The End – Booking Through Thursday
This week’s Booking Through Thursday question is:
You’ve just reached the end of a book . . . what do you do now? Savor and muse over the book? Dive right into the next one? Go take the dog for a walk, the kids to the park, before even thinking about the next book you’re going to read? What?
(Obviously, there can be more than one answer, here–a book with a cliff-hanger is going to engender different reactions than a serene, stand-alone, but you get the idea!)
Strangely enough, I tend to read the end of a book before I actually finish a book. I explain my reasoning here.
However, that doesn’t change how I react to the end of a book. Usually I like to savor what I’ve just read…think about it, I guess you could say it’s saying goodbye in a way. Normally I like to wait until the next day before starting a book.
There was one book, though, The Vanishing Point, that left me so saddened by the end of the book that I picked up another book within 15 minutes so I could forget about what I had just read. That doesn’t normally happen, though.
I guess I should say here that I normally finish a book late at night (1:00am, midnight, whenever), so perhaps that’s the reason I don’t start a new book right away. I’ll bet most of you finish your books late at night too, yes?
So I’m curious what the rest of you do. If you’ve already answered this on your own blog, leave a comment with a link to your answer. If you don’t have a blog or didn’t participate this week, just leave a comment. 
Don’t forget to enter my contest to win one of two copies of Did I Expect Angels? by Kathryn Maughan! You have until Friday, March 21st. You have a better chance of winning my contest than the lottery. 
| Tags: book, booking through thursday, Books, btt 28 comments »
March 20th, 2008 at 12:48 am
I do a lot of late night reading, too, but I work second shift, so that’s why. Sometimes I can move on straight away, sometimes I need to mull for a bit.
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March 20th, 2008 at 1:39 am
I’ll add my comment to the list later, but I’m interested in your response about the book that affected you so much. I hadn’t thought about what I would do in circumstances like that but I can see where you’re coming from. I have a similar sort of reaction if I’ve seen a film that has upset me. I want to overlay the image in my mind as soon as possible.
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March 20th, 2008 at 2:36 am
I don’t do a lot of late night reading, unless it really got me hooked and/or it’s nearing to the end.
Most of the times, I’ll just dive right into the next book. Gotta clear those piles! LOL.
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March 20th, 2008 at 2:39 am
Yeah I tend to finish reading late too. There’s something fun about being awake after midnight with a good book.
“I want to overlay the image in my mind as soon as possible.” That’s a great way of putting it. I’m the same with ‘icky’ books or movies.
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March 20th, 2008 at 4:08 am
like Melody I usually dive right into the pile but if it’s a book that I want to ‘stay in my head’ a little longer I tend to read a magazine in between.
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March 20th, 2008 at 4:12 am
I read whenever I can. I used to read in bed at night, but these days I just climb into bed and fall asleep straight away! These days early mornings and early evenings are my favourite times to read.
I have to dive straight into the next book though ;0)
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March 20th, 2008 at 4:47 am
Lol! Yes, sometimes I go to bed too.
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March 20th, 2008 at 5:34 am
Half the time I have planned what I’m reading next before I start the one in my hand!
http://booksnbordercollies.blogspot.com/
Lezlie
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March 20th, 2008 at 5:42 am
I too do late night reading and of course I cannot start another book at that time!
And great that I know about the contest!
Thanks!
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March 20th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Yes, I read in bed and into the wee hours on weekends. It’s the best spot to read!
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March 20th, 2008 at 8:11 am
I agree with what you said. Well, except for reading the end of the book first…I couldn’t do that…some times that is my only motivation to finish the book!haha…but other times I could and still stay motivated.
In my answer I didn’t really answer…I just said it is different for me in every book. oh, well.
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March 20th, 2008 at 9:37 am
I am big on reading late at night. There have been a few times when I was finishing a book at 4:30 am, so by that time, my only thought was to get some shut-eye.
I feel bad when I flip though toward the end, like I am breaking the rules. That’s not to say that I don’t do it anyway at times, but I still feel bad…
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March 20th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Yep, I often read myself to sleep. I don’t ever read endings prematurely, though. That’s cheating! My BTT post is up if you’d like to take a look at it.
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March 20th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Yes to the late night reading. If not finished in the a.m. I’ll pick another one up. I’ve started reading the first chapters of the next 5 books in my stack to see what I feel like reading.
I have only flipped to the end a couple of times. But I definitely read the end of books that I don’t plan to finish..
Good question.
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March 20th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
OMG, I can’t read the end first! I feel like I’m cheating!
And I enjoy the build-up too much to sacrifice the surprise at the end. But I do love to read late at night. If I’ve read into the wee hours, I definitely won’t start another one–except for one notable exception, which I wrote about in my BTT post. 
But for now, I’ve set my book aside to watch season 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A show that has actually curtailed my reading! For now, at least, as I just found out there’s a series of graphic novels for Buffy.
http://nathanandbecca.com/becca/?p=455
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March 20th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
I try not to read too much late at night during the week, because then I don’t get enough sleep! But when I do, I really need to think about things before I can go to bed, or decide what to do next …
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March 20th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
My the time I make it to the end of one book, I’m itching to start the next. I usually jump into another right away but just the cover blurbs, intro, etc. The story itself usually waits until the next day.
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March 20th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
I sometimes read the last couple pages too cuz I can’t stand the suspense. Ha!
I played too
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March 20th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I am SO with you on reading the end of the book first. I’ve been known to check the ending before I even buy the book, because if a main character is killed off, it can be cause for serious annoyance/tears/anguish/refusal to buy the book. I’m all about the happy ending.
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March 20th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I tend to read at night as well. I’ve stayed up rather late a few times to finish the last chapter of something.
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March 20th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I often read the end chapter of a book before I’m done reading the book. I do that to see if it’s a book I want to review. Happy BTT.
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March 20th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I’m a late night reader, too, but not a read-the-end-first reader like you and Softdrink! If I knew what was going to happen in the end I probably wouldn’t finish half the books I read!
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March 21st, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I usually go straight to the next book, as soon as I can:
http://shereadsbooks.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/btt-the-end/
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March 21st, 2008 at 4:33 pm
When I finish a book tends to vary. I’ve stayed up late on a Friday or Saturday night just so I can finish a book. I won’t start the next book until I’ve had some sleep, however.
I’ve read the ending of books, after starting them. I try not to do that too much. I want a book to surprise me. Too often, I’ve guessed whodunit without having to read the ending. It’s a rarity for a book to kept me guessing until the end. I don’t want to accidentally spoil that.
Christina (aka misscz)
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March 22nd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
I did just stay up until 1am to finish reading Susan Hill’s ‘The Various Haunts of Men’ and was too tired and wound up after the ending to go straight on to the next book waiting. I started that one the next morning! A definite diver.
But Trish! I could never go to the ending before I’d read the rest of the book – I’m stunned that you can!
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March 24th, 2008 at 2:31 am
1:00 am? Ha! I go to bed before 10:00pm and that is staying up late for me!! Usually I am in bed right after my daughter at 8:30 pm!
But then again I am usually up around 5:00am. 
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March 25th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Sometimes I too finish a book late at night. But when I don’t I dive right for the next book in my to-read-pile.
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March 28th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
I usually read the last line of a book, so it doesn’t make sense in context, but then when I’m nearly done with the book I can suddenly remember and get sad in advance, or whatever’s appropriate.
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