Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

When you're reading a really good book do you ration it?

17 replies

Mumwhensdinneready · 12/08/2009 17:39

I was listening to an author called Steve Carroll on the radio today and something he said struck a chord. He had just finished reading a great book and said he deliberately slowed down as he read the last 200 pages.
Normally I read everything at speed, but there are a few books that I've felt were so special I didn't want them to end.
Around halfway through I would try to slow down and ration myself in order to prolong the experience.

The Time Traveller's Wife was one of these.

OP posts:
Alibabaandthe40nappies · 12/08/2009 17:43

I'm a guzzler with a good book, but I will often do a re-read at a slower pace within a couple of months.

Klaw · 12/08/2009 17:43

No, not done that but when I finished The Red Tent I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO wanted to start reading it all again but fortunately someone told me of another book I could read and I started on that and didn't feel quite so desperate any more....

yappybluedog · 12/08/2009 19:11

no, if it's that good I have to finish it quickly

LoveTheCarbs · 12/08/2009 19:12

No, I couldn't ration a good book. It's part of the joy of a good book - I race through it, can't put it down and all other tasks are forgotten. I do then feel a bit sad when it's finished, but also happy that I've read such a great book.

MummyDoIt · 12/08/2009 19:14

No, I race through it. When I used to commute, there were occasions when I was a few pages from the end and would sit on the station platform when I got off the train to finish it as I couldn't wait till I got home.

overthemill · 23/08/2009 16:23

i stay up all night when i love a book but always try to slow down at the end as i just know it'll be ages before i feel the same connection again and regret it in advance iyswim

janeite · 23/08/2009 16:31

Nope - I gobble it up in one go, if at all possible. And then sometimes I read it again immediately afterwards to see what I missed, although I tend to only do that with plot-based stuff like the Harry Potters or Stephen King.

colditz · 23/08/2009 16:37

No, I binge

pickyvic · 23/08/2009 16:39

another guzzler here...then i feel bereft when ive finished it!

Pogleswood · 23/08/2009 23:21

No,I wish I could but I don't have the self control! I do read books I really love a bit more thoroughly ,though,not so much skipping bits, which I will do when I'm desperate to know what happens but not quite keen enough to read every word..

epithet · 23/08/2009 23:23

I try to ration, but if the book is too good, I just can't. Remember reading The Bell Jar on the bath rack and then getting annoyed at the wet fingerprints all over it .

PrettyCandles · 23/08/2009 23:28

If it has an element of adventure to it, or mystery, then yes, I do ration really good books. In order to be strict about it, I have to have another good book immediately to hand, so that I can continue to satisfy my cravings when I have put the fantastic one down.

If there is no need not to know what comes next, then I allow myself to guzzle the book as quickly as I like!

brokenspacebar · 23/08/2009 23:30

I speed read/ignore everything/go to bed late, until I have finished a good book.

piprabbit · 23/08/2009 23:32

I have been known to stay up all night to finish a good book. The best books are read time and time again, so I never worry about reading too fast.

seayork · 24/08/2009 19:45

Yes I do, but only if it is super good, if it is crap I just skip the waffle and just get to the best bits (usually the conversations) or skip pages just so i know how it finishes

Overmydeadbody · 24/08/2009 19:48

No, I devour it and then miss it when it's finished

The Time Traveller's Wife I could not put down, once I started, it was sooooo gripping.

Now I have started Doris Lessing's second Mara and Dann book and the same thing is happening again, it is getting to the end far too quickly

undervalued · 24/08/2009 20:30

If it is a really good book, I neglect my family and will stay up all night until it's finished. One of my (many) bad habits ...( like shouting out spelling, punctuation and continuity errors as I read )

New posts on this thread. Refresh page