Books so good you called in sick, late... or lost?

[Kirsten]

Audible is featuring some books that they say would have you calling in sick, late, ... or lost.

So, have you had a book that had you doing this?

[Marisa, Cozy Mysteries Assistant Moderator]

No, I've gone to work without sleeping, but I don't cheat on that.

[Lynn]

No.
I might have snuck a few pages when I should have been working, or stretched my lunch hour by a few pages to finish a chapter, but I've never not gone to work just to stay home and read.

[Heather L , Cozy Mysteries Moderator]

I've never been late or called in sick due to a book, though a couple have nearly made me miss my bus stop.

[Ilene]

I thought the Girl from the Savoy by Hazel Gaynor was that good I could not put it down. Also Sisi by Allison Pataki.

[Marisa, Cozy Mysteries Assistant Moderator]

Heather L wrote: "I've never been late or called in sick due to a book, though a couple have nearly made me miss my bus stop."

Well, missing my bus/underway stop... sometimes ;-) And reading while I 'm walking, of course.

[Karen M]

I hid a book in my middle desk drawer and sneaked a page at a time when no one was near my desk. It was the last couple of chapters of The Godfather.

It must run in my family because my cousin told me she kept going to the lady's room at work to read while she was reading The Godfather.

[Heather L , Cozy Mysteries Moderator]

Well, I can now claim to have actually missed a stop due to a book. I've come close a few times, but had never done so until Monday night. I was about 50 pages from the end of the book I was reading and apparently so immersed in it that I flew right by my stop. Thankfully, I realized it fairly quickly, and only had to walk back five or six blocks -- which I would have minded a lot less had it not been after dark. At least it wasn't raining. Or winter.

I read on the bus every night, but am usually aware of where I am, when we make certain turns, pass familiar landmarks. There is also an audio prompter that announces key stops, and I never even heard it Monday night until the stop at which I actually deboarded. In fact, I did not hear the audio last night, either, so there was either something wrong with it, or the chatter at back of the bus was loud enough to drown it out.

What's a little annoying is that there is another passenger I see nearly every night on the bus who gets off after I do, who never said anything to me. Same thing with the driver. Same guy almost every night, never noticed I didn't get off at my usual stop. And I know he recognizes me as when I deboarded last night he said, "See you tomorrow night." Apparently an, "Isn't this your stop?" is too much to ask. :-\

Still, it could have been a lot worse. I was telling a coworker about my "oops" last night, and she told me she has missed two flights due to books. Now THAT would have really sucked!

[Kali]

Heather L wrote: "Well, I can now claim to have actually missed a stop due to a book. I've come close a few times, but had never done so until Monday night. I was about 50 pages from the end of the book I was readin..."

Goodness! What book were you reading? Sounds like a really good one.

[Kirsten]

Heather L wrote: "Well, I can now claim to have actually missed a stop due to a book. I've come close a few times, but had never done so until Monday night. I was about 50 pages from the end of the book I was readin..."

I saw something on-line the other day where someone was sleeping on the train in the UK and had a sign on her face asking to be woke up before her stop. LOL!!

[Heather L , Cozy Mysteries Moderator]

Kalie: United We Spy by Ally Carter, the 6th and final book in her popular Gallagher Girls series -- and yes, you really do need to read them in order.

Kirsten: Too funny! I doubt that would work with some of the illiterates on my bus, LOL.

[Marisa, Cozy Mysteries Assistant Moderator]

Heather, it has happened to me a few times too (well, really on Sunday the last time....), but just today I've arrived later at work because I wanted to load Wild Embrace at my ereader and read it in the commute :-D

[Vicki]

When I was a little kid I remember sitting in the car to hear the end of a radio program. (Early 1950's) Years later I was guilty of buying a paperback at the grocery store after work and reading the whole book before going to work the next day. Fast forward to now... Audio books 15-20 hours long in one sitting.

[Danielle]

I never called in sick just to read, but back when I was reading The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks, I was so into it that I brought the book to work with me and shut my office door to read when I should've been working. :-p

[Julesy]

I don't recall calling in sick just to stay home to read. Mainly because I have lots of opportunities to read during my work day with my ereader or audio books. Sometimes I'll even go up to our library in our building and read for 30 minutes or an hour. I'm lucky in that respect because my boss doesn't mind sunce I get my work done in a timely manner.

[Moonlight]

I occasionally take the train into the city to see clients. Reading on the way in is not a problem because my destination is the end of the line. Reading on the way home, however, requires some care. I have missed or nearly missed my stop on several occasions because I was so engrossed in my book, I failed to notice that they called my stop.

Once you have missed your stop, you must quickly decided the easiest way to return. This could involve staying on the train and riding it back to the city or getting off at another stop and taking another train in the opposite direction. In any event, when this has happened, you must stop reading. Because you cannot afford to miss your stop a second time in one evening. Even many bibliophiles are not going to understand that! :(