I have a friend who reads the last page of a book before she starts the beginning, because she can't stand the suspense of not knowing how the end turns out. When she told me this, I was dumbfounded and mystified. So now I need to know--which of us is the strange one, here? I have never even considered reading the end of a book until I get to the end, much less be tempted to do so before I start. I hate not knowing the context and I think it would ruin the entire book for me. My friend says that she always reads the end, because if it isn't going to end happy why waste time reading the book?
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Whaaaaaa? She sounds like a total freak for sure. Who would do that?
ReplyDeletePosting at 2AM? What is keeping you up so late?
ReplyDeleteI can't believe people do that. Who cares about the end if you don't know and love the caracters.
ReplyDeleteI read some where about Mary Ellen Edmunds taping her favorite football games. She only watches it if her team wins. That way as she is watching the game, and bad things happen, she can yell at the screen, keep going, it is all going to work out in the end! But I am with you I think this spoils that whole experience. I love the suspense, heart pounding thrill of watching/reading something that looks pretty bad and ends up good. Of course it doesn't always end up good.
ReplyDeleteI can share your friend's sentiment that who wants to invest time in something that is just going to bring you down. On the other hand, some would argue that dissapointment and learning to deal with it, is a part of life. I suppose that could be true. I would argue that life gives us enough despair and disappointment with out having to add to our plate on purpose by reading sad books or BYU footballs games where the Cougs loose. I would be the first to say I have a warped perception right now. Maybe a year from now I will feel differently.
So even though I have never read the back of the book, I may start to weed out sad things from my life.
Wow how was that for talking myself out of my original opinion.
sometimes I really want to read the end first actually but I usually don't. I've done it before though, but in a really good book like the twilight ones I can't stand to read the end first cause in my opinion, it's not worth reading the book if you already know the end, right?
ReplyDeleteSometimes I will skip a few pages ahead and just skim but never, ever read the end first! I love the surprise!
ReplyDeleteI used to do that (even in my 20s) but I haven't in aeons. I will say that a book I read recently had me wanting to read the last chapter to know one specific detail. As it was I finished it in one sitting just to get to the end and find that out. And it wasn't Twilight ;) But it did have a demon hunting soccer-mom.
ReplyDeleteOkay fine! I admit it! I read the end first okay? Now I don't neccesarily read the end of the book first always, but I always skim ahead. I have anxiety issues and I just have to peek to keep myself calm. I think the whole idea of reading is enjoyment. If I am having a panic attack, it is not enjoyable. Also if it is going to end sad or stupid, I have enough sad and stupid in my life. I have only not read ONE book because I skipped to the end and it was sad AND stupid. I looked up reviews later on the book, and sure enough, it was sad and stupid. When I read a book, I LIVE it. I can't just stop in the middle of a huge scene and go on with my life, so I skip a little and make sure it is okay and then I can leave it and fill in the blanks between A and Z later. Okay, I feel better for getting that off my chest.
ReplyDeleteI have never read the last page first. If I record a sporting event, and then find out who won, I have no need to watch it.
ReplyDeletePart of the fun of reading a book is to try to figure out who-done-it!
I never read ahead.
ReplyDeleteOh, except one time in junior high when I realized one morning that I had an oral book report due that afternoon that I had completely forgotten about. I read the first chapter and then the last chapter of a mystery book in the class just before English and got an A on my report. (Which was rather uncalled for, because my friend who reminded me about the report and who had actually read the book only got a B.)
I never did read the rest of the book, though.
Demon-hunting soccer mom? What is this book, and where can I get it? 'Cuz that just sounds cool.
ReplyDeleteAnd no, I've never read the ending first.
Um on the Seventh HP book I looked at the last page purely to see how many pages there were in the book and I accidentally read the last line which goes something along the lines of... "And Harry lived happily ever after" and I was like CRUD. Ya, that was lame.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of suspense... Did anyone catch that 4X100 men's relay last night? IN YOUR FACE, FRANCE!