Anyone who knows me personally can attest to a simple fact; I am rarely seen without a book with me. Friends often joke that I don’t merely read books; I devour them with an insatiable appetite. Yet, there are still days when the novel tucked in my bag remains unopened. Typically, when I turn the last page of a book, I promptly swap it for the next, dutifully logging it as “finished” on my tracking apps. But occasionally, a story halts me in my tracks, making it impossible to pick up something new the moment I reach “The End.” These are the rare works that leave me wondering: do we ever truly finish books, or do we simply stop reading?
Does it really finish?
Mind you, I am not referring to dense, heavily researched non-fiction volumes or weighty philosophical tomes. Fiction possesses a unique power to send the mind wandering down unexpected trails. It doesn’t always take an entire novel or even a short story; sometimes, a single, beautifully crafted sentence is enough to spark a profound train of thought. While immersed in Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, my mind snagged on a poignant observation by Hwang Boreum:
“Despite falling short of the expectations, could a book, if enjoyed, be considered a good read?”
The story didn’t end on that particular thought, yet the sentiment lingered, sending my mind on a retrospective hunt for books that defied my expectations but still brought me immense joy. I’ve found myself dwelling on these titles for quite some time, even as I’ve moved on to dozens of other reads.
जांभळाचे दिवस by Vyankatesh Madgulkar, माणसे: अरभाट आणि चिल्लर by G. A. Kulkarni, the evocative poetry of Indira Sant, B. B. Borkar, Vaibhav Joshi, and Guru Thakur, The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin, and Ladies’ Tailor by Priya Hajela – these are the works that make me question the finality of the last page. Do we actually finish them, or do we just stop reading, allowing the narrative to echo quietly in our subconscious?
I’d love to hear from you: do you have any books like this? Stories where you feel you simply stopped reading, rather than truly finishing them?
This post is a part of Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026.
To read more about books, click here.
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