Pretty much the only thing writers love as much as books and writing is talking about books and writing. So each week (or so) here at Adventures in YA Publishing, we’ll post a question for you to answer. The questions cover all topics important to writers: craft, career, writers’ life, reading and books. Together we’ll become better writers by sharing tips and discussing our habits and practices.
Last week, my dad told me that my step-mom regularly borrows twenty or more library books a week. I asked how she can possibly read that fast, and he said that she doesn’t: if she likes the cover, she will borrow the book. When she gets home, she reads the first page, and if she likes the first page, then she reads the last page. If she finds the last page satisfying, then she will read the entire book. On average, she reads about two books a week. Which leads me to the…
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| Do you peek? photo credit: fazen via photopin cc |
Martina: Maybe three or four times in my teens and early twenties, when I was afraid that something horrible was happening to a romantic lead I was particularly attached to. On all but one of those occasions, I checked the last page, saw that the name of the character was still there, and flipped back to where I’d left off in the book. Once, I flipped to the end, discovered something horrible really had happened to the character, and abandoned the book completely. I internalize characters as I read. I feel like they are alive for me, and having them die is like losing a family member. It takes an enormous emotional toll.
Jan: I may have done this a few times, but only when I knew it was a “did not finish” anyway and just wanted to know the ending.
Clara: No. No, no, no. Never. I don’t ever recall a time when I read the last page before I finished the book. *Note: My step-mom waited to read RUN TO YOU until all three parts of Book 1 came out, so she could read the entire book at once. This was the one time she didn’t read the last page until she got to the end. 🙂
Alyssa: Yes! Most of the time it really doesn’t ruin the book for me, it just gets me even more excited to get to the part. But every once in a while it will spoil it. I find that I only peek when i’m not totally invested in the book 100%. But if it’s a book that I can’t even put down, I generally don’t peek.
Lisa: I never read the last page first. I used to, long ago, read the last sentence. But I’ve definitely stopped that habit. I want to enjoy the journey so to speak. And yeah, it’s probably because I’m a writer. Don’t get me wrong! I still get sucked in when the book is good, and there is temptation, but I’ve been good for the last several years at least.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you peek at the last page? If so, why? Do you do it to determine if you want to read the book, or is your curiosity simply too much to contain?
