Do you peek/skip a few pages when reading to know a book's ending?
By natalie1981
@natalie1981 (1995)
Singapore
May 9, 2007 6:21pm CST
I know, I know, it's probably weird and I'm probably the only one who does this but I actually peek at a book's ending. Usually I peek before I start to read because it's absolutely necessary for me to know how it ends. If it's not a happy ending I usually don't read it anymore. Or if I'm in at the climax of a book and I really wanted to know how it turns out, I usually skip a few pages to see what happens.
I usually do this when I'm reading a love story. When I was a teenager I have all these pocket books about love stories and I look at the ending to see if the characters end up together. Yes, I'm a spoilsport but I'm really a sucker for happy endings. LOL.
3 people like this
29 responses
@rekhum (2420)
• India
9 May 07
I do but not very often.
My curiosity just peaks at one point of time if the content of the book really suits my taste.I'd rather not skip but pace up my reading speed.Everybody apprreciates happy endings i guesss.
I also do the follow ups(going back to some happier incidents of the book).
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
10 May 07
Yeah, I sometimes read fast to get to the good part but sometimes I tend to skip some details when reading too fast.
@RookRocks (381)
• Philippines
10 May 07
Peek at the ending? No, I don't do that. But sometimes I do peek a few pages forward, just to see what happens on certain troubling scenes. I lose interest fast, that's why I prefer the story to remain a mystery.
But yeah, I also love happy endings. Whenever I read a bad ending, I feel down for days. I would rather drop the book if I knew it would be bad ending than feel gloomy a long time later on.
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
10 May 07
See, that's exactly why I want to read the endings. So that if it has a terrible ending, I wouldn't feel down for days and I wouldn't read the book in the first place. LOL.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
10 May 07
No never. I hate to know the ending. My grandmother was terrible about that she would read just enough to know who all the characters were and then turn to the end. I never could understand why she bothered reading the whole book but she did page by page. I also hate it when anyone tells me the end of a movie that they know I want to see!!
2 people like this
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
10 May 07
LOL. Maybe she's like me, she just wants to know if the story will end happily coz I wouldn't bother reading it if like, the main characters don't end up together. I guess I'm just a killjoy. But I do hate it when someone tells me the end of the movie.
@CaroleeKaufold (1853)
• United States
10 May 07
I never do that. I love waiting for the end. If I skipped to the end why read the whole book?
2 people like this
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
10 May 07
LOL. Well, how can I put it? It's like me knowing that you ended up with a great husband and have a nice, happy family. I mean, I already know you ended up with a great guy but that doesn't stop me from wanting to know how you ended up together, what were your ups and downs, how did it end up like that...something like that.
@LilyoftheThorns (12918)
• United States
10 May 07
oh no no no! lol. I never do this, I want to read a book in order =P And be surprised by the ending. I like reading the stuff leading up to the end before I actually get there =P
But it's okay that you choose to read ahead. I don't think there is anything wrong with you doing it if that is what you wish! :)
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
10 May 07
Thanks, but like I said, I only did that like, when I was a teenager. I have a lot more patience now, and besides, I've learned how to speed read so if I really want to get to the good part, I just speed read ahead.
@happy2bmommy (305)
• United States
10 May 07
i try my very best not to do this. i have to fight myself to control myself from reading the last page or the last paragraph of the book. i have done this a couple of times, feel happy that i read it, but then as i am getting into the story, i wish i didnt know how it was going to end. so in the end, i regret cheating.
2 people like this
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
10 May 07
Well, for me, even though I've read how it will end, I still like how the whole story would turn out. Kinda like, hearing the love story of your grandparents, you know that they ended up together but you still want to know all the juicy parts.
@juicemilk (2283)
• Australia
9 May 07
no can't say I have ever done that.
I don't see the point really, why bother to read the story if you know how it ends?
I'd rather have the ending be a surprise, and don't really care either way if it's happy or not.
I think it kinda defeats the purpose of actually reading the book. Why not just get someone who has read the book to give you a summary of what happens and then you wouldn't even need to read it :) lol
2 people like this
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
10 May 07
LOL. Well, I just really want to find out what happens because I really don't like to be left hanging. I hate to be kept on the edge of my seat.
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
11 May 07
That's interesting because I have just written a book which begins with the ending. It's a tragic romance and because I have started with the ending, the reader will know at the beginning that the love is doomed. Do you think that this is a good idea? I'm still trying to find a publisher for it...
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
12 May 07
Not the case with mine, they both get killed, though not at the same time..
@makingpots (11915)
• United States
10 May 07
I never read the ending of a book while reading it. What I do instead is flip forward a few pages when I start a new chapter. I just like to know what direction the story is going and whether or not I want to commit to reading the whole chapter or just get started on it. That is silly, I know. I feel like I am constantly thinking about when I need to stop reading or put the book down for a bit. I like to be at a good spot for stopping.
2 people like this
@kuting (885)
• Philippines
10 May 07
no its not weird and i think a lot of people also do that. i do that too escpecially when i become excited with the story. i skip pages with narrations so i could go faster, and if i really cant help it anymore, i would really read the ending.
@Whisp1976 (488)
• United States
11 May 07
I never do this. It would ruint he whole thing for me.
2 people like this
@ganeshkalki (37)
• India
10 May 07
Ya really i also do same as you. When I prepare to read a book I firstly I read the end pages of the book. however it is i will read after then.
2 people like this
@kevsgirlalways (5883)
• Malaysia
10 May 07
yes i always do that haha..when i'm in the midst of reading a book, i always tend to read a paragraph (or more?) of the upcoming chapters to find out what's going to happen.
2 people like this
@2blessings (30)
• United States
10 May 07
I do that with love stories too. I had a roommate who read the last page of every book that she read.
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
11 May 07
When I was younger, I was really really bad at skipping ahead to the ending to see what the book was like. I used to read as far as I could until I couldn't take it anymore and read the last page. Now, I can actually contain myself and wait until I read the entire book to see how it ends. My excitement is just so much easier to control now. I really have to control myself however when I'm reading Harry Potter, that's a hard task all on it's own though.
1 person likes this
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
12 May 07
OH, I know what you mean about Harry Potter. It takes all of my self control not to skip a few pages but whenever I'm in the climax of the story and I really want to know what happens next, I just speed up my reading, which is hard since I tend to skip a few sentences and sometimes I get lost in the story because I actually skipped an important sentence. LOL.
@k1tten (2318)
• United States
11 May 07
I sometimes do that. If it's a habit of mine to read a page or two at the beginning, a page or two in the middle, and a page or two at the end to see if it really is a good book. If I know the author then I know the book's going to be good anyway.
1 person likes this
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
11 May 07
Oh, that's new, reading a few pages to know the author. That's nice.
@sunshinelady (7609)
• United States
10 May 07
I like to read the whole story without peaking at the end of the book. All though there have been a couple of stories that I have been tempted to. I decided not to because for me that would have ruined the story. But each person is different and that makes this big world so wonderful.
1 person likes this
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
10 May 07
Thanks, but I think I have to add that I did the whole peeking/skipping pages part ages ago. Now, I think I have a lot more patience and I could even tolerate if the book didn't end up happily.
@4cuteboys (4099)
• United States
11 May 07
Haha, nope! I just wait til I get to the end, and I have been disappointed before by endings, but I stick it out and just read it through. I have never looked at the ending!! That is funny that you do that though! I am afraid if I did, I wouldn't want to read the book through since I already know the ending!
1 person likes this
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
11 May 07
Yeah, I guess I'm weird this way but I actually found another poster who has the same reasons as me for reading the end of the book. LOL. That made me feel much better knowing I'm not alone. :)
@saivenkaat802003 (4823)
• India
11 May 07
If after reading few chapters, when i find the book is quite interesting, i don't skip pages, to find how it ends, rather i'll call on my friends over phone and ask him/her to tell the story. Good story telling isn't it.LOL.Only then i'll be relived of the tension QUICKLY.. The tension i wud have at these moments will be greater than those,found in the climax of the story.LOLZ.
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
12 May 07
LOL, I also do that. If a friend already knows the story, I try to ask them about what I want to know too.
