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Chapter Break

Musing Mondays2

This week’s musing asks:

Do you tend to read to the end of a chapter or can you stop anywhere?

I used to stop anywhere and use the bookmark. But it doesn’t work that way, at least not with my brain. I’m a morning reader who pores over the pages for a couple hours over coffee. But when I’m feeling a bit groggy and rubbing the sleep off my eyes, sometimes it’s necessary to backtrack and re-read what I had left off the night before. A clean-cut break makes sense, and my reading notes help remember the story and maintain the flow. Books that do not have chapter break could pose a problem. So are the ones that are so engaging that I keep saying to myself “one more chapter” and realize it’s past midnight. To avoid this, I pace myself if I’m under time constraint: Wrapping up a chapter and not starting a new one if, say, I have like 5 minutes left for lunch.

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10 Responses

  1. I prefer to stop reading at the end of a chapter, too — or at least at a break where the story switches gears a little. I had so much difficulty putting down Ten Storey Love Song by Richard Milward; not only does it not have chapters, but the entire story is a single, stream of consciousness paragraph! Absolutely no logical points to stop reading.

  2. Depending on how long the chapter is, I may or may not stop at the end. I stop when I feel like I’m done reading at the time, whenever that is in the book.

    • As long as it is a clean break, I don’t mind stopping in the middle of a chapter, unless it’s some long stream of consciousness prose.

  3. I have the little book voice in my head that says, Stop now, you’ve had enough and I stop. Never know where it will be but often seems it is 2/3 down the right hand page. Don’t know why but seems when I stop reading, get interrupted, distracted I always seem to be 2/3 down the right hand page. Go figure. Pam

  4. It depends what sort of book I’m reading. But when I read in bed I have to stop mid-chapter…sometimes I get soooo sleepy and I can’t get to the end of the chapter. Currently I’m reading David Markson’s “Wittgenstein’s Mistress”. It hasn’t got any chapters…nor has it got any paragraphs…it’s a bit confusing as I’m only at the very beginning, but I’ll find my way in this book.

    • For books that don’t have chapter break, you’ll have to work with your intuition. Sometimes I’m just tired and my mind tells me it’s a good point to stop. i make note of it and close the book.

  5. I tend to at least read to a scene break, but I do find a chapter break is a good stopping point unless I have time (or the inclination) to re-read.

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