Confuzzled
There is a law written somewhere that says I'm not allowed to read any books unless I'm on vacation or on a plane or similarly unable to accomplish anything productive.
I wrote the law. In blood. Several years ago.
I banned books from my life for a very good reason -- I can't stop. AT ALL. I'm one of those people who picks up a book and five hours later finds herself reading "just one more page." That's followed by twenty more pages and an all nighter because I can't stop. If I sit down with a 500-page book, I'm reading the whole thing.
OCD much? YES. Especially when it comes to books. In my head, if you start a book, you finish the book. THAT DAY.
Which is why I was completely confuzzled as to how it was that Alexis was reading at least 10 chapter books simultaneously. She was lost in Judy Blume's world, reading about secret gardens, and deeply involved in a few mysteries all at the same time. The only book she had read all the way through was The Doll People (her current favorite -- she has raved about it nearly daily since she got it for her birthday). She was re-reading it. While reading the other books. ALL OF THEM. AT ONCE.
But she wasn't finishing much of anything.
Just thinking about it hurts my brain.
For the most part I try to stay out of Alexis' reading world. I check over books before I let her have them, but other than that, she's on her own. She can spend as little or as much time reading as she wants (she'll spend a lot of time reading anyway, so there's no point in encouraging her). She can pick which title she wants to work on. Whatever. She can do whatever.
But the not finishing books thing started to make me twitch, so I asked.
It turns out my kid reads the last chapter of a book FIRST to decide if she she read the beginning. She doesn't feel the need to finish books because she already knows what is going to happen.
WHO DOES THAT?
The same kid who sometimes rolls down hills to entertain herself, that's who.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Reader Comments (9)
Ahem ... I somtimes do it. By far not with every book, but sometimes and I often did it as a kid. You read the first few pages and then the last checking on the set up of the main characters at the start and at the end to make sure if everybody is around and if the journey seems to be interesting enough to follow it.
People are weird, I know.
I LOVE that she is reading so much!!!
WOW! I'm surprised to hear that she would think to do that at such a young age. She's really something else...in such a good way. I sometimes have the urge to read the end after I'm a few chapters into a book, but I have always managed to resist. I'm afraid if I ever do it that it will lead to me doing it everytime. ;)
I don't even like to read the back cover, because it usually ruins something or several things 20 or 50 or 100 pages in. I also much prefer to read the book before the movie; I almost never do it the other way.
But when I was younger (not as young as Alexis; I could not read then), I did what Alexis did. It makes sense when you think about it!
Ooooh. I never read the end of the book before the beginning unless I've already picked up the book and have forgotten the contents (I usually remember if I've found it interesting). On occasion if the beginning is boring I'll read a handful of chapters in the middle of the book to see if it's worth reading, and I'll go back and start again if there's background information that essential.
Gracie would have 20 books going at once if I let her. But...I just can't. I don't have a problem with her reading whatever she thinks she can handle, but it drives me nutsy when she has too many books going because she NEVER FINISHES THEM. And she isn't a peeker, so it's not like the thrill of the chase is gone. She's just distracted by ALL THE SHINY BOOKS ON THE BOOKSHELF! So. New rule at Casa de Katie was implemented: Thou Shalt Not be in the middle of more than three books at any one time. Want to read that one? here: spend 20 minutes with this one and I bet you'll be done.
You're a better mama than I for letting your bookaholic read as she pleases. And Gracie would like to come live with you, please.
De-lurking today I ALWAYS used to read the end first. It's a control thing, then I can read knowing what will happen. It's so much more relaxing. But my Kindle makes it very difficult to read the end first so now I don't do that anymore. But I must admit I miss it. And no one ever "got it" I guess you're a "read the end first-er" or not.
Always read the last pages 1st. Not possible at the current time because I haven't mastered my Kindle as of yet.
When I was somewhere around ~8th grade we read "And Then There Were None" for school, and I remember my teacher being SO MAD at the number of people that read the last chapter because we were then discussing a murder mystery as a class, and half the class already knew the identity of the murderer. (Also, why were we reading a murder mystery in 8th grade?) But yeah, I don't get that. I DO get having a bunch of books going at once, which I blame on having books in my desk at school and books at both houses (parents are divorced) and maybe something that lived in the car. I always finished them, though.
rolling downhill i get. reading the last chapter i do not get.
you are going to have to do something about this insanity!