Nancy Pearl, local — and national — celebrity, is the first person who I heard refer to the “50 page rule.” If you pick up a book, either at someone’s recommendation or through your own devices, it’s OK not to finish it, but try to get through 50 pages before deciding. A good idea: if the author doesn’t hook you right away, give them a chance, but don’t feel obligated to slog through the whole thing.
Freakonomics passes the test. I read the first 50 pages as soon as I sat down to see what it was like. Informative and fun. There’s been a lot written about it, but it’s worth a first-person experience.
So I finished it later that night. Highly recommended.