Fantasy Aficionados discussion
Achive
>
Do You Ever Skip to the End of a Book?
I do, in my old age depending on the story and my reading time-frame. It's a bad habit in that it spoils the ending somewhat, but it works for my reading style in some cases--as my anticipation grows, I start skimming and reading for plot. If I have an idea where it's headed, I can slow myself down again. I'm more likely to peek late at night when I want to go to bed.
I used to do it when I was younger, if I was really worried about what was going to happen to a character, but I haven't done it in many years. I just can't bring myself to peek now. It ruins the story for me and then it's no fun.
I do it off and on, but the example I'll give you is Diana Gabaldon. She's one of my favorite writers. I love her books. But she is so much about the long game that sometimes I have to peek ahead a few hundred pages (or a couple of times, I was peeking into books that came later in the series) for my own peace of mind. With her, I often can't stand the suspense enough that it distracts me until I peek. I still read everything else; I just read it knowing what's coming. I think it's a compliment to the writer, in this case. Her writing grabs hold so much it turns me into a naughty peeker.
I canNOT skip ahead. Like a Athena said, it just totally ruins the story, the tension goes and there's really no point in reading any more. Personally, one of my favourite parts of reading is the dread that something awful is going to happen, or the excitement you have when you think you know what a character is up to or where a conversation is headed. I'm the kind of person who yells at a book the same way I'll yell at the television, "Make sure he's dead you idiot!" or "Oh, they're finally going got kiss!"My cousin skips ahead all the time and when she's pissed at me, instead of calling me down, she'll text me a spoiler of a book she knows I'm reading. It's a very effective punishment.
I do not do that. instead I google the summary or find an article in Wikipedia hahaha =P
Nope. Certainly not for a book I'm enjoying.The worst I do is if I'm tense about something I start trying to read faster, which means I sometimes skim and miss things, and have to force myself to go back and read slower... but I would never skip to the end to see how it comes out.
If it's a crap book that I just want to find out what happens but not necessarily read it, then I might just read a Wiki summary or something, though. But that's only for crap books.
± Colleen (of the Crawling Chaos) ± wrote: Nope. Certainly not for a book I'm enjoying.The worst I do is if I'm tense about something I start trying to read faster, which means I sometimes skim and miss things, and have to force myself to go back and read slower... but I would never skip to the end to see how it comes out.
If it's a crap book that I just want to find out what happens but not necessarily read it, then I might just read a Wiki summary or something, though. But that's only for crap books.
^This. Exactly what she said. I don't skip with books I'm enjoying but I do get tense and skim by accident.
But, also like Colleen, if the book is crap I'll skip, skim and wiki it.
Sophie wrote: "I canNOT skip ahead. Like a Athena said, it just totally ruins the story, the tension goes and there's really no point in reading any more. Personally, one of my favourite parts of reading is the d..."I have a friend that does that too, only with movies. When she knew I was looking forward to seeing The Village, she called and blurted out the surprise before I could stop her. To this day I am still pissed about it.
That seems very unkind, to spoil on purpose. It's one thing if someone is very excited about what they've read/saw and want to share the excitement--the "you have to read/see this" conversation. It's another thing to deliberately tell the ending to punish someone.
@ K.C, I think you'll appreciate this. Years ago I went to the movies with my family. My mom and grandmother went to go see The Sixth Sense. My aunt and I went to see a Star Wars movie, forget which one. Afterward we met up. While still in the theater my mom blurted out, loudly mind you (view spoiler) Still mad. I'd have loved to see if I got it on my own. But no....To answer the question, I used to do this alot when I was younger. Usually to find out if favorite characters died or ended up together. I grew out of it though. It's too satisfying to get to the end and be surprised.
I have never done this and never will, i hate spoilers with a passion and even if i miss my book mark or dont know where i left off, i go back as far as possible just to be on the safe side. Peeking ahead is pointless what's the point of reading story if you already know how it's going to end?
Mach wrote: "Peeking ahead is pointless what's the point of reading story if you already know how it's going to end?..."Because sometimes the journey is still worth it... or not. Sometimes I don't mind the drive, and sometimes I'd rather just fly over the whole state.
Traci wrote: "@ K.C, I think you'll appreciate this. Years ago I went to the movies with my family. My mom and grandmother went to go see The Sixth Sense. My aunt and I went to see a Star Wars movie, forget whic..."LOL. I loved that movie and if someone had told me the big deal right before I watched it, I would have wanted to shoot them. This is why I do not go to a movie with anyone who has seen it before. Even if they don't tell me what's going to happen, I hate it when you are sitting with someone who has seen the movie and they turn to watch your face every time something big happens. I hate that!
I'm with Carol; more of a "journey, not a destination" kind of reader. I don't even get that upset about an accidental spoiler. Even if you know WHAT happens, it'm more interesting, to me, to know HOW.The Sixth Sense did get spoiled for me. A friend at work was talking about the movies and I covered my ears so I wouldn't hear. She stopped talking and I thought I was safe, but then she added (view spoiler) and of course that was the main spoiler! Still, I enjoyed the movie, maybe even more so because instead of waiting for THE BIG TWIST I was just going along with the story and appreciating it. In truth, I'm not a big fan of books or movies that rely solely on THE BIG TWIST to make it work.
Sometimes knowing doesn't spoil it for me. It depends on the book or movie. I just wish people would ask me if I want it spoiled before telling me. Of course I have spoiled things for others without realizing it. When I saw the scene for The Others with Nicole Kidman I guessed what the twist was and then my mom went to see the movie. She was so mad at me. :)
I never peek ahead to the end of books, however, if I've decided I'm giving up on a book, sometimes I will jump to the end and read the last chapter or so. That isn't a 'peek' though, because once I've done that, I'm done with the book. I'm with the others who posted that the joy of a good book is immersing myself in the story, I just like to let it unfold. Now, if I'm really into a story and eager to see how it turns out, I'm not averse to staying up reading until 4 or 5am to finish it...
I do it sometimes and I consider it a bad habit because it really does take something from the story, in particular in any kind of thriller.If a book is dragging on I’ll sometimes peak ahead to see if it gets any better.
That reminds me...do some of you read a book after seeing the movie? I have no desire to read the Time Travelers Wife because I have already seen the movie and know what happens.
I don't generally read the end, and especially not with a murder mystery - it kind of defeats the point. But occasionally the tension gets too unbearable, and I can't settle without knowing. What I really hate is that end of chapter about to be killed fade to black moment. Then there's several chapters of other POVs to trawl through before you find out whether they survived or not. Drives me nuts. So sometimes I flip ahead to check.The only time I seriously looked up what happens is for A Game of Thrones. When (view spoiler), that wasn't so bad, I could flip ahead and see that (view spoiler). But from then on, I knew that no character was totally safe, and when (view spoiler), I was just so stressed out reading - every line of every chapter! - so I went online and found out who died, right up to the book/wall collision moment in Storm of Swords (view spoiler), and I was able to carry on. Great books, brilliant writing, but the stuff that happens!!! Spoilerising myself was the only way I could read it.
Lol@Pauline. I would do that too. And I just peeked at all your spoilers. ;) But I doubt I will read the series for awhile.
lol, Pauline, I totally understand why you'd peek a bit ahead for GoT. I may have done it myself when I was reading ASoS; it's was just bam-bam-bam! of events from start to finish xDIn answer to the general question though, I may have done it on occasion when I was younger but I can't remember what book it was that I did that for =P
I used to read the last sentence of a book just for kicks. It usually didn't make any sense....until I read one that spoiled the entire book for me. I've stopped since then.
K.C. wrote: "Sometimes knowing doesn't spoil it for me. It depends on the book or movie. I just wish people would ask me if I want it spoiled before telling me. Of course I have spoiled things for others wit..."I always peek ahead. I like to know how the book ends; it never spoils the fun for me but sometimes I stop reading if I don't like how it ends. I like to know what a movie is about too, always read descriptions. And on this particular website, I always read spoilers. I love them.
I don't mind reading a book after watching the film, especially for classics - their story is so well known it virtually impossible to not have them spoiled. But for more recent stuff the way the story is told is usually different enough that it is a whole new experience (at least for me it is).Take Practical Magic, for example. I find the book by Alice Hoffman to be a completely different kind of story with little resemblance to the film. Personally, I like the movie waaaaay better.
@Jelilah As for Time Traveler's Wife, it isn't the kind of book I'd myself read, but I have a friend who loves the book and hated the movie. His opinion is that they took everything out of the movie that made the book great and "took an awesome speculative fiction and turned it into a trite love story" /exact quote I've heard every time the movie comes up.
If I did this, I wouldn't see the point in continuing. The speculation in the middle is usually what I find the most fun - seeing how the impossible stuff pans out.
Sophie wrote: "I don't mind reading a book after watching the film, especially for classics - their story is so well known it virtually impossible to not have them spoiled. But for more recent stuff the way the s..."I agree about the classics. I read Pride and Prejudice and Tom Jones after seeing the BBC miniseries, and nothing was ruined for me, but I do try to wait until I've read the book for the stories I don't know, for example, The Prestige (the movie would have ruined that for me-so glad I read the book first), The Help (haven't read it yet, so haven't seen the movie), The Power of One (the movie turned out to be a very poor adaptation, but wanting to see the movie is what motivated me read the book, and then it turned out to be one of my favorites, so I guess I'm glad they made the movie).
Yikes, that was a really long sentence.
In my experience, a movie adaptation is never adequate to the book. Not necessarily worse but different. Even when it's a good movie, or maybe especially when it's a good movie, like Practical Magic, it should deviate from the source. The mediums are just too different: a visual and a narrative. You can't have a screenplay which includes all the intricacies of a novel.
Olga wrote: "In my experience, a movie adaptation is never adequate to the book. Not necessarily worse but different. Even when it's a good movie, or maybe especially when it's a good movie, like Practical Magi..."Absolutely agree with this. Remains of the Day is a good example for me; great book, great movie, but great in different ways. The book has the subtlety and depth, the movie has the amazing acting and the visuals.
And Lord of the Rings, of course. Awesome book, how could the movie possibly do it justice? But it did, even though it was very different. I loved (most of) the bits they changed (no Tom Bombadil! elves at Helm's Deep! yay and thrice yay!), but I also loved (most of) the bits they kept (what do you fear, my lady? a cage; and the ride of the Rohirrim... sorry, welling up now... [sniffle]).
But @Emily, yes, it's better to read the book first, always. Think of a whole generation growing up who will only ever visualise Boromir as Sean Bean. Or Ned Stark, come to that. Although, on second thoughts, that's not so much of a problem, is it? ;-)
Ok, I know I said the two experiences are different, but some adaptations come mighty close to adequate. The BBC Pride and Prejudice is - in my opinion, naturally - the nearest you can find to a perfect adaptation. I've tried to think of others, but that is the only one that comes to mind.
The Power of One was made into a movie? i need to find that one.
If you liked the book, you will probably be disappointed, even if the movie does have Morgan Freeman in it.You're going to go watch it now, aren't you?
Rats. :)
I'm cool with changes being made in adaptations if they stay true to the spirit of the book. I didn't think they did that with The Power of One.
PaulineMRoss said
"But @Emily, yes, it's better to read the book first, always. Think of a whole generation growing up who will only ever visualise Boromir as Sean Bean. Or Ned Stark, come to that. Although, on second thoughts, that's not so much of a problem, is it? ;-)"
LOL. Yes, he suits me just fine. ;)
I finished The Dragonbone Chair tonight, and the whole time I was reading it I really just want to skip and stop reading the book, and just wiki for the plot. But I went ahead and read the whole book, which took me a good week.
I tried to read that one. It was even for a book club, but I couldn't finish it. I did like his book Tailchaser's Song, though. And I'm pretty sure I didn't peek ahead with that one.
I've been in such a reading funk this year...It's given me short patience and the desire to wiki everything. O_o
^ Me too. I blame this site. LOL. Just Kidding. Kind of. Last year was my first year here and it was awesome. I spent the year reading everyones' favorites and finding more for myself. But now I'm pretty much on my own again and blah.
Traci wrote: "I so skimmed that book, Kevin."Yeah, that is basically what I did with about 40% of the book.
Fortunately, this is my first year here. Still following other people's suggestions. Some I like, some I don't, but overall, I'm discovering new authors for myself at least once a week. My reading list is over 80 books at the moment, while before I joined GR I couldn't find anything to read. And the system of reviews here is right up my line of peeking to the end. Every review gives some inkling of what the book is about, its general feeling.
Completely random aside... every time I see this thread on my homepage all I hear in my head is Prince Humperdinck at the wedding scene going "Skip to the end... !"
***
I also reread books. It helps that I tend to forget details of stories after awhile. And sometimes I just want to see what it's like the second time around. There are things I might've missed, or just an added level of depth I get on the second go around.
And, sometimes, it's just nice to snuggle up with a favorite to break out of a reading slump, as others have said.
That said, I do think that I've been a bit more impatient with books lately.
Part of it is that I think that while I've always been a critical kind of reader, unless a story really grabs me, that as I've started writing reviews I've tended to keep a part of my brain on those critical elements a bit more while reading.
Another part, though, is that I think I've just been reading so much more than I used to that repeating patterns and motifs just become more and more noticeable and, as an extension, more and more unbearable.
I also find myself more keenly aware of just how many books are out there to be read - which I think also adds to my impatience level.
As far as my finds versus recommendations... by and large the books I read because everyone tells me how great they are I find myself less than impressed with.
But I have come across a few gems I may not have found otherwise, so I guess it's all worth it. ;)
I *hardly ever* skip to the end. If a book has tried my patience to the breaking point and I am too bored or frustrated to sink more hours into it, I'll sometimes just go read the end. That's what I did with Harry Potter #5. (Now, now! I know the rest of you just *loved* it--but I didn't.)My ideal read is one that I would never even think to skip ahead on, because I'm glued to the pages and following what's happening next.
Mention the Prince, and I hear Carol Kane: "Humperdink! Humperdink!" "Arrgggh!"
Every time I see/hear "Humperdink!" I think of History of the World Part I: "Hump or Death, Hump or Death"
Carol wrote: "Mention the Prince, and I hear Carol Kane: "Humperdink! Humperdink!" "Arrgggh!""I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!
± Colleen (of the Crawling Chaos) ± wrote: "Completely random aside... every time I see this thread on my homepage all I hear in my head is Prince Humperdinck at the wedding scene going "Skip to the end... !"omg, was drinking tea when I read this and I almost spit all over the computer screen!
My favourite was always the next part,
"I'm not a witch I'm your wife! But after what you just said, I'm not sure I wanna be that anymore!"
"You never had it so good!"
Me and my hubby use those lines a lot. ;)
I must confess when I'm thinking of getting a book at my fav used book store I read two things, inside the jacket and the very last paragraph.On a side note with everyone talking about The Princess Bride and with as much as I love the movie it will most likely be my next read.
I realize that I only am impelled to glance at the end of the book, if it is a really really good one, with a gripping plot and wonderful characters. Then I can't stand it, I need to be reassured that the hero is going to survive. If I don't care, this is a very bad sign indeed.
I never skip ahead, but I have been known to take a peek at Wikipedia or Wikipedia-like page when I'm getting anxious, nervous or impatient. I currently have both the Wikipedia page and the the wikia-Honorverse page up "permanently" as I read through the entire series. The former is so that I can keep track of the internal chronological order, while the latter has confirmed or alleviated my fears about characters I thought were going to die or explained the outcomes to some of the operations that I just didn't quite understand in the book.
I've done it once or twice, when I've been really, really worried that a favorite character is going to die or meet with some other horrible fate - and even then, I just scanned a page for their name, to know they hadn't bit the dust!I don't really make a habit of it though. I try to be patient!
Fantasy Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
The Others (other topics)The Thief (other topics)
Bitten (other topics)
The Adamantine Palace (other topics)
The Hunger Games (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Lindsay Buroker (other topics)Joss Whedon (other topics)
Joe Abercrombie (other topics)
Steven Erikson (other topics)
Glen Cook (other topics)
More...
I confess that I have done this a few times. At the end of the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, the last book, I peeked. I couldn't help it. It looked like there was going to be a horrible ending and he was going to kill one of my fav characters, so I checked before continuing to read.
As a writer, though, I hate it when people tell me they've done this with one of my books. I put a lot of thought into how and when I want shocking surprises to come out. This is a bit hypocritical of me, I know, but I can't help it. I want my readers to be surprised... but when I read a book, sometimes I want to be let off the hook before finishing.
So, do you ever skip to the end?