How I read

1.You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next?

I’m learning that when I write down a book recommendation from someone, I need to write a little blurb of what about it appeals to me so that I know why I liked it. That helps me know whether to start on it based on my mood.  (“Contest chasing space junk and space lawyers in love? Sign me up!” [Manx Prize, by the way. Great book.])

2. You’re halfway through a book, and you’re just not loving it. Do you quit or are you committed?

I will skip to the end to see if the ending is worth slogging through for. If it’s not, I’ll stop.

3. The end of the year is coming, and you’re so close, but so far away on your Goodreads reading challenge. Do you try to catch up and how?

What Goodreads reading challenge? No idea what that is. I’ll read what I read, thank you, and not according to a contest. Unless there are bucket-loads of cash involved. Then maybe I’ll think about it.

4. The covers of a series you love do. not. match. How do you cope?

Don’t care. I’ll read it anyway.

5. Everyone and their mother love a book you really don’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings?

I will respectfully share my feelings and ask with curiosity about what the draw is for that book.  If I don’t share opinion and ask, how will I even find whom to bond with over shared feelings?

6. You’re reading a book and you are about to start crying in public. How do you deal?

I will cry. Quietly. And then maybe go hide in the bathroom for a while.

7. A sequel to a book you loved just came out, but you’ve forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a synopsis on Goodreads? Cry in frustration?!?!?!?

I will re-read. This means more time for enjoyment in that author’s carefully designed world.

8. You do not want anyone. ANYONE. borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people no when they ask?

I will let people borrow my books. I will write my name in them, though. And maybe write down who has them.

9. Reading ADD. You’ve picked up and put down 5 books in the last month. How do you get over your reading slump?

Ask my sister and a few of my friends. Try something new. Maybe read some non-fiction for a while.

10. There are so many new books coming out that you’re dying to read! How many do you actually buy?

As many as I can afford with my book budget.  And then write down the others for later.

11. After you’ve bought the new books you can’t wait to get to, how long do they sit on your shelf before you get to them?

I'll start a few right away. It can take a while.

12. Do you re-read books? 

Yes. It is a special book that is re-readable, but it takes time to figure out which ones those are. A re-readable book is one that you will get just as much enjoyment out of reading the 11^th time as you read the 1^st time, even if you know what happens.  Re-readable books are those that contain such insight on the human experience that you learn something new from them each time you read them.

Why I have to occasionally skip ahead in books

DeAnna Pierce did a blog post on the Ten Commandments of Reading, and I enjoyed it, but I took issue with number 9 in which she said “No skipping to the end of the book.”  (When I say “take issue,” I don’t mean an outpouring of rabid, hand-waving anger. I simply mean calm, rational disagreement with a smile.)

Because I am one of those people who occasionally skips ahead in books.  I do it for particular reasons, and I think it is worth it to delve into those reasons, for the benefit of those who can’t imagine why anyone would do this. 

I know there are probably people who can’t fathom it. There are also authors who work very hard to ration out bread crumbs of information all along in their books until they can hit the reader with a gigantic reveal at the end that twists perceptions and turns everything upside down.   To these people, the notion that someone (like me) would skip to the end is tantamount to literary blasphemy, since reading the book out of order would disrupt the careful emotional experience they have worked so hard to evoke in the reader.

So let me tell you about the thought process I go through that leads to me deciding to skip to the end of a book.

There are some books out there that are very well written, and they suck me in like a tornado plowing through a mobile home community.  But I have a hard time dealing with books that pile mystery upon mystery upon mystery.  If everything happening is a mystery, if terms that are used are mysterious and not explained by context pretty quickly, if too many characters’ motives are mysterious, I start getting impatient.  I start to feel like the author is rubbing my face in all the mystery.  I start to doubt whether the author can pull off telling a good enough story that can engage me more than all the mystery irritates me. 

I know the author is setting things up. But the question rises of whether he/she can give a pay-off that really satisfies.  It has to be a really awesome pay-off to string me along, otherwise I’m going to be mad.  If the author is continually adding more story questions without answering any of them, I start to suspect that they won’t answer them, or that the pay-off won’t be enough to make all the set-up worth it.

So, how do I satisfy myself in this regard?  I skip to the end and read the last 50 pages or so. 

I can hear all the thriller and mystery writers shouting, “But that ruins the story if you know what happens at the end!” 

Let me ask you this—does it ruin the water slide ride to know that the ending is a dunk in a big pool of water?   No, it doesn’t. It’s a relief.  It’s something to look forward to.

Would you be comfortable getting on an inner-tube and riding into a dark tunnel after a water slide architect tells you, “This is my first ride I’ve ever had built and you’re not allowed to know how it ends except by going through it. Did you know that there are some exciting things like waterfalls and whirlpools involved?” You might want some reassurances.You might want a little more information before you let yourself go on that.

Or maybe a waterslide isn’t the best analogy. What about a roller coaster? Would you be comfortable going on one if you couldn’t see the end of it?  Especially if you knew there were roller coasters that hadn’t ended in happy places? 

When I read the last 50 pages, I am looking for awesome. I’m looking for drama and interest. If I can find it, that tells me the book’s middle is also going to be interesting, I will go back and read the whole book. And I will enjoy the ending even more because I know it will be awesome. And all the little things that didn’t make sense in the ending will then have new significance for me to appreciate because I have finally read the build-up.

But if the last 50 pages don’t have anything that I can tell is dramatic and amazing all by itself, that shows me that the author depended on all the little mysteries and reveals to create the climax and carry the ending.  And that seems pretty one-note to me.

Skipping to the ending is actually a good way of testing the writing skills of the author.  If the ending draws you in when you don’t know the middle of the story, then the author did an even better job than simply designing a linear experience. They made each part engaging.    Or, suppose you start at the end and read a few pages then, skip progressively closer to the beginning.  If each part is interesting regardless of the order it is read, then the writer’s skill is bigger than just creating a particular plot sequence.  If a book pulls you in even if you’ve read it before, then enjoyment of the book is not dependent on whether you’re ignorant of what happens.  That means the book is re-readable. 

Other cases where I might skip to the end are when the book seems really slow and boring (a subjective term, but still necessary). I'd like to know whether it gets any better. If it does, then I'll go back to where I left off and read to the end. But if not, why bother? Life is too short to read bad books.

I’m not the only person who has noted that spoilers can enhance enjoyment.  Check out this article:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2011/aug/17/spoilers-enhance-enjoyment-psychologists