Booking Through Thursday

I found this and may try to start doing it on Thursdays.  It's called Booking Through Thursday. . .

1. Do you finish every book you start, no matter how bad it gets? Why?
   No, in fact I started John Banville's The Sea and got bored with it, so I put it down.  Now I wouldn't say that it was "bad" -- but it wasn't the right book for me at the time.  This happens sometimes and I will go back later.  There are *so many* books that I want to read that I don't see any point in slogging through a book just to finish it.
2. Do you ever sneak-read the ending before you finish the book? If so, what about the book tends to cause you to do so?
   Why?  Why - why?!? WHY ! Why would you ever do this.  In other words, no.  I have never done this and see no point in doing so.  I read for the pleasure of reading, not to see what happens at the end of a book.  In fact, if the book is truly excellent I am sad when it ends and there are no words left for me to read.

Comments

[jillian]

If I don't get captured by a book in 50, maybe 100 pages, I don't continue. There are too many good reads out there to waste time reading so-so ones.

I do read the last page or two sometimes. But only sometimes!

[Chris]

Ditto #1. Ditto #2. :)

[--Deb]

I've been known to peek at the ends of books to see if characters-in-peril are going to survive or not . . . just look enough to see their name (or not). Or, if a book is really bad, I might skip to the end to see how the story turns out before dropping it in the "never again" pile . . . gotta satisfy that basic curiosity, you know. It's like getting involved in a Lifetime movie--you know they're cheesy, but the story-lover in you just wants to know, "Does she die of cancer in the end, or not?"--but that doesn't mean you have to sit through the whole two hours!

[Imbrium]

I think the only two books I have ever willingly not finished are The Red Badge of Courage (boring, and I hate war) and Billy Bathgate (somebody get that man an editor!). When I was in school there were quite a few books I skimmed or dropped halfway through because they were awful, or I ran out of time before the paper was due, but for pleasure reading I try to finish what I start.

I've sneaked a peek at the ending of a book once, because I thought the synopsis was intriguing (it was a thriller), but I didn't want to bother with reading the book. I was, I think, ten years old.

[Anne]

I have to say, I sometimes sneak a peek - I did it recently when I was reading a chick lit book (my weakness) and I did it because although I was only about thirty pages in, I had a pretty damned good idea what was going to happen in the end. So I flipped to the end, found out I was exactly right and decided not to read the rest of the book.

[Michele]

When I was young, I used to sneak a look at the last few pages of whatever Nancy Drew mystery I was reading.

[Melissa]

I used to sneak to the endings of mysteries to see if I had guessed the right bad guy when I was younger, but I could never do that now.

[Manda]

Ditto!! :) Well, I used to sneak the end of the Nancy Drew books to see if I picked the right bad guy (they were so predictable after you read a couple!), but I don't do that now. And I have so many books on my shelf that I'm trying to go through that if I can't get into it on my bus ride home, and I'm "forced" to knit even though I want to read, I'll pick a different book. I always go back to it later, when I'm in the "mood" :)

[jessie]

Peek? No, just the opposite. Sometimes when a book is really good, I find myself SLOWING down because I don't want it to end. Dumb but true.

[gigi]

omg - i can't believe how many people sneak a peek. i have never even once been tempted. i guess i like that crazy feeling of suspense...
i guess it's like the old knitting question - do you love the process or the finished object? i guess i like the process of the reading more than knowing how it all works out.
keep reading and keep knitting everyone!

[Christine]

Speaking of books, I was contacted by an author to review a book that sounds pretty cool - she is looking for women to review it. I thought you might be intersted too; do you mind if I send you the details? Let me know - just wanted to check first! (Hey, who can turn down free books?)