Comments on: Reader’s Corner: Last Page Readers

By: Tee

Tee — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:44:36 +0000

Marg: Tee, to be honest I can’t tell you! I think it is just a bad habit I have gotten into and now I can’t stop myself. I guess it just confirms in my mind that everything is going to turn out. There are odd occasions where there are major spoilers and I think I wish I hadn’t of done that, but not often.

Thanks for responding, Marg -- I was curious. One of these days when you purchase a book, tape the last couple of pages to the back cover to keep yourself from peeking. Just to know you can do it. I'm kidding, of course. You do whatever floats your boat -- your book, your choices.

By: Marg

Marg — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:31:38 +0000

Tee, to be honest I can’t tell you! I think it is just a bad habit I have gotten into and now I can’t stop myself. I guess it just confirms in my mind that everything is going to turn out. There are odd occasions where there are major spoilers and I think I wish I hadn’t of done that, but not often.

By: Tee

Tee — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:45:53 +0000

Marg: I always read the last page. [snip] It is normally just a bit about the detective wrapping up the case, or laying the ground work for the next one!

So, I'm curious, Marg. In this case, where you say you don't really find out much about the story ending on the last page, especially in mysteries, why then do you bother to go to the end first? Not judging at all here, just wondering.

By: Marg

Marg — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:25:01 +0000

I always read the last page. There are only a couple of books I can think of where I have really spoiled the reading experience by doing so. Even in mysteries, there usually isn’t a lot about who it was on the last page. It is normally just a bit about the detective wrapping up the case, or laying the ground work for the next one!

By: Janet W

Janet W — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:12:57 +0000

@Avid Reader: well I definitely won't do it for Gabaldon ... and I never do it for mysteries (so much so that my brain leeches away many mystery endings in the weeks after I've read 'em). BUT, like you said, if it's a threesome (not physical but I'm not sure how the book will end) and who will end up w/whom, like A Season in Eden by Megan Chance, or if it's a super dismal/scary/potentially horrific ending, like Penelope Williamson's The Outsider, I'll confess to peeking. And not in a fit of pique LOL, just 'cause I can't stand the suspense. When do I peek: maybe when I'm 7/8ths through ...

By: nath

nath — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:42:42 +0000

Guilty. I used to read those extremely long kung fu novels (several tomes) and I want to know who ended up with whom… and that’s how it started…

To me, it’s not the ending, but how the author does to get to the end, so I don’t mind. I try to do it less when it comes to mystery and romantic suspense, but I can’t say I really care about figuring it out LOL..

By: Avid Reader

Avid Reader — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 03:57:14 +0000

Carolyn Crane: Though now I’m wondering, when you always read the last page, does it mean you’ll also read spoilers in reviews?

@Carolyn - Well, I don't mind spoilers in reviews especially if it's a book I have zero plans to read. In general, spoilers don't bother me and do the exact opposite for me. Instead of ruining the book, it makes me even more excited to read the book.

By: Carolyn Crane

Carolyn Crane — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:59:34 +0000

That’s so funny that you mention Gabaldon. When I read Outlander, I was SO worried for Jamie, but it never occurred to me to read the last page. I even emailed my friend for her to reassure me that it would turn out okay. But reading the last page is unthinkable to me!!

Except now that you put the idea in my head, it’s not! But I still would never do it. Unless, like Tee, it was a DNF.

I can see how it would change the experience, though. Good thing you stopped. Though now I’m wondering, when you always read the last page, does it mean you’ll also read spoilers in reviews?

By: Kailana

Kailana — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:04:55 +0000

I couldn’t imagine reading the ending first! Sometimes I want to, I admit, but I read the book like it was laid out. I hate spoilers! I have heard of people destroying the book for themselves by reading the ending first, so I would not want that to happen at all!

By: Avid Reader

Avid Reader — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:34:49 +0000

Well, if I am unsure of the ending, I will read the end just to make sure everything is A-OK. I haven’t done that in a while. Anytime you have a love triangle or something unexpected happens in the story that leads you to be unsure of the outcome — yes, I will read the ending.

By: JenB

JenB — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:56:43 +0000

I'm a last page reader. I do it mostly with mystery/suspense (which I don't care for and don't read often), but I also do it with other books. Sometimes I absolutely love the book and I want to make sure the ending won't ruin that for me; sometimes the book is slow and I want to see if it's worthwhile to keep reading; sometimes I just get bored and don't feel like finishing, but I still want to know what happens in the end. I usually won't finish a book whose ending is spoiled for me, but I don't really consider my reading experience "ruined"--just abbreviated. I'm also a skimmer by nature, and I often listen to abridged audiobooks, so the condensed reading experience has never been a problem for me. They're just books. I don't get stressed over my entertainment/relaxation activities.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:01:40 +0000

I never do this — but that’s probably because I started out life as a mystery/suspense reader. Half the fun of reading that genre is the twists and turns of the plot, ultimately leading to the “whodunit.” Ruining the “whodunit” takes about 95% of the fun out the equation.

Like Tee though, I will skim the ending if it’s obvious that the book is going to be a DNF for me. Otherwise? No peeking.

By: Janicu

Janicu — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:58:59 +0000

I do. Not all books, but books where I want to know if the couple gets together.. the books where it’s a fantasy/UF and it may or may not happen. That way I have the rest of the book to get used to there NOT being a HEA.

By: SarahT

SarahT — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:57:55 +0000

I went through a phase of reading the endings first. It was destroying my enjoyment of the books, particularly mysteries and thrillers. So now I curb my inner demand for instant gratification because I know waiting will prove the more satisfying choice.

By: Tee

Tee — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:46:27 +0000

Nope, won't do it! It's bad enough in a regular fiction book, but it doesn't make sense when it's a mystery or suspense story. The only way I'll scan to the end is when it's obvious to me that the book I'm reading is a DNF. Then I just want to see how the author envisioned the ending and for no other reason.

By: ~ames~

~ames~ — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:29:07 +0000

I don’t read the end first. With romance especially, we know we’re going to get an HEA, so I’ll arrive there the way the author intended it. But that’s just me.