Some people always read the end of a book before they start at the beginning. I can’t even fathom such a thing. Yet it works for them.
I love how reading, usually a linear experience, can actually happen in a lot of different ways.
And some books are intentionally designed to be read out of order or experienced in a multifaceted way.
“Building Stories” by Chris Ware is a graphic novel comprised of multiple folded books and pages that you can read in whatever order you want. It’s like a pop-up book for grown-ups.
Another example is “S” by J.J. Abrams, which annoyed librarians nationwide because it’s made to look like a library book, except with a different title and author, inside a box labeled with the actual title and author. There are photos and letters and cards tucked in between the pages, and about three different colors of “handwritten” notes in the margins. All of that makes it hard to manage as a library book, but pretty cool to read.
When I’m reading a new book, at some point I’ll want to know what the author looks like. I’ll satisfy my curiosity by flipping to the back cover or looking inside the book jacket. Every once in a while, though, I’d rather not know what the author looks like, so I avoid those pages. That’s weird, right?
Even so, I never read the end of a book first.
Ultimately, the way you read is intensely personal. And even if you always read the last page first, that’s absolutely the right way for you to read.