Guys, we all knew this day would come.

Those of us guilty of a certain thing, a thing we think no one will have to know about, always feared being called out on it. Now it’s happened.

We want to be more ‘well-read.’ Maybe it was even a New Year’s resolution at some point to read more books.

Well… we tried?

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When it feels like a slog, when we read the same paragraph three times and keep zoning out, when we read the same paragraph three times and keep zoning out, when we read the same paragraph three times and keep zoning out (okay, I’m done with the joke), at some point we realize…I’m never finishing this book.
And there it sits.

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Like a testament to our shortcomings, mocking us from the nightstand for months. Maybe a year.

All the while lying to ourselves that we’ll get back to it.

Part of me is still telling myself I’ll eventually pick certain books back up, but… meh.

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Well, they’re on to us.

A survey was done by Preply which asked Americans about their habits regarding not finishing books, and even went so far as to find which books in which parts of the country people are abandoning partway through the most.

Now to make us feel like total losers wouldn’t you know it, the book most commonly abandoned in New Jersey is “Night” by Elie Wiesel, the autobiographical story of a young boy in a German concentration camp in World War II.

'Night' by Elie Wisel via Amazon
'Night' by Elie Wisel via Amazon
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Could we feel any lower? We couldn’t have given up on a Twilight book instead?
As far as how common it is for us New Jersey readers to give up on a book halfway through, well, it’s not pretty.

New Jersey is in the Top 10 for quitting reading books

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Assigned an ‘unfinished book score’, we came in number nine with a score of 63.17.

To give some perspective the worst score was a 99.63 and belonged to Mississippi which took first place. (But aren’t we just impressed they could read the first half?)

Then there’s the Golden Children of Idaho, where they finish more books than anyone and have a low score of 34.32.

For the nation as a whole, the type of book we’re most likely not to finish is non-fiction. The genre most often finished is horror.

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One last thing. This is too funny to not share. Coming in third for the most unfinished book in the nation is “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

*Alanis Morrisette voice* A little too ironic!
But you know what? It’s okay, New Jersey! It’s not easy living here, and we’re busy busting our butts just to pay taxes. We’re too tired to read sometimes.

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And hey, you made it to the end of this article. You rock!

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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.
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