We're all friends here, right? So I can confess to what some might consider to be a reading sin without being judged too much, right?? Here goes...
I read the last page of the book first. #sorrynotsorry
I first made this confession when I did The Blog Squad Tag awhile back, and I got a bit of a mixed reaction, so I thought it would be a great discussion post to talk about WHY I spoil books for myself!
First, I should start by saying that this desire to know the ending first doesn't just apply to books, it spills over into other areas of my life. If we're streaming a movie on Netflix, five minutes in I'm on Wikipedia reading the entire plot synopsis. *Spoiler alerts* mean nothing to me; it will almost never deter me from reading an article, review, or blog post about a tv show, movie, book, anything really.
So why do I read the last page first? I think it started out innocently enough. I always check the number of pages a chapter is before I start reading it, because I hate stopping in the middle. I think this naturally progressed to checking how long the entire book was and, well, sneak peeks happen. I'm also the type of reader who enjoys reading the acknowledgments, which often happen to fall at the back of the book, and for some reason I typically read them first - so I may or may not come across the last page of the book while searching for them!
Now, part of the reason I read the last page first is that I have no willpower. If I come across the last page, sometimes I can't stop myself from reading it. I'm also really impatient, and I just want to know how the book ends NOW. I don't like surprises - for instance, if the book features a love triangle, I want to know ahead of time who the main character is going to pick. Or if something sad is coming up, I want to be prepared. I like being "in the know" - if for some reason I DNF the book, I still want to know how it ends.
So, I'm sure there is someone out there who will say, "What good is knowing the ending if it won't make sense without the context of the rest of the book?" I say it's fine, because I can read the book knowing what the end goal is, what the author is working towards in the story, and I still get to experience the journey.
Be honest - who else reads the last page first? Why do you spoil books for yourself? What are some of your bookish confessions?
I'm way worse with this when it comes to TV shows and movies. Wikipedia and TVLine recaps are just such an easy way to get all the spoilers I want lol but I still watch the entire TV show - I just NEED to know what's coming next. I used to be pretty bad with reading the last page or skipping ahead in books, but I've gotten better now that I read primarily eBooks - it's not nearly as easy to skip ahead, especially since when I do I ALWAYS mange to loose what page I'm on. Great post, Angela!
ReplyDeleteYes, that is one of the benefits (?) of reading ebooks - it's that much harder to skip around the book!
DeleteOh my word this is so me. But more so when it comes to TV and movies. Whenever I start a TV show I always - after the first few episodes or so - check the episode guide online and see what's gonna happen. I hate not knowing!
ReplyDeleteLove this post, Angela :)
Amy @ A Magical World Of Words
Oh, I do, too! I totally spoiled Stranger Things 2 for myself, and then had to try to keep my mouth shut as my husband watched it!
DeleteI am so the opposite. I never want to know whats going to happen. I hardly read blurbs for books and skim reviews if they seem to be telling me too much lol!!! My confession is I skim sometimes when a book seems boring but I want to see what happens instead of DNFing.
ReplyDeleteI skim a lot too when a book is losing my interest, or sometimes I'll find myself reading really fast and not taking in too much when I just want to get something done!
DeleteYour post made me laugh because although I'm the complete opposite, it describes my husband to a T. We'll be shopping for books at the store and I'll find him skimming the end of a book and he'll say "What? I want to know if I'm going to like how the story ends before I commit to reading it." It's somewhat maddening yet funny at the same time because if he likes the ending, he'll definitely purchase the book and read it, haha.
ReplyDeleteHa! That's so funny that he does that IN THE STORE! I don't do that, but something to think about for next time, haha!
DeleteHa! I should introduce you to my mom. I will ask her if she watched a show yet, and she will say, "no, tell me what happened". She then gets mad at me before I won't tell her anything. I like to let it unfold and to go in blind, and I get so mad if someone reveals what I think is spoiler-ish to me. But hey, whatever makes you happy.
ReplyDeleteWe're definitely all different when it comes to spoilers! I guess I'm just really impatient and I don't like to wait too long for things.
DeleteI'm judging you! Lol jk. But I NEVER read the endings first. I'm the opposite of you. I liked getting immersed in the book and not knowing what will happen until it happens. It reels me in and impacts me more that way, makes me feel more emotion throughout.
ReplyDeleteHaha, thanks! I don't think knowing the ending changes the way I feel while I'm reading a book (or watching a show, etc.). I reread a lot, and there's this one book that will always make me cry, even when I know the sad parts are coming.
DeleteI try really hard not to do this, but I must admit that I have been known to read the last sentence first as well. *oops*
ReplyDeleteThough my worst reading habit is when I'm halfway in and so engrossed and I feel like I want to find out and I'm not reading fast enough. Then I skip ahead and read like one sentence in some random upcoming chapters. Sometimes I don't learn anything new and sometimes I seriously spoil myself that way. Then I tell myself not to do it anymore, but I still do it anyway :)
I do that, too!! I feel a bit better now. My husband likes to tell me that I have no willpower, I guess he's right!
DeleteAhah this is such a lovely post - and totally not judging you here. It's happened to me that I read the last page of the book, or just the last words... but I never do it intentionally and when I do, I'm kind of mad at myself afterwards, ahah. I do love to read the acknowledgments before I read a book as well, so... sometimes, well, the end of the book is right next to it. Hard to resist :P
ReplyDeleteI also sometimes just... well, skip a couple paragraphs or want to get a glimpse at the end of the chapter, just to know what happens next. I'm too curious ahah. I try to have some willpower, though, so I don't do it too often :P
Thank you, Marie! I know, sometimes I just need to know RIGHT NOW what happens and I can't resist!
DeleteHa ha this is so me!! I try so hard but sometimes I can’t help myself. I have found, though, that the more immersed I am in the book, the less apt I am to jump ahead. For example, I didn’t do it with any of the Kate Morton books you recommended. This was a great topic and it makes me feel so much better to know I’m not the only one who needs to read the ending ahead of time!
ReplyDeleteYay, so glad I'm not the only one! And that's funny, because I'm the opposite - if I am really loving a book, I want to know even that much more what's going to happen!
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