Don't you hate to have a good book end?

[kindlekitten]

oh my yes! especially with the dead tree books, when it was a totally engrossing book and you could feel those very few pages at the end in your fingers. and of course you never knew if it was one of those publishers that put in like 20 blank pages at the end, or you might turn the page, there was the last paragraph and it was THE END!!!!!

I think I actually would grow somewhat despondent at times, deliberately slow down reading, to the point of putting the book down and leaving it for a few days before finally confronting the end. I think it is a bit easier now with e-books. I know something will be THERE! maybe not as wonderful, but there nonetheless

[GreenMonkey]

When you finish it and feel sad that it is all done - that's a great book...that is what defines a great book!

[jes1]

When I was in middle school back in the 1970's I had a teacher that gave us extra credit for writing a continuation of the book we had been studying. We could change the ending, or write about what happened to the characters 1 day, 1 year or 5 years after the story ended. Ever since, if a book really has engaged me, I continue the story in my mind. Many of the books I read have not really ended. I keep the adventures of the characters going, and sometimes merge books. It can be a fun exercise.

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by Mickey330

Yes, its sometimes sad for me to come to the end of a book that I've really enjoyed.

Sometimes, I get so into a book that I find myself thinking in the style of the book (grammar, syntax, etc) for a little bit as I slowly exit the world the author built. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's as if the author's words and the story have altered my mental patterns for just a little bit...

Anyone else have that happen to them ... or is it just me?

Marilyn

OMG, I do that all the time! I have to laugh at myself because I use phrases in my conversations that have come straight from the book I was reading. When I was reading "Jewel in the Crown" all those years ago I developed a fondness for bacon sandwiches. (Don't ask -- there was a scene on a train or something where someone was eating cold bacon sandwiches.) After I read "Shogun" I ate with chopsticks for weeks.

Wait a minute, I'm seeing a pattern here. What I read directly influences what I EAT! :-)

[Blue Tyson]

No, definitely not.

[Joykins]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

OMG, I do that all the time! I have to laugh at myself because I use phrases in my conversations that have come straight from the book I was reading. When I was reading "Jewel in the Crown" all those years ago I developed a fondness for bacon sandwiches. (Don't ask -- there was a scene on a train or something where someone was eating cold bacon sandwiches.) After I read "Shogun" I ate with chopsticks for weeks.

Wait a minute, I'm seeing a pattern here. What I read directly influences what I EAT! :-)

I went on a serious mushroom binge when I was reading the beginning of _The Fellowship of the Ring_ so I know what you mean!

I often find when I hate a book to end...I sit down and read either the whole thing or my favorite parts again and again for weeks.

[GlenBarrington]

Sometimes, but not always. Every so often, I'll get to the end of a book and say, "WOW! That was absolutely perfect!". Everything that NEEDED to be said was said, and everything that NEEDED to happen to the characters, happened. Anything more, and the book would be diminished. It isn't a frequent occurrence, but when it happens, it's a wonderful thing.

Most recently, I felt that way about "Wind up Girl".

I think when a person wants a story to continue, it is because the reader can see that the story isn't complete. He or she can see that more can happen to the characters, and the author hasn't fully explored the possibilities.

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by Joykins

I often find when I hate a book to end...I sit down and read either the whole thing or my favorite parts again and again for weeks.

Me, too. I did that just last night, when I finished "Cryoburn" by Bujold. And then I went back to an earlier book in the series, and re-read parts of that.

[vxf]

I remember, as a kid, crying when I finished The Lord of the Rings. I just wanted to keep reading about the Middle Earth...

[Joykins]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

Me, too. I did that just last night, when I finished "Cryoburn" by Bujold. And then I went back to an earlier book in the series, and re-read parts of that.

* shivers in slightly envious anticipation since the only thing as good as reading a new Vorkosigan book is re-reading the old ones...*

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by vxf

I remember, as a kid, crying when I finished The Lord of the Rings. I just wanted to keep reading about the Middle Earth...

Ever read The Silmarillian?

[Sydney's Mom]

I have actually closed up a book a little early on the train, so that I could savor the last chapter at home, with my feet up, in my pjs (favorite reading style).

[nohmi2]

I felt exactly the same way when I finished the Millenium trilogy by Stieg Larsson.

I still haven't found another series which I would enjoy quite as much.

Cheers.

[wayrad]

Originally Posted by Ben Thornton

When I saw the title, I was wondering what was wrong with book-ends. They're quite useful to stop things falling off the end of the shelf ...

Well, I hate to have a good bookend; they ought to come in pairs. If it's a bad bookend it doesn't matter so much if one is missing.

Seriously, I have been known to start a book over again from the beginning, rather than emerge from it at the end.

[Kurt]

Originally Posted by foreverjuly

No words can convey the sorrow of a masterpiece run its course. Like losing a dear friend, its impact will resonate within you long after you've set the book down.

i think this is why - way back when i read the dead trees - i would buy the biggest trade paperbacks i could find (though they certainly weren't all masterpieces)