One advantage of eBooks...

[ownedbycats]

...it's harder to, ahem, "accidentally" skip ahead in the book and spoil yourself.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

...it's harder to, ahem, "accidentally" skip ahead in the book and spoil yourself.

Eh, I do it all the time. The same as I did with paper books. I just can't restrain myself.

[hobnail]

Yeah, I knew a guy on a forum who said he always read the end of the book first to see how it was going to come out. In my book of rules that's right up there with dog-earing or writing in library books. Sacrilege!

[gmw]

I only do it (skip to the end) when I've already decided the book is a "did not finish", and then only if/when I have a vague interest in knowing if the book really is as predictable as it seems to be. (The answer is pretty much always yes.)

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

...it's harder to, ahem, "accidentally" skip ahead in the book and spoil yourself.

...and one negative is that if one page is damaged, then all the pages are damaged.

But I still love ebooks and ebook readers.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by hobnail

Yeah, I knew a guy on a forum who said he always read the end of the book first to see how it was going to come out.

I used do that when learning a new piano piece for performance. Learn and practice the ending first. That way if you have issues in the middle, you still have a strong finish. And the audience only remembers the end anyway.

Not sure how the technique would work with books though...

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by hobnail

In my book of rules that's right up there with dog-earing or writing in library books. Sacrilege!

My exact feelings on it too. I never did that with paperbacks and I never do it with ebooks.

[ekbell]

I find I can pay more attention to the journey if I know the destination so I skip to the last chapter of stories all the time. I also have been known to search character names so as to gain some idea of what happens with them, something not easily done with a paper book.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by ekbell

I find I can pay more attention to the journey if I know the destination so I skip to the last chapter of stories all the time. I also have been known to search character names so as to gain some idea of what happens with them, something not easily done with a paper book.

They wrote a book about your reading technique, and made a movie. Slaughterhouse Five.

[SeaBookGuy]

easier to load a single device than haul around several heavy books when traveling.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

easier to load a single device than haul around several heavy books when traveling.

As someone who reads a lot, and used to travel for a living, I know what that was like.
I have never jumped to the back of a book to find out the ending. I prefer to meander along until I reach the end.
Apache

[bookaho!ic]

When i used to read tree books i would have to have a spare book incase i had less than 50 pages to go now i can have whole unread library

[bookaho!ic]

Originally Posted by gmw

I only do it (skip to the end) when I've already decided the book is a "did not finish", and then only if/when I have a vague interest in knowing if the book really is as predictable as it seems to be. (The answer is pretty much always yes.)

Can see why you would do that but if its a DNF i dont care what happens in the end lol it goes on the DNF pile

[issybird]

Originally Posted by gmw

I only do it (skip to the end) when I've already decided the book is a "did not finish", and then only if/when I have a vague interest in knowing if the book really is as predictable as it seems to be. (The answer is pretty much always yes.)

I do this sometimes, too. Or else I read some of the one- and two-star reviews at Goodreads, to see if others agree with me and find out what happened. Otherwise, I’m a total spoiler phobe.

[MarjaE]

I can't reliably judge a book by its beginning, it often changes style, and sometimes changes genre, partway through. Where possible, I should check the middle, but with 1st x% samples, it's not possible.