avrelia

Recently there were couple of discussions whether it is sacrilege or not to fold pages in a book. It is not a question for me – I just can never ever do it. But what is a question – can you look at the end before you read everything else? Because I do it. I have a slight feeling that it is wrong, but it is not enough to stop me from doing it.

When I was a child, I hated bad endings. I accepted the necessity of them, but didn't feel it's worth my time to read a book if it ends unhappily. And I would check the ending to see if it is any good. And then – what the point of reading it if I know it ends badly? So I didn't read a lot of classical literature for that reason. For some books, however, the ending – good or bad – didn't play any role whatsoever – the book was just too good not to read it (or, you know, it had to be read for school – or both).

I grew up. Somewhat. I hope. But the habit of looking at the ending first persisted, even though I don't refuse books with unhappy endings. In fact I prefer open endings to all others.

Now it doesn't matter whether it is a happy ending or not , but the desire to know immediately how it's written and what's there. I often look at the end when picking up a book in a bookstore or a library – by the look and style of the ending I can judge whether or not I want to read it. It feels like in this case I do the least damage to my reading integrity – I don't know any characters and I am not engaged in a story, and by the time I got to end I forget all about it, so it is all new.

But sometimes the book is so engaging, so I feel I cannot put it down without knowing what happens in the end, and I have to know it now immediately. I look and then feel slightly guilty for it.

And sometimes I don't even explain myself to myself, and don't feel guilty at all.

So, what do you think about jumping to look in the end of a book? I mean, of course fiction.

[Poll #804743]