# Do You Read The End First?



## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Several of my friends like to flip to the end of a book and read it's final pages before they start on the story. I can't stand to do that. I'm very careful not to get an accidental peek at any of the parts I haven't read up to yet. I don't even read the full cover blurb sometimes for fear it'll give too much away. The same goes for reading reviews. They contain spoilers so often I hardly dare do more than glance at the star rating now to see what people thought of a book. 

How about everybody else? Do you like to know the ending before you see the beginning?


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## Sarah Woodbury (Jan 30, 2011)

I don't read the end before starting it, but if it's a matter of giving up on the book or reading the end, I will read the end.  And then if it makes me happy, I'll finish the book.  Or sometimes if I can't stand the tension--which I'm sure the author has carefully crafted--I'll read the end to make sure it turns out okay, and then finish it.  I suppose I will read the end of a book that I don't like, just to see how it does end, and then put it aside.

So, yep, count me as one of THOSE people


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

With DTBs I used to do it.  But with my kindle, I tend not to.  One more advantage to my kindle.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Aaaargh! Why would anyone want to do that? 

Betsy


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Aaaargh! Why would anyone want to do that?
> 
> Betsy


^ this


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## Christine Kersey (Feb 13, 2011)

I've never read the end early. I don't want to know what happens. I like to see how the story spins out.


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## Miriam Minger (Nov 27, 2010)

I read from beginning to end, just like I write.  No hopping around.  

Miriam Minger


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

The only times that I've done that were when I was really into a book, and was afraid that a character that I loved might get killed off. (In those cases, I didn't actually read the end, but I have to confess that I turned to the last couple of pages and skimmed to see if my beloved character's name still appeared. Unfortunately, I learned to speed read when I was 8, and it's very difficult to skim a page and not get more meaning from it than I'd like.) Since I've had a Kindle (nearly 2 years now), I can honestly say that I've never looked at the end of a book.


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## gina1230 (Nov 29, 2009)

I've been known to do that.  I check out the ending if I think it's going to be sad so I'll know whether or not I want to read the book.  I like HEA.


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## Julia444 (Feb 24, 2011)

NEVER!! I'm too type A and have to read a book in order.

But my good friend (who happens to be a college professor) annoys me no end with her end-reading habits.  We were both dying to get our hands on the 6th Harry Potter book because the rumor was that a major character would die.  On the day it was released, she traveled to my town to attend a special release party at a local bookstore, but told me she would be taking a cab home so that she could read the ending on the way home.

I said, "You can't do that!  You're not experiencing the story the way the author wanted you to!!  You'll lose all the suspense and wonder along the way!"

But of course she could, and she did.  I chose to read it the slow and linear way, and I enjoyed it immensely.

In this respect, she and I have to agree to disagree.  

Julia


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## beckyj20 (Jun 12, 2010)

NO! I do not understand why people do that! That totally ruins the book in my opinion. Why would you finish reading after you know how it ends?


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

I always used to do that. Not the last couple of pages, but I'd glance at the last page or so to make sure everyone wasn't dead or something else I didn't want to get to. It all started with the ending of Gone With the Wind, which made me mad for a long, long time. Anyway, the Kindle pretty much cured me of it because you get the sample, and it's the beginning and that's that. Lately, however, I find myself doing it again with library books.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Stephen King said he'd always wanted to leave out the last chapter and only send it to people if they could give him a synopsis of the previous chapters.  

I don't carefully read endings, but I used to occasionally glance at and skim them, just to know the heroine ended up with the right guy.


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## JimJ (Mar 3, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Aaaargh! Why would anyone want to do that?
> 
> Betsy


I had the same reaction when I saw the thread title. Had no idea this was a thing. I don't get why anyone would want to spoil a book for themselves intentionally.


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## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

My next-door neighbor and dear friend always read the last three pages (or so) of a book first and that absolutely drove me crazy. I couldn't stand to do that! I used to look to see how many pages a DTB had so that I would know when I was 1/4 - then half - then 3/4 done. And I was always VERY careful to make sure I didn't even see the last sentence of a book. After reading The Day After Tomorrow I knew I'd never "cheat" on my self-imposed rule to not read the end of any book until its appointed time.


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## naomi_jay (Feb 1, 2011)

I did when I was younger and worried about happy endings. I grew out of it once I started being more serious about my own writing though, and realised I was happier stumbling upon endings naturally.


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## mesmered (Feb 2, 2011)

i'm guilty of the occasional speed read of the last para. Might as well be honest, in the same way I'll admiit to drinking two glasses of wine a day and eating too much chocolate. Generally done in a book that is a slow read, hence the two glasses of wine and the chocolate. When I'm lost in the narrative, I wouldn't dream of it.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

NO! I hate spoilers of any kind, be it in books or movies or TV shows etc. If I found out the end I wouldn't want to read the rest of it. Why would anyone deliberately do that? Half the fun in reading is guessing what everyone's really up to and what's going to happen. If you already know, what's the point?

Strangely perhaps, this doesn't affect the pleasure of re-reading a favourite book. There's still that first time reading experience but some books, both classic and modern, have such depth to them and are so well written that's there's always something new to discover when re-reading. Sadly, not many books fall into this category.


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

Yes, I do it with paper books (not with e-books).

Spoilers don't bother me at all and taking out a bit of the suspence allows me to read at a more leisurely pace and savour style, prose world-building and character development much more, instead of devouring the book just to see what happens next.

That said, I also love re-reading books to go deeper into them, so I guess I'm nor typical.


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## Tom Schreck (Dec 12, 2010)

Wow--I can't believe folks do that! For me it makes no sense--but to each his own...


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

In many of my lit. classes we were, well I won't say forced, maybe coerced into reading books not from front to back. We read the first chapter, the first page of each chapter, the last two pages of the book, then we were to immediately flip to the front of the book and read the first two chapters. Then proceed through the book. I still do that with all literature. But not with one off reads. So I guess I'm sort of a yes, sort of a no.

We were forbidden to read any introduction written by anyone besides the author. And the student learned quickly to not admit to having done so upon risk of humiliation and ridicule if discovered.


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## JenniferS. (Mar 9, 2011)

I'll admit, I'm guilty of doing that at lease once or twice. But like others have said, now that I have a kindle I don't. 

Sometimes the story just gets sooo intense and I have to know what's going to happen. I'll be honest though, I actually feel like I'm cheating on a test or something when I do this, so I try hard not to! Thank you again Kindle for revolutionizing my life, I now do not flip to the back of the book and feel I am cheating!


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## CathyQuinn (Dec 9, 2010)

Never! The horror!  

I had a friend who did this, she read the ending in the bookstore. She said she wanted to make sure that the book ended "nicely". 

The funny thing was that she was reading Harlequin romance novels, so she never had to doubt that there would be a happy ending!


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Nope, I've never done that on purpose, anyway! Once when I was a young teen, however, a new Dragonlance book came out and I was flipping through it at my friend's house and two words jumped out at me: <character> said

Now, that character had died many books back so the fact that he was now _saying_ something was a bit exciting. I assumed he had been brought back from the dead or something. I started jumping and screaming that he had come back and my friend slammed the book shut and yelled at me not to spoil the story for myself. When I finally got to that part in the book, it was just a scene of him in the afterlife. What a letdown!


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## Sarah Woodbury (Jan 30, 2011)

And you know what book I didn't do it on?  Cold Mountain.  Yeah.  Learned my lesson 

This is not a moral issue, by the way!  (speaking as one violating the moral code!).  Books, once published, are no longer 'owned' by the author.  I wonder what particular mind set makes someone (like me) like to skip to the end and what makes someone read from A to Z.  That just seems too rigid to me, but I don't want to throw around value judgements either


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## Trulte (Apr 2, 2011)

Never done it, never will. I do not see the point in spoiling a whole story just because I am curious... 
Cannot understand people doing that  
That said - I AM curious as a person, but for some reason this never tempts me..


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## Sean Thomas Fisher (Mar 25, 2011)

I've never read the ending first, but I have had dessert first. And that usually spoils dinner.


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## WilliamM (Feb 10, 2009)

MichelleR said:


> Stephen King said he'd always wanted to leave out the last chapter and only send it to people if they could give him a synopsis of the previous chapters.
> 
> I don't carefully read endings, but I used to occasionally glance at and skim them, just to know the heroine ended up with the right guy.


if i read any of Kings endings first I would never have read any of his books


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm in the "why would you do that?" camp. . . . .never made sense to me.


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## TenderMoon (Mar 3, 2011)

OMG, I'd sooner cut off my arms than read the ending! I've been reading for over 60 years and I have never, not one single time, read the ending of a book.  In fact, even if I haven't finished a book I don't read the ending.  If I don't care for it enough to finish it, I also don't care how it ends.


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## RachelAstor (Apr 2, 2011)

beckyj20 said:


> NO! I do not understand why people do that! That totally ruins the book in my opinion. Why would you finish reading after you know how it ends?


Yes, this


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

Oh yeah, doesnt everyone go to the end first?


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

beckyj20 said:


> Why would you finish reading after you know how it ends?





RachelAstor said:


> Yes, this


Because knowing how it ends isn't the only (or even the main) reason for reading a book for some readers. 
How one gets to the end: the prose, the characters, the world are definitely more important to me.


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## RobynB (Jan 4, 2011)

Nope, but I always got a kick out of the fact Billy Crystal's character, Harry Burns, did it in _When Harry Met Sally_.


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## Patrick Skelton (Jan 7, 2011)

Heck no!  Wouldn't dream of reading the end first!


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## easyreader (Feb 20, 2011)

No, but I do fast-forward through the scary parts of horror movies.


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## nickpeirson (Mar 26, 2011)

MichelleR said:


> Stephen King said he'd always wanted to leave out the last chapter and only send it to people if they could give him a synopsis of the previous chapters.


That's a brilliant idea! With technology like Watson, I don't think we're too far away from being automatically being able to generate and validate the questions that would release the final chapter, and the delivery mechanism is obviously already here with Kindle et al.


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## firebird12 (Apr 7, 2011)

While I don't think that it would destroy the experience of reading the book, I always give a good book a second or third read anyway, I've never actually jumped ahead during the first read.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Aaaargh! Why would anyone want to do that?
> 
> Betsy


Agreed. What would be the point of reading the book in the first place?


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Russell Brooks said:


> Agreed. What would be the point of reading the book in the first place?


Although I have never actually read the end of a book first, for many people (myself included, to some extent) the journey that leads to the end is as important, if not often more so, than the end itself. I don't mind knowing how movies end, and in fact, spend a great deal of time in mystery movies trying to look for small signs that lead to figuring out "whodunit," and then I usually know who the perpetrator was before it's revealed. I don't TRY to figure it out, per se, but my brain works that way. Can't really avoid doing it.

As for why anyone would check out the end of the story first (or at least before the end), there are probably several reasons. In my case, I've had a lot of personal loss in the last few years, as well as the death of my mother from complications of diabetes over 20 years ago. The end, in several of my family members' cases, was a very long, agonizing time for all of us, and, if I get a sense that a character that I care about it going to get killed or die off, I might look at the last few of pages to see if his/her name jumps off the page at me. If it appears that he/she is no longer around in the story, I might not finish it. I don't need any more loss, and in good books, as you know, it's important to really connect with major characters. ("It's only a book!" some might say. That may well be, but I love to become engrossed in books, and they take on more significance that "only a book" in many cases. If this doesn't make sense to you, that's ok. It's just a way to protect myself and not conjure up recent losses again. (Keep in mind that I don't do this often, only in very rare cases.) As someone else said, I wish I'd done it in "Cold Mountain." HATED the ending. (Sort of like the movie "Sommersby." I wish I'd never seen it, as the ending was totally unnecessary and stupid.)  (I know it made sense, but I thought it was a total waste of a future.)

Just my 2 cents.......


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## Colette Duke (Mar 14, 2011)

When I'm reading for pleasure, I never read the end first. Never-never-never. 

When I'm reading for work, I need to get as much of the big picture in my mind as quickly as I can, so I always read the end before I'm finished. But even then I never read the end first.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

In some cases its better to read through  without skipping because the ending may not make any sense unless we do.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

GASP ! NOoooooooooooooo...............


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

I read contents first but that's mostly for nonfiction. I will not read the end first for a story or novel unless I am too bored to read the whole book.


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## Steve Emmett (Mar 31, 2011)

Why would anyone want to ruin the story by reading the end first? It's like having coffee followed by dessert, then main course and finally the starter.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

No way.  I lose a lot of interest in a book if I know the ending.  It's a big reason I seldom go back and read a book after seeing a movie version of it.  It's usually boring since you know the plot and only interesting if the movie changed a lot of major things.


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

IMO if a story is well written it isn't ruined by knowing the ending. A reader can get a better understanding of the characters actions and conflicts if they know where things are going. If one is reading a mystery, perhaps some of the suspense is ruined, but a well written work should be able to retain the interest of the reader, and the integrity of the story,  whether  the reader is been exposed to the end (or spoilers) or not.  JMO.

Now, having said that, if someone doesn't ever want to read the ending first, friendships are best served keeping spoilers out   .


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## kCopeseeley (Mar 15, 2011)

I would say no, in general, of course not.  I love reading too much to spoil the ending for myself.  That being said, if the book sucks then I'll skip to the end to see what happens for my own curiosity.


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## Colby (Feb 16, 2011)

Never ever.  Bad, bad!
Cheers,
Colby


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

Woah this is dividing opinion. I never knew I was so bad, reading the end first! What a rebel.
That said it was a habit when reading DTBs, its not as tempting with Kindle books, in fact I havent read the end of a Kindle book first....oh no. I'm becoming conventional!


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

I'm always tempted, but I never read the ending first. It would spoil the whole story for me if I knew what happened and I wouldn't bother reading the book.


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## stephaniejenkins (Mar 31, 2011)

I always read the end first after I buy a book! I bought _Deathly Hallows_ the night it was released and horrified fans watched as I stood in line, reading the last two chapters. I also look up the movie spoiler for every film I watch. Um . . . guess you can say I don't like surprises!


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## TLM (Apr 8, 2010)

I don't read the ending _first_, but will read it after I am a chapter or two into a book. I will read the begining, then the end then some of the middle and then go back to the begining and read straight through to pick up what I missed. I just enjoy some books more knowing where they will end up, the fun is in figuring out how the characters get to that ending. I will especially read the ending if I need to stop reading (needing sleep, etc) and I can't stop until I know how the story ends.

I enjoy a movie more if I have seen it before or already know the ending.

Just asked my 20 yr old DD if she reads the end of books first. She grinned and said, "sorta of". She reads like me, some of the begining, the end and then goes back and reads the whole book. Wonder where she got that habit?

(The only part of all the Harry Potter books that I have read is the last 3 pages in the last book . But knowing the end will let me slog through all the books when the day comes to read them)


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Although I don't usually read the end, I do sometimes skim through it if I'm worried about a character or am dying to know something about the end and don't have time to get there before my curiosity nearly kills me. I'm glad that someone else gets this:



> I just enjoy some books more knowing where they will end up, the fun is in figuring out how the characters get to that ending. I will especially read the ending if I need to stop reading (needing sleep, etc) and I can't stop until I know how the story ends.
> 
> I enjoy a movie more if I have seen it before or already know the ending.


My 34 and 29 year old daughters think it's crazy that I don't mind knowing the ending of a movie before I see it. They at least get the point in seeing movies multiple times. (Wonder where they got THAT?)


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

No, I have never done that. Heck I am obsessed with reading everything in order if there are any other books written even remotely relating to the characters in another. 

There are other areas of my life where I don't mind going against the grain so to speak, but reading, I go from 1 to 400. No detours.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Atunah said:


> No, I have never done that. Heck I am obsessed with reading everything in order if there are any other books written even remotely relating to the characters in another.
> 
> There are other areas of my life where I don't mind going against the grain so to speak, but reading, I go from 1 to 400. No detours.


I don't read a series out of sequence, I love things to be orderly, and I've been a voracious reader since I was a small child. As I said before, I seldom actually READ the end before I get there, but I do skim for characters' names. I have yet to have a book ruined for me. Guess I'm just weird.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Nah, I don't think that makes you weird, its just the way you like to do it. 
I would be afraid to catch a spoiler of sorts though. I am a fast reader and I don't skim and I read like 2 lines at the same time, like one ahead. I would catch more than a name I would be afraid.

I have to be so careful too with reviews. I like Goodreads for that as I cannot stand when people put spoilers in their review without warnings.


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## GraceKrispy (Mar 28, 2011)

Never! I can't imagine such a thing! 

Now, if a book is particularly difficult to slog through, but I want to know what happens, I'll read a page or two here and there until I get to the ending and read the last few pages, but I still do it in order.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Atunah said:


> Nah, I don't think that makes you weird, its just the way you like to do it.
> I would be afraid to catch a spoiler of sorts though. I am a fast reader and I don't skim and I read like 2 lines at the same time, like one ahead. I would catch more than a name I would be afraid.
> 
> I have to be so careful too with reviews. I like Goodreads for that as I cannot stand when people put spoilers in their review without warnings.


I learned to speed read in 3rd grade, and was taught to pick a spot in the center of a line of text (or a couple of spots if it's a particularly long line or has small print) and then encompass all of the words in that viewing of the line, and I often catch more than a name, but it doesn't bother me, so it's ok. Spoilers don't really bother me since I am usually more interested in the process and the journey than I am about being surprised at the end. (Don't get me wrong. I fully appreciate the end of a good book, and I don't usually skim, but when I do, it's ok.) Hmmmm. I keep repeating that. I guess I want to be sure that you all don't think that I routinely gather information about the end of the books that I read. Sorry to be so insecure about this.


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## ScottF (Mar 29, 2011)

When I was younger and life was uncertain, yes - I would read the last pages sometimes. As a way to feel less uncertainty in my life, I guess. A sense of control most of us need at that age.

But as I grew older life became routine, something else we all can relate to.

And now I don't read ahead. As a way to feel _more_ uncertainty in my life. A sense of spontaneity you can't get from waking up to an alarm clock for forty consecutive years.

Or from watching the same old characters go through the same old formulaic stories on television or at the movies.

Books are really the only innovative medium left. Why ruin the neat surprises some author has generously provided to amuse me?


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## Vianka Van Bokkem (Aug 26, 2010)

*Raises hand* Sometimes  


-Vianka


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## BethCaudill (Mar 22, 2011)

If it's a book I know I'm going to love (usually from my favorite authors), No I don't read the end until I get there.

If however I have a hard time getting into a book that was recommended to me, I will flip to the end to see if the writing gets better and if it does I will go back and continue on with the story.  I never flip to the end of a mystery unless I'm giving up on the book and want to unmask the bad guy.


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## 41352 (Apr 4, 2011)

Never, not even in Agatha Christie mysteries. I swear! (do you believe me? lol)


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## bashfulreader (Jan 29, 2011)

This might be slightly off topic, but I'm curious... are the people who read the end of a book first, the same sort of people who try to figure out their Christmas gifts before Christmas morning?  

I don't do either.  Maybe I'm too much of a rule-follower, but I'd feel guilty if I tried to learn the ending before the proper time.  I'm not sure if it would completely spoil the book.  I can appreciate the fact that reading a book is about more than just finding out how it ends.  But it wouldn't feel right to me.  As someone else mentioned, maybe it has something to do with my sense of order, too.  Beginning, middle, end... any other way would feel uncomfortable.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

bashfulreader said:


> This might be slightly off topic, but I'm curious... are the people who read the end of a book first, the same sort of people who try to figure out their Christmas gifts before Christmas morning?
> 
> I don't do either. Maybe I'm too much of a rule-follower, but I'd feel guilty if I tried to learn the ending before the proper time. I'm not sure if it would completely spoil the book. I can appreciate the fact that reading a book is about more than just finding out how it ends. But it wouldn't feel right to me. As someone
> else mentioned, maybe it has something to do with my sense of order, too. Beginning, middle, end... any other way would feel uncomfortable.


This is part of why I'm embarrassed to admit that I have skimmed the end of a book (not read it, per se, unless I didn't like the book well enough to wade through it) occasionally. I've seldom if ever tried to figure out Christmas presents, and I've always been a strict rule follower (except for the speeding ticket that I got 
about 28 years ago and maybe once, years ago, wearing white shoes after Labor Day ), so I don't think there's much of a connection between curiosity about the end of a book (or movie) and being a rule follower and/or a very


Spoiler



anal


 person who needs to maintain a sense of order. (I'm that way about nearly everything). I was never brought up to consider the end of a book to be particularly sacred, and I've always had a real curiosity about figuring out "whodunit" or what terrible fate might be awaiting someone.


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

I read the end of a book whenever I choose. I never guess at wrapped gifts.


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## Michelle Muto (Feb 1, 2011)

Someone JUST asked me this the other day. I have done this a couple of times. They were best sellers that everyone was talking about. I tried to get into the story. I really did. But after a 100 pages, I just flipped through the book, reading pieces and parts all the way to the end. Does that count?


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Michelle Muto said:


> Someone JUST asked me this the other day. I have done this a couple of times. They were best sellers that everyone was talking about. I tried to get into the story. I really did. But after a 100 pages, I just flipped through the book, reading pieces and parts all the way to the end. Does that count?


Yep, that counts (she said because she was looking for others who have done this a few times)!


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## Beth Groundwater (Apr 6, 2011)

No, I don't, because primarily what I read (and write) are mystery books. The whole point of mysteries is the puzzle aspect, trying to figure out "whodunnit" along with the sleuth as you read along by gathering clues and information about the motives and whereabouts of the suspects. If you already know the answer, where's the fun?


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## greatebooks683 (Apr 10, 2011)

always do!
it a habit oof mine to read the end!

but if you  havent already ... dont!


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## TLM (Apr 8, 2010)

I will blame my reading the end (or middles) first on my ADHD   I can't stand to be bored, even if I am loving the book I am reading.  I usually have several books at the same time going.  Less so since my kindle came into my live though.  I alway have multiply things going on.  Reading with the TV on.  Sewing with the TV and computer on.  

In the end if all about my enjoyment and I enjoy knowing where the story is headed.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

TLM said:


> I will blame my reading the end (or middles) first on my ADHD  I can't stand to be bored, even if I am loving the book I am reading. I usually have several books at the same time going. Less so since my kindle came into my live though. I alway have multiply things going on. Reading with the TV on. Sewing with the TV and computer on.
> 
> In the end if all about my enjoyment and I enjoy knowing where the story is headed.


Hmmmm, you sound a bit like me, but I don't think I have ADHD. (Might, I guess.) I've never been bored (not even once), and I have several books that I'm currently reading. I seldom if ever sit down and just do one thing. I'm always reading or using my iPad while watching tv (or doing something else). I agree with you about how knowing the end doesn't spoil your enjoyment. Same here.


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## athanos (Apr 7, 2011)

LOL, that's awful. No I don't read the end first, that would be like opening your 
presents before your birthday or christmas, then what would you do on your 
birthday or christmas: you would've already opened your presents & spoiled 
the surprise. 

Part of the fun is the anticipation of what will happen. They should lock it 
out & you can only get to the end page by page.


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## ajbarnett (Apr 11, 2011)

I really cannot understand why anyone would want to do that. Surely part of the pleasure of reading is wondering what comes next. I also find the recent habit of spoilers for the TV soaps very off-putting. I want a story to unfurl in the way the author intended.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

This thread is really interesting. It's surprising to me how many people feel really strongly about the "right" vs. "wrong" way to read books. I guess I can see how authors might feel especially strongly about readers not spoiling the end that they worked so hard to create. I really don't understand the reason that readers feel that people who approach reading differently (and don't feel that the book is spoiled if the end is known) are lesser readers, as some have suggested. I really find the process of solving the mystery of a story every bit as engaging as finding the conclusion. Sure, I like to be surprised, but it's not the most important part of the process for me. I'm very analytical, and love to figure things out. 

Just my 2 cents.


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## SD Livingston (Mar 13, 2011)

Yes - even with non-fiction. I nearly always peek at the last page.

A terrible habit, I know, but the funny thing is that I tend to do it more with the books I'm enjoying, including mysteries. The only rationale I can come up with is that being involved in the story/characters makes it harder to handle the suspense of what's going to happen to them in the end


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

SD Livingston said:


> Yes - even with non-fiction. I nearly always peek at the last page.
> 
> A terrible habit, I know, but the funny thing is that I tend to do it more with the books I'm enjoying, including mysteries. The only rationale I can come up with is that being involved in the story/characters makes it harder to handle the suspense of what's going to happen to them in the end


I completely understand where you're coming from. (Pardon the preposition at the end of the sentence.  )


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## Amanda Brice (Feb 16, 2011)

I don't judge people who skip the end but I could never personally do that. Why would I want to know the ending before I get there? 

I mean, sure, to some extent, I do know the ultimate ending, in the sense that if I'm reading a romance, I know the H/h will end up together, but I don't want to know how before I see the full journey. If I'm reading a mystery, I know the protagonist will solve the crime, but I don't want to know whodunnit until I get there.


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## Cheryl Bradshaw Author (Apr 13, 2011)

I've only done this once.  When the last Harry Potter book came out I read the ending in a store actally because I knew I would find out how it ended on the internet or on TV before I could get the book read


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## cagnes (Oct 13, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Aaaargh! Why would anyone want to do that?
> 
> Betsy


Same here! I'm sometimes leery about reading reviews in case they give away too much of the story.


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

Am I the only one, aside from the 20 others in my literature classes, that was taught to read the end first? We were taught to read the first chapter, first page of every chapter, the last 2-3 pages of the book then immediately flip back to the beginning and read the first chapter of the  book again. This "first step in reading any book" "is to be done all at one time, in one reading."  Once we had done that, and read the first chapter basically twice, we were "free to read it at leisure". Was I just taught by a bunch of loons or do I just have a weird level of recall?  The only time I can say the method made sense was with Finnegan's Wake.  The technique actually made sense with that book


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

LauraB said:


> Am I the only one, aside from the 20 others in my literature classes, that was taught to read the end first? We were taught to read the first chapter, first page of every chapter, the last 2-3 pages of the book then immediately flip back to the beginning and read the first chapter of the book again. This "first step in reading any book" "is to be done all at one time, in one reading." Once we had done that, and read the first chapter basically twice, we were "free to read it at leisure". Was I just taught by a bunch of loons or do I just have a weird level of recall? The only time I can say the method made sense was with Finnegan's Wake. The technique actually made sense with that book


In all of the literature classes that I've had, I've never heard of this. (I can see how it might be helpful if one were doing literary analysis.) Were you ever told the point of reading in that manner? I don't think I'd want to read anything for pleasure that way, although it's an interesting concept.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Cindy416 said:


> This thread is really interesting. It's surprising to me how many people feel really strongly about the "right" vs. "wrong" way to read books. I guess I can see how authors might feel especially strongly about readers not spoiling the end that they worked so hard to create. I really don't understand the reason that readers feel that people who approach reading differently (and don't feel that the book is spoiled if the end is known) are lesser readers, as some have suggested. I really find the process of solving the mystery of a story every bit as engaging as finding the conclusion. Sure, I like to be surprised, but it's not the most important part of the process for me. I'm very analytical, and love to figure things out.
> 
> Just my 2 cents.


Well I certainly don't feel that way. I'd never read an ending first, and often won't bother reading a book if I've seen the movie first etc. as I said earlier.

But I don't think that's the "right" way to read a book or that people who read other ways are lesser readers. I don't care about making those kind of judgements, as I couldn't care less how others enjoy their hobbies! Read how you enjoy most. Just don't spoil anything for others!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

mooshie78 said:


> Well I certainly don't feel that way. I'd never read an ending first, and often won't bother reading a book if I've seen the movie first etc. as I said earlier.
> 
> But I don't think that's the "right" way to read a book or that people who read other ways are lesser readers. I don't care about making those kind of judgements, as I couldn't care less how others enjoy their hobbies! Read how you enjoy most. Just don't spoil anything for others!


I like your comment about not spoiling a book (or movie, I assume) for others. I would never donthat, regardless of the manner in which I discovered the ending. That would be really inconsiderate, to say the least.


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

Cindy416 said:


> In all of the literature classes that I've had, I've never heard of this. (I can see how it might be helpful if one were doing literary analysis.) Were you ever told the point of reading in that manner? I don't think I'd want to read anything for pleasure that way, although it's an interesting concept.


We were told it was to facilitate the active reading process and analysis of the literature. And that it would help us to get a feel for where the author is wanting to take the book, and a sense of any other literature the author was referring to that we may want to have on hand. They were so insistent on it, and I got so used to doing it, I still do it out of habit. It is how I "sample" paper books before I buy!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

LauraB said:


> We were told it was to facilitate the active reading process and analysis of the literature. And that it would help us to get a feel for where the author is wanting to take the book, and a sense of any other literature the author was referring to that we may want to have on hand. They were so insistent on it, and I got so used to doing it, I still do it out of habit. It is how I "sample" paper books before I buy!


That certainly makes sense. I'm surprised that I've never been instructed to do that. It would certainly give you broader scope of the material.


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## unwellnana (Apr 14, 2011)

Never would I skip to the end first, I love to try to see how it is going to go. Maybe create a different path in my own head.


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## Jon Olson (Dec 10, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Aaaargh! Why would anyone want to do that?
> 
> Betsy


I'm with Betsy. And if the book's so bad it's a question of not finishing it, I don't care about the end.


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## aaronpolson (Apr 4, 2010)

I'll admit: if I'm reading a so-so book which has begun to feel quite predictable, I'll skip to the end--just to see if my prediction is right.

I'm weak that way.


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