Booking Through Thursday

Dessert First

1. Do you cheat and peek ahead at the end of your books? Or do you resolutely read in sequence, as the author intended?

Sometimes, when selecting a book, I will read the last sentence. If I can tell from the last sentence exactly how things turn out, then I have no interest in reading the book. If the last sentence is a really cool one, one that I'd like to read toward to figure out what it means, then I'll buy the book, but not start it until long after I've forgotten the sentence.

I do not read books of short stories straight through, however. I'll read the ones with the most intriguing titles first, or chose by length if I intend to read one in a single sitting.

2. And, if you don’t peek, do you ever feel tempted?

Only if I'm losing interest in, or patience with, the book. Then, if the final sentence doesn't meet my coolness criteria, I have no regrets in ditching it.

and last week's Encore

Almost everyone can name at least one author that you would love just ONE more book from. Either because they’re dead, not being published any more, not writing more, not producing new work for whatever reason . . . or they’ve aged and aren’t writing to their old standards any more . . . For whatever reason, there just hasn’t been anything new (or worth reading) of theirs and isn’t likely to be.

If you could have just ONE more book from an author you love . . . a book that would be as good any of their best (while we’re dreaming) . . . something that would round out a series, or finish their last work, or just be something NEW . . . Who would the author be, and why? Jane Austen? Shakespeare? Laurie Colwin? Kurt Vonnegut?

Peter Rushforth died in Steptember 2005 not long after sending the sequel to Pinkerton's Sister to his publisher. He'd planned three books about Alice Pinkerton and I wish he'd lived long enough to write the third.