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Tracy Mumford

Do you finish books you don't like?

How do you decide when to close the covers?
How long do you stick with a book you don't love before calling it quits?
Getty Images | File 1955

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To finish or not to finish? That is the question.

If you don't like a book — if it bores you or turns you off or you just can't get into it — do you put it down or keep on going?

Today's Friday Roundtable digs into that question. What happens when you give up on a book? And what is it that makes you close the covers? Chime in on Twitter @TheThreadMPR, and tell us what you do in the poll below.

Stephanie Wilbur Ash, author of "The Annie Year," and R. Vincent Moniz Jr., writer and spoken word artist, joined me, with MPR News host Kerri Miller, to hash it out.

Personally, I'm a stubborn reader. I will hit that last page, even if it means racking up late fines at the library. Maybe I'm an optimist, hoping things will turn around before the end. Maybe I'm a glutton for literary punishment.

I get the argument for giving up. It's compelling: Life is short! Time is precious! Read what you love! But I will also say: Read things you're not sure you will like, every once in a while. Give weird books a chance.

And if you're someone who walks away when you don't love a book: When do you know? Do you give it until Page 20? 50? Halfway? What's your threshold? Let's talk.