Comic Reviews by Walt

What’s the latest you’ve ever stayed up reading a book? Is staying up late reading a usual thing for you?

I’d have to say it was one night my junior year of college. I was taking a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Literature as Pop Culture course, and after the success of the first Lord of the Rings film, the professor decided to include the entire trilogy as part of the semester’s reading load.

I’d previously read Fellowship of the Ring in high school, and followed along this time. I kept up with the reading for The Two Towers. But by the time we got to Return of the King, I’d fallen a bit behind.

Then came the night before we were due to discuss the final part of the book. To that point, I’d never read the entire trilogy, and did not know how it ended. And I was determined 1. to NOT skip class that day and 2. to NOT have the ending SPOILED for me.

So I pulled an all-nighter, staying up to read something like half of the entire book in virtually one sitting.

I finished the book, and got to class on time. I even stayed awake for class.

The unfortunate thing of it all, though, was that in the end…it wasn’t worth it. I had FORCED the read, which took away the fun. I read out of obligation to the class, rather than simply being drawn into the thing.

Other than that time, I’ve stayed up til probably 2/3 in the morning at points, reading–I know I was up late finishing the 7th Harry Potter book, as people at work were already talking about it, and I didn’t want to get spoiled (again with the semi-forced reading, though–stuff only just with the release of the final movie finally made sense from scenes toward the end). I’ve also been up simply TO read at other points…comics, mainly. Probably for a couple of Grisham’s latest books, and likely also at least one of Brad Meltzer’s.

As I’ve gotten older, though, and work’s pressed in on me…and just lately, life in general–I haven’t really had much that’s been SO much a thing as to keep me up late.

I read as I find or make time, and that’s that. And when something DOES come along that’s compelling enough…well, I just wind up FINDING the time to read over other stuff.

Filed under: Booking Through Thursday, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: booking through thursday, reading |