude. It's not rude at all