Welcome to What Do You Think Thursday, a periodic discussion post on my blog!
Last week we discussed happy endings. This week, I'm curious: if you need that happy ending, do you peek to make sure it's there?
Confession: I am a peeker, a spoiler-seeker, someone who thinks it's totally okay to look at the last page of the book before I actually get there.
This may be shocking to some of you. If you aren't shocked, you probably peek too. (I call it peeking because I do it fast. Just a tiny little peek...)
I've been thinking about my habit. I don't peek under every circumstance. Sometimes I do it if I'm not enjoying a book and want to see where it's going to end up. But most of the time, I tend to peek when I am very, very invested in a particular outcome. If I'm happy with any outcome, I don't peek. For instance, when I was pregnant, I told the doctor I didn't want to know the baby's gender. I truly didn't care if I had a boy or a girl, so I was fine with not knowing. (My husband knows my curious, snoopy tendency and the fact that I didn't want to know this time drove him nearly insane. His rationale: it's a surprise whenever you find out.)
However, if I AM invested in an outcome, I peek. If I'm reading a book with a love triangle in which I detest one of the members, or if I sense something very bad coming and I need to know if I'm right, I peek. I think that it helps me be more emotionally prepared for disappointment and/or sadness. And, hey, it's a surprise whenever you find out. Or so I hear...
I confess to taking a quick peek at the ending of these books:
Boundless by Cynthia Hand
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
(I've peeked at waaaay more. Trying to remember. Will add to the list.)
Are you a peeker? A spoiler-seeker? Or are you someone who thinks I should:
Admitting you peek at the end is the equivalent to saying you're a drug dealer in the reader-sphere lol but I DO! I almost have to with some books so that I can relax and read. It doesn't ruin anything for me at all. I still don't' know how we get to that point.
ReplyDeleteThe big one for me was Mockingjay. And a good example of knowing the end doesn't' mean it ends how you think. I was still stunned and very unhappy even though I thought I would be happy.
Karen @ For What It's Worth
I can't believe you are a drug dealer! *shakes head* lol
DeleteI know. But as soon as I started admitting it, I found that I wasn't the only one...
DeleteAnd I can't remember if I peeked at Mockingjay. I wasn't that invested in the love triangle, but I did feel like one of the guys might die. So .... maybe...
DeleteOMG! LOL You are both drug dealers!! How can you peek!!??!!?? I don't even peek if I DNF a book...just in case someday....I get back to it...
ReplyDeleteHa ha -- yep, we're BAD! I can only think of one or two DNFs I ever returned to. And the good thing about peeking at a DNF is that you can know you're done with the book if the ending isn't good.
DeleteI don't peek at the end but sometimes if I accidentally flip to a future page, my eyes catch something spoilery lol...
ReplyDeleteHmmmm ... perhaps you just haven't come to terms with your "accidental" peeking??
DeleteJust kidding. There are some things I don't want spoiled and then I am afraid of accidental spoilers.
I usually am firmly anti-spoiler for books. I will sometimes look for television shows/movies if I can't handle the tension or I'm trying to figure out if I should continue. I hadn't read The Maze Runner when we saw it. It was at the drive-in and it was the last movie of a triple feature, so it was REALLY LATE. We weren't super in to the movie, so I totally looked it up to see if we should stay. Then I looked up the rest of the series because I was bored.
ReplyDeleteUsually, though, I just don't want to know ANYTHING. The only book I can think of that I flipped to the end was The One by Keira Cass because I was so annoyed by America's wavering in The Elite that I decided I HAD TO KNOW who she ended up with, because if she chose the other guy, I wasn't even going to bother reading it.
The tension -- that's exactly it. I can't take it!!! I get so stressed out.
DeleteYes I admit that I peek and I want to know the outcome. I will finish the book and I will ask for spoilers regarding any series that I might have DNF . Yes I admit it ..and this conversation reminds me of Billy Crystal in when harry met Sally and how he reads the ending too :)
ReplyDeleteYes I didn't read book 3 of The one and this one I got spoiled on and I wanted to know who she picked :)
I didn't read that series but I actually peeked at the end for someone else. I'm adding that to the list!
DeleteI did just once. But I was loving that book and I read an unexpected spoiler and I was so mad with myself that I stopped doing it.
ReplyDeleteNow I don’t. I really love to be surprised… or disappointed.
Lis @ The reader lines
If you love being surprised, then it's good not to peek!
DeleteI am totally anti-spoilers for books and it makes me crazy if I read a spoiler (which is why i only read reviews after finishing a book). I would never peek at the ending of a book. It ruins it for me. However you are definitely not alone. Lately I've come across a lot of avid readers who will only read a HEA and who have to know this in advance. Also, there have been some books lately with huge twists and a lot of these same readers have wanted to know the twist before reading the book. That is not me and I have a hard time understanding this rationale.
ReplyDeleteI do peek, but I never spoil for others :)
DeleteThe idea of peeking used to be repulsive to me, but now that I've read several books where I was so distraught throughout waiting to find out what was going to happen, I think I'm coming around to the idea. If it means I can read in peace and enjoy the book a bit more.
ReplyDeleteSandy @ Somewhere Only We Know
Heh -- glad you are sneaking over to the peeker side....
DeleteIt depends. It's very rare that I peek but if I'm seriously into a book then sometimes I will peek. Actually no, I don't peek, perhaps worse, I read spoilers on Goodreads or look at a full synopsis. I had to spoil Champion because I needed to know what happened to Day.
ReplyDeleteRosie @ www.eatreadglam.com
I think reading spoilers is still peeking. By my definition ;)
DeleteI love this post! Way to come forward and confess, Jen. I used to never peak. In fact I thought I was breaking some huge reading code. But then I realized that was stupid, and I should be able to read how I want. I'm with you though. I don't peak at everything, but I do if I'm super anxious about it. Sometimes it helps my anxiety to know. Also, if I'm getting particularly antsy about a story or plot direction, sometimes I'll skim through the book pretty far and then go back and read it fully. I've done that several times when approaching the end of a book that made me nervous. Most recently with The Winner's Crime. Then I could go back through and pay attention because I knew what was coming. I don't want anyone else to spoil a book for me - unless I ask them specifically - but I do it for myself a lot more often now. Usually it's just reading the last line or page - I did this with The Revolution of Mara Dyer a few weeks ago. I try not to find out too much before I've started.
ReplyDeleteHa -- I'm going to email you about Mara Dyer. Or maybe I won't peek for that one!
DeleteI used to peek before. By the time I got into reading I forgot what the ending was and most of the time ended up being surprised still, but I don't do it anymore.
ReplyDeleteI actually read the summaries for books 1-4 in the Vampire Academy series before even starting book one. Luckily I didn't know what a Strigoi was and I forgot all about the fact that this Dimitru guy turned into one. I was still devastated when I got to that part.
I've asked my niece if someone dies in If I Stay and The Fault in Our Stars, still haven't read either...
That Dmitri thing was a shocker -- I read VA just a couple years ago so didn't even know there was this shocking twist. I didn't even think to peek and I'm glad I didn't :)
DeleteBad Jen, bad! I'm afraid of the back of the book, my Teaser Tuesdays usually come from about 30% of the book! Haha.
ReplyDeleteI've only been spoiled by others for one book: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
I'll never forget that moment!
Amber Elise @ Du Livre
Jen... I know we've talked about this before so I'll keep it brief. Knowing spoilers makes me sad. I hate knowing spoilers!
ReplyDeleteOh man. I definitely am a spoiler seeker. I just can't resist. I need to know!!!
ReplyDeleteBlogger ate my last comment, I think. Anyways... I HATE peeking. I do not like to know any spoilers. I have accidentally seen one or two by flipping to the end to check how many pages a book has and have been upset at myself for seeing something I didn't want to. I think the only time I remember purposely peeking is when I read New Moon. I wanted to know how long until Edward came back. lol
ReplyDeleteI usually don't. There was one book that ended the way I wanted it to but for some reason, having read the ending, I didn't like it as much as I anticipated. My mom always wants to know how things end but it usually makes me less happy.
ReplyDeleteI am a peeker. A big time, sorry peeker, and I have a really horrible tendency to look at spoilers, even when I tell myself no. It is a bad habit, I know it. But I am 32 years old and I have been doing it since I started reading as a wee one. I don't see it changing now!
ReplyDeletehaha! I also occasionally peak at the last chapter of a book I am completely into. Especially one that is stressing me out with its ups and downs. Most of the books that I read are series, so I rarely get my HEA right away, or even at the end of every book. But eventually, I need that closure, the HEA that every cheesy romantic is entitled to. You are not alone in this at all girl! Great post to make us think girl!
ReplyDeleteMorrighan @ Elysian Fields.
LOL. I used to peek a lot more, as it is I don't peek too much anymore. If I'm about to NF a book, then I peek because if it's really good or something I may continue reading to get to the awesome ending. But serîes I'm really invested in is when I used to peel all the time. I just couldn't help myself! I can't bring myself to peek the ending of blood of Olympus though...and I've avoided spoilers so far so eesh! ^_^ great post.
ReplyDeleteI usually don't, I think I've only peeked once and twice and it was because I just couldn't take the tension... but usually I do not peek and I do not want spoilers at all!!
ReplyDeleteNope, not a peeker though I used to be one! My friend though, whenever I bring a new book to school, take a peek in hopes of spoiling something, then he complains that he always ends up in the acknowledgements section instead :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I used to always peek at the ending but now I tend to not because I really do hate spoiling endings for myself, especially if its like a mystery novel or a Rick Riordan novel lol.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! <33
You know I peek. And great logic! It's true it's a surprise whenever you find out! LOL I mostly do it when I know the ending affects whether or not I even want to read the book. I've peeked at so many! I was strong during Ignite Me actually. I really wanted to peek at chapter 55 since I heard it was the new 62 but I didn't. I wanted to really enjoy that chapter when I got to it. I never read The Fault In Our Stars but I had someone tell me the ending thus why I will never read it. I think I peeked at Boundless no wait I think I asked someone for a spoiler. I had to know she ended up with Tucker otherwise I wasn't going to read it. I seek spoilers for books where things have to go a certain way.
ReplyDeleteI do not peek. No matter how bad I want to know. I knew how The Fault In Our Stars was going to end for some reason... lol. I loved that book tho!!!
ReplyDeleteYep, I'm just like you, I'm a peeker. I love to read the last pages!!! and see how the book will end even though I just started it. I also read reviews of sequels to see how a series will continue even though I do buy the sequels. I just can't wait to see how things will end :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post
Andreea
http://toallthebooksivelovedbefore.wordpress.com/
I admit that I do this, but not all the time. I guess it just depends how much I love the book.
ReplyDeleteI'm a peeker on occasion, and it usually consists of me reading the last sentence to paragraph of the book. It's typically when I know it's a love triangle. I'm not a fan of love triangles. So if I'm reading a book only to find out that it is a love triangle, I want to know who she ends up with. I generally have strong opinions and would like to prepare myself if it's not who I want it to be.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read on my ereader though, which is now like 80-85% of the time, I don't peek. Then again, it's much harder to peek on an ereader especially if the ebook isn't formatted so there's a table of contents or page numbers.
Here is a story about why I don't peek:
ReplyDeleteI was once reading a Goosebumps book when I was a lot younger, and it was stressing me out because I wanted there to be a happy ending. I decided that I would flip to the end, to find out what happened, so it wouldn't be as much of a shock. Imagine my surprise when I finally had read the entire book, and realised the ending I had been much prepared for was in fact a excerpt from a future book, and the real ending was several pages earlier.
(It was a happy ending though).
These days, I hate spoilers and huge ones can really ruin my reading experience. I definitely understand the urge to know what is going to happen, but that is all a part of what makes me enjoy reading.
I am not someone who goes for spoilers or is a peeker. I remember once when I was younger trying tor read the back of the book... and my sister scolded me so much for it I decided I was never going to do it again! I think that was the only time I ever attempted to spoiler a book for myself. Since then I have decided I need the suspenseful build up, I need the not knowing to make the ending the most enjoyable for me. Spoilers can ruin that for me.
ReplyDeleteBut being a peeker yourself is fine, as long as it works for you and doesn't take anything away from the reading enjoyment!