Daily Diary discussion

I will admit to this: I sometimes read the ending of the book before I actually get to the ending. I don't know why I do that, its come out of habit and for some reason I haven't stopped. I usually have forgotten what happens at the end by the time I have finished the book; usually I am more confused than anything.

Hi Melissa! You're not the only one with this guilty pleasure ;)! I read almost all the book endings at first, because I like to know how the story develops the right direction and what's happening in between to cause such an end. Sounds a bit strange, doesn't it? And I can't even forget which ending is waiting - happy or not. I think it started in my childhood already. I always liked to know what's going on before it was really happening, wink!

I did this once because an author friend of mine really left me hanging in the 1st book of his trilogy. He gave me the 2nd book and I immediatly went to the last page to check how it ended. LOL!! He almost killed me, but I was so mad about the cliffhanger I had to do it.

I have one girlfriend who has a grandson and he takes her book and reads the first and last chapter just to irrate her about the ending. He's a rascal!!

I've never done it.. and I'm afraid I can't hehe :) sometimes I'd get frustrated if I feel that the story is dragging on, but I just force myself to be patient and read.

I wish I could say I never look (especially since I love mysteries more than life itself), but when I'm especially frustrated with how a storyline is unfolding, I'll peek at the last chapter (very rarely the last page) and see who's still alive, in handcuffs, embracing, etc.

Yes!!! I've always done this and it started when i read my first Nancy Drew mystery...I had to know who the "bad guy" was. I couldn't wait, I have not a bit of patience at all.

I've done this before, thinking that it might motivate me to finish the book. Or else the last page didn't make a bit of sense because I hadn't gotten very far. I really try not to though.

Arghhh! worse than walking into a theater before the movie ends. I prefer a bit of mystery in any magical tour. the journey is the thing.

George, I know! I always feel guilty when I do that! Which is why, I usually don't end up finishing (immediately) a book if I look at the end.

I try to not do that, but sometimes it's so .... tempting.

I do that only when I'm sure that the book is too boring to be finished! So I go to the end to find out the end of story and leave it.
There have been times that doing this, has persuaded me to read the whole book!

Funny, I've never done that. When I'm not into a book, I tend to put it aside. That's another nice thing about using the library, you don't feel obligated to read a book you don't like because you bought it! I guess, like George, I feel the journey is the thing. Mostly, it just never occurs to me to do it. I do know that the initial readers for literary agents and publishing houses read the first and last page of novels and make decisions based on that. So you have to grab them with the first paragraph and intrigue them with the last!

Or else the last page didn't make a bit of sense because I hadn't gotten very far.

It is sometimes hilarious to flip to the end of a book and find out you skipped so many chapters that you don't even know the people or location mentioned on the last few pages. You have to think, "How did they get to this point?"

I have to say I did it with New Moon. I was very upset and had to know and if the ending wasn't what I wanted I wasn't going to finish the series. Other than that no.

I do it a lot...looking at the back...

I wouldn't/couldn't
anticipation is such a good feeling when reading a good book
right now I'm reading a few books(CAN YOU FORGIVE HER by Trollope/KISS HER GOODBYE by Browne) where I can't wait to find out what happens to the characters/what the developments are but it just makes my reading experience so much more fun/exciting not knowing

I probably wouldn't finish either if I looked at the ending

I can read really fast. Sometimes I read the end just so I can slow down and enjoy the journey. Although a lot of the time I just read it really fast and then go back to the begining and read it more slowly.

Usually, no. But I did recently glance at the end of an Irving book. Mostly, though, I want to see how the book unfolds and gets to the end in the first place, and I like the surprise of endings. To my mind, a good ending washes new meaning back over the text, so it's something I like to wait for, I guess. Because I'm a writer, I tend to read very slowly and study narrative moves...I'm always learning new "tricks" from novels and other authors. I recently read an Updike novel and just admired how he handled his ending, and how he moved outward from the characters to the town, etc. It was cool.
Sandra Novack
sandranovack.com

I have to say that on those happily rare occasions that I find myself reading a book I just don't like, I'll sometimes check out the ending just so I can finish it already and go on to the next (hopefully much better) book.