Abandoned books

Shelfari tells me I've read 32 books this year, and that I'm currently reading another 7. This is exactly the kind of thing I use Shelfari for. There are lots of book-related social networking sites. Too many, in fact, because there isn't yet a standard- the site that 'everyone' uses. (Monopolies aren't nice, but for social networking they're kind of necessary. Who wants to use a social networking site unless their friends are using it too?) I joined Shelfari for two reasons: it's an easy way to keep track of what I've read and am reading, and it allows me to put a lovely bookshelf on my blog.

The fact that I've read 32 books this year is good. I have a vague goal this year to read an average of a book a week, so 32 means I'm on track. (I'm slightly behind if you count the number of weeks exactly, but don't forget I have a thesis due at the end of October and will have lots of time for reading in November and December!)

The fact that I'm 'currently reading' 7 books is not so good. I've never been the kind of reader who worries about abandoning a book halfway through. If it's not interesting enough to keep me reading, then I'm quite happy to move on to something else and forget I ever started it. What's concerning is that these 7 books don't fit that description. They're all good books, and I intended to finish them.

Here they are:

• Magician by Raymond Feist- I. will. read. this. I've been meaning to get round to it for years. I've only just started, so there's hope yet.
• Would You Eat Your Cat by Jeremy Stangroom- a great intro to philosophy ethics. This one I'm reading section by section.
• 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction by Rebecca Goldstein- an engaging novel involving the world of academia I hope to get myself into. It just doesn't have the "What happens next??" factor.
• The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud- I loved the first book in the series, The Amulet of Samarkand, but I should have taken the hint when it took me over a year to get onto the second book. I'm just not interested enough.
• Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner- I adore this book! Why on Earth haven't I finished it!?
• Do Travel Writers Go To Hell? by Thomas B. Khonstamm- the premise of the book is engaging, but the prose is about as sparkling as you might expect from a travel writer (i.e. not at all), so I may give up on this one.
• The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell- This book is brilliant! I will get on to 20th Century philosophy one day, I swear!

So, the boiled-down analysis of what makes me stop reading a book? Either it's divided into sections, in which case I've read whole sections and simply failed to read others, or the plot simply hasn't captured enough interest. I just don't feel the need to discover what is on the next page.