The other day I was in a bookstore and I was very excited about finally purchasing a book I’d been excited about for months but only just gotten around to buying. Clutching my soon-to-be-bought new addition for my personal library I approached the counter and waiting to complete my purchase. The woman at the register and I started some small talk as she rang up my book but then disaster struck.
Is this the book where [insert character name] dies and [insert other IMPORTANT PLOT TWISTS] happen?”
She saw my face fall as soon as she said it and started backtracking but the damage was done.
This isn’t the first time – nor will it be the last time – when I accidentally stumble upon bookish happenings before they occur. My sister decided to tell me every single death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before I got to them (she thought she was helping me emotionally prepare for them in advance).
So, how do I really feel about spoilers?
Most of the time they don’t really bother me. I started The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare years after everyone else and knew so many of the twists and turns before I even got a copy. But other times… THEY REALLY UPSET ME!
I’ve worked out what my rule is:
- If I’ve invested time, money and a whole lot of emotions into a series – I don’t want to know what’s going to happen before I get to it. You can only read a book for the first time once. And when key happenings are revealed before they happen to you… it’s like you’ve skimmed the book before you’ve read it.
- Otherwise, if the book/series is one I’m interested in but just haven’t gotten around to reading yet – spoiler away. Sometimes I find spoilers for books I’m thinking about reading actually push me over the edge and make me want to read the book THAT MUCH MORE!
I try not to reveal any big spoilers in my book reviews. If it’s not in the blurb or the first 15% of the novel – I try as hard as I can not to divulge any pertinent details and if I do I point it out in the first line of my review just so that no body stumbles upon anything they would rather not.
What are your thoughts about spoilers? Have you unintentionally revealed twists to people ahead of time? Do you like knowing what is going to happen ahead of time?
Ok, I just have to say that that woman at the register deserves to be fired. She works in a bookstore…what was she thinking????
I really hate spoilers and I try not to write any spoilers in my reviews, especially big ones. It’s actually a challenge to discuss a book and write about what you loved and what you didn’t without writing spoilers, but I do my best. Sometimes if I’m writing a review of a book in a series, it’s pretty much impossible to write it without revealing spoilers from previous books (although the blurb does that a lot anyway) so I write in bold that there will be spoilers.
Sorry about your experience!
Apparently she was new. And she offered me 10% off if I wanted to buy another book.
Sometimes the blurbs are AWFUL! with their spoilers. I was reading a book and a lot of the things that happened in the blurb didn’t happen until the last couple of pages. It was infuriating!
I’ve never come across any spoilers in your reviews 🙂 You’re doing a great job of keeping them twist-free!
Hate them, hate them, hate them. I even find it annoying when you’re reading the first book in a series and you like it but haven’t finished it, so you buy book two and then you can’t even read the blurb on the back because it gives away the major plot twist ending of book one. Gah, hate it!
That is annoying! I try not to read blurbs for future books in a series I’m reading. I remember reading the Vampire Academy series and the blurb for the fourth book completely ruined the ending of the third.
It really depends on the books. Sometimes if I’m not really invested in the series, the spoiler may make me want to read it. If I am invested in the series I don’t want to know ANYTHING. i avoid blurbs, reviews, anything I can so I can go in blind and be surprised by twists.
Unfortunately, that can be hard on the internet. And the other week I was spoiled MAJORLY for a final book in one of my favourite series and I was so mad because there was no spoiler warning or anything. To avoid people experiencing the same problem as me, I always make sure to put spoiler alerts for as much as I can. If I’m talking to someone about the book, I’ll stick to general things/make sure I know exactly how much they’ve read before I discuss things (though if they ask me a question straight out my facial expressions/refusal to answer probably gives some stuff away)
I’m the same. Sometimes spoilers make a book/series more interesting that it originally appears and makes me want to read it that much more. And luckily (and this may sound rather corny) it’s the journey that matters and not the destination with books like that.
There are days when I’m a little in love with the internet and other days when it drives me crazy! I have to steer clear of tumblr whenever shows I love are on and I can’t watch them for a while. Thank goodness for fast-tracking!
For the most part – people I know are pretty good about it. And occationally if a spoiler slips out it’s due to honest fangirling (or fanboying) excitement and no malice or anything and that I can forgive.
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The one thing I hate about spoilers….when they are in book reviews and there is no spoiler warning. If someone wants to put spoilers in his/her review I completely understand, but when someone doesn’t warn in advance I become livid.
Oh and I can’t believe that happened to you while buying a book!! AHHH