DNF - What is it?

Earlier this week, I was browsing around the net, reading different book review sites. In reading a book review policy I came across the letters, DNF. I wondered what it meant as the policy didn't give much explanation. It was assumed that the reader/author knows what DNF meant. This goes to show how much more I have to learn in the literary world - Challenge Accepted.

I did a quick Google search on the letters and several results came up. From quickly perusing the results, I got the gist of what DNF meant - Did Not Finish. As in Did Not Finish a book.

Later on in the week, I came across a review for a book that was considered DNF. I read the review and wondered about it. I won't go into details about the review, since bashing someone else's review is not my thing though it certainly gave me food for thought.

So, the question is should a DNF book be reviewed or not? I have mixed thoughts on this. See, before I learned of the term, DNF, I myself had reviewed a book that I Did Not Finish (you can read the review here). Why did I review it even though I didn't finish the book? Simply put the book wasn't for me. That's not the say the book was bad. My review of the book was not negative. I just was not the intended audience. While I struggled on whether or not to review it, I went ahead and did one since I knew the review was not going to be a negative one but an honest one.

Now if I Did Not Finish a book because I didn't like it for whatever reason and I know in my heart I won't be able to do a negative yet constructive review, I won't review it. I'll let the author know.

So, my answer to my initial question is two fold - yes, I would review a DNF book but only if the book just wasn't for me and I knew that making it to the end would not benefit me in no way; and no, I won't review a DNF book if I didn't like it thus creating a negative review.

There are always two sides to a coin (and sometimes another dimension) that explains things. I've learned that reviews are subjective. No matter what, people are going to give their opinions and almost all opinions will vary.

What are your thoughts on reviewing DNF books?

D.