Such is Life

I went to sleep with a massive headache last night. And since I'm pregnant I can only take Tylenol, which seems to have disappeared. All I could find in the medicine cabinet was ibuprofen, which is the only pain reliever that works for the husband. Thank goodness it went away on its own.

Last night was the mid-season finale of Once Upon a Time. If you haven't seen it yet, don't worry, this is a spoiler free post. But I will say that the ending left my mouth agape and my heart heavy. It was good, one of the best episodes this season if not the best, but the twist at the end wasn't really to my taste. That doesn't mean I'm giving up on the series, I'll just be hoping for something to happen that might not. And of course the turmoil I felt made its ways into my dreams. I kept making the ending the way I wanted it, instead of how the writers wrote it. Even though I wasn't happy with what took place, I have to keep reminding myself that not everything will go the way you want it to.

This got me wondering, what makes someone give up on a series, whether television or book. I'm one of those people that finds it increasingly difficult to leave a series the more I get invested in it, even if I'm unhappy with the direction it takes. I can't seem to give up hope. The one show I left this season was Terra Nova, and that was because I wanted more kick a$$ dinosaur time, which the show was lacking. And the storylines were the kind that made your eyes roll and grumble, 'been there, done that'.

When I tried to remember a book series I'd given up, I couldn't come up with anything. There were a few instances where I felt like I wanted to shove the book away underneath a couch cushion, but I didn't stop reading the series. Even when Richelle Mead threw that bombshell in during book three of the Vampire Academy series, I couldn't stop reading. But that's because she's a master storyteller and knows how to keep you wanting more. I can think of maybe one recent series that I *might* be giving up, but I'm not sure yet (no, I won't be divulging the name). I think as a reader (or tv viewer) we get invested in the lives of the characters. It's what makes you keep coming back. For some reason I find it much easier to give up a show than a book, because really, I don't feel like investing hours on end to a tv series that is around 20 episodes long and lasts for who knows how many seasons. At least with books, we know that sooner or a later there will come an end. And it won't take hundreds of books to get there (well, it might, but I've never read a series over seven books long). Reading is more of my passion than watching television. I'll give up my favorite show to pick up the newest book by my favorite author any day. But that's just me.

What about you guys. Was there a time when you gave up on a book series, or television series. YOu don't have to be specific if you don't want to be. But I'm curious as what the final straw was. Whether it be the increasing number of loose plot holes, or characters that got to be way too annoying, or maybe you weren't satisfied with the direction the story had taken. What was it that made you go 'eh, I'm done.'