[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re:You have book 7 in your hands, what now?

[Sue Wartell]

                               "Lee Truslow" wrote:
 >I'm going to read the end first


 Eggplant wrote in reply (in part):
I think that is a terrible idea! ...Reading the ending first will certainly not take all the fun out of the book, but I would estimate it would reduce it by about 30%


Now me:
That might be true for Eggplant, but it's not true for me.  Of course I'm one of those crazy folks who will happily re-read a book I like many, many times.  Even mysteries, or books with many surprising twists in the plot, can bring me just as much pleasure the 10th time (or 20th, or 50th) as they did the first.  For me, reading is a totally immersive activity-  I become largely unaware of the outside world.  (My husband can verify this - trying to talk to me while I'm in a book is a complete waste of time.  I don't ignore him; I simply do not hear him, or process the information.  I can't read in airports, or I'd miss my flight.)  When I'm reading a well-written story, I'm so totally involved that I don't think about what I "know" is coming - that information is not part of the story at that time, so I'm not "aware" of it.  Of course, if you do manage to get my attention, I'll be able to tell you how it comes out in the end, but that's not what I'm thinking about as I go
 along.  And I think I understand exactly what Lee is talking about - if the anxiety about where you will fetch up is too great, it's harder to get involved in the process of getting there.  



I didn't read the end of Half-Blood Prince before I started (or in the middle), but I haven't decided about what I'll do with Deathly Hallows.  For me the joy is in the journey, not the destination, and so I'll do whatever I need to do to make the journey the best it can be.


Listening to the books is an entirely different kind of experience for me.  There I anticipate the next twist of plot, the next favorite phrase, the next painful truth.  I can be much more analytical about the story.  It still doesn't stop me from enjoying the repeated listenings, but it is a more distanced relationship to the story than I experience when reading.



Your mileage may vary, as they say.  There are many ways to experience the world.



Sue, waxing philosophical in Ohio

 





       
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