Deep Dark Reader Confessions .... Are You a Peeker?

Peeker.  DUH. 

I'm not the kind of peeker that reads the end of the books though.  (however, I don't even read Harry Potter, but as soon as the book came out I ended up reading all the spoilers I could find online out of curiousity for how the series ends.  I watch the movies)

I don't need to know the endings of a romance novel beforehand. 

BUT... what I do need to know... is how the book handles my ICK FACTORS....  infidelity, adultery, ickness about the H/h being with a brother/sister of their H/h, miscarriage, violence, rape, angst and bitterness over separations and other lovers, long separations where the heroine pines but the hero moves on (unfair), separations where the heroine goes through pregnancy and years raising the hero's baby all on her own while he blissfully ignorant moves on perhaps even knowing about the pregnancy and really cruelly rejecting her.

I am a thorough, thorough skimmer who skims a book heavily to see how the book goes before I read it.  If it hits a sore spot for me, I won't read it if I'm not in the mood.  I'll maybe read it when I'm in a different mood.  Sometimes I need a LIGHTER read, rather than a dark and angsty one. 

I'm an utter peeker, I spoil myself about the whole book basically.  Though you know, I do try to skim gently at times, and just keep my eyes on the lookout for certain keywords that relate to the ick factors.  I sometimes peek so thoroughly that I basically read over half the book in pieces.  In those cases I usually wait a month before tackling the book, just so it seems "fresher" and more surprising then.  *grin* 

.... Star is not surprised by this... 

I'm not a peeker it would spoil the book. I do read the blurbs to get a feel for the book.

FF, same here about the BBM.  Skimming gives me the sense of where the conflicts going and whether it'll be something that can end happily and in a well-adjusted way. 

And hey, another benefit of skimming, it makes you see the author's style, the dynamic between the H/h, whether the relationship will appeal given your ick factors and mood at the moment. 

And it's nice to hear that others peek at the end of a book before reading it, because I can't keep from doing that!  Opposite from me, my DH refuses to peek because he says it ruins the reading experience.  He likes total surprises, and doesn't usually even read reviews until he's finished with a book. 

However, I've learned that it's best for me to peek, because I've read several books that were fantastic... until the end, where they either a) dwindled down weakly, or b) ended unhappily in a way that totally disappointed me.  That's so darned exasperating that I wanna yank my hair out!  And since I'd rather keep my hair, it's best if I skip to the back, check to see how the author ends it, then go back and read the rest.  Like I've always said, I've marched to the beat of a different drum all my life. But everyone should read their books in their own way.  Hey, at least we read the books, right?  

Great question, Stargirl!

I may once in a blue moon peek ahead to the ending, though with romances that's rare as I do know they have their HEA ... that's why I read romances  ;)

when I'm in a reading slump I tend to skim a number of books to see which one sparks my interest ... and I've often skimmed older books that I've picked up at sales or on ebay ... I usually end up reading those fairly soon or I bury them because I skimmed too much!  LOL ...

if I'm reading a mini-series or an autobuy author, I rarely peek ... however if a book is dragging in spots, I've been known to skip over parts so that I don't lose interest and usually after I finish the book I go back to read those parts to make sure I didn't miss anything! LOL 

so I'm a skimmer more than an ending peeker  :)

In romance HEA is a given, I don't want to peek and find out "how".

In suspense, I certainly don't want to peek. Getting there is half the fun.

The only suspenseful stories I read are the rare-ish paranormals that I mix in with the dozens upon hundreds of HP/SDs I read.  So the ending isn't what I'm peeking at, I know the HEA will come, and there isn't usually a big bad battle being fought out in my HP/SDs.  *grin*  So I skim to get the gist and feel of the book, not for the ending.  And I skim very thoroughly because I'm picky about my ick factors.

I'm a peeker and proud of it!  Life throws enough surprises! 

oh yes skimmer and in some case a peeker, and i will freely admit.

I have a few friends who are peekers. One says she reads the ending so she knows if she'll like the book--it seems to work for her, because she always finishes her books, whereas I quite frequently stop reading a book I don't like...

I'm a complete spoilerphobe, however. I frequently don't even read the back cover, because often it will give too much away (or hint at things, and then I figure them out accidentally). I [i]love[/i] a well-done surprise or twist ending!

I must admit that I have jumped a few chapters if the book is slow in starting.  If it gets more interesting I go back and perservere on but happy that I know the book will get better.

I'm such a fanatic about peeking and spoiling the book that I'm almost frantic if I'm reading an anthology out of order.  Some stories don't have a page break between them and I'm so scared I'll accidently see the ending of the previous story. 

I am a peeker when I am not reading a romance. I see no reason in peeking in a romance when I an HEA is a foregone conclusion. In this case I would rather wait to see how the HEA unfolds.

strong willed of you Janet to go through Acheron without peeking. That is an awesome accomplishment. I almost peeked several times when his pain was almost too much for me.

Im so gulity of peeking Im just glad to see Im not the only one I like to read the last sentence of the book even though I know its going to end with a happliy ever after I still do it I dont know why maybe for self gratification? ugh! who cares