Hi, My Name Is Andrea, And I’m a Spoilerphobe
I HATE SPOILERS. This is something, of course, that you know if you know me pretty well. I will go out of my way to avoid spoilers at all costs. I even created a feature here on my blog that is all about going into a book completely blind (it’s called Blind Reads, and that reminds me, I need to do more of those!) because of how much I HATE SPOILERS.
I know some people are the opposite. Some people totally like to know certain things that are going to happen, and I can agree with that sometimes. For instance, I have an eye phobia (let’s just not talk about it) and other anxiety issues, and I sometimes have to have my husband screen certain movies first so that I won’t be caught watching something that triggers anxiety. Some of my best friends also will let me know that I shouldn’t watch something, and I’ve also had some bookish friends warn me of things in books that might not be the greatest things for me to read.
And I also know there are people (like half of my old book club) who like to read the last sentence or page of a book first. I think they’re absolutely nuts.
For the most part, I just HATE SPOILERS. I want to have things revealed to me when they’re supposed to be revealed. I don’t want to know about that huge twist before it happens! I don’t want to know that so-and-so dies UNTIL I ACTUALLY READ IT OR SEE IT. But I do know that everyone has a different definition of spoilers, and what qualifies as a spoiler in my book is, well, pretty much anything. I’ve been wanting to write this post since Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner wrote this discussion about what defines a spoiler (wow, a whole year ago!) and I’m glad I’m finally getting around to it.
So here are some ways that I’ve actually been spoiled (for books and/or TV shows/movies):
In Reviews
This one is sad, because I love to support my fellow book bloggers, but you guys, I just can’t do it. If I plan on reading a book anytime soon, I just can’t read your review. Unless you swear that there will be no spoilers. But even then, I don’t want to know about that twist that happens on page 15. I don’t care that it’s not at the end, I don’t want to know about it until I get to page 15 myself!
On Social Media
I mean, we all know to stay off Twitter until you’ve watched the next episode of Game of Thrones. YOU WILL BE SPOILED. And that truly sucks for me because I’m in the Pacific time zone, which means I see all the shows 3 hours after the Eastern time zone, 2 hours after Central. So all those shows you watched 3 hours ago? Yeah, I’m watching it NOW. And even then, I can’t always watch the show when it’s live because I have kids and other things to do. DVRs are great, yet they just help the spoilers to accumulate.
So I know not to go on Twitter until I’ve watched that show, but even Facebook is getting really bad about it. I LOVE the show The Amazing Race. So naturally, I “liked” their page on Facebook. But if I don’t watch an episode live, guess what they put up on FB the next day? A post that says, “Hear what yesterday’s eliminated team has to say!” or something like that. Sure, that doesn’t spoil, but underneath the title is a PICTURE OF THE TEAM WHO HAS JUST BEEN ELIMINATED. Come on, The Amazing Race! Don’t you want people to actually watch the show? This kind of thing is happening a lot these days.
By a So-Called Friend
THIS IS THE BIG ONE.
So a couple years ago I was hanging out with some friends and I mentioned the book I was reading. It was a mystery, and a rather big book, and I was telling my friends how it was taking me a long time to read it. One friend said, “Oh, yeah, that book. [Character name] did it.” I was SO PISSED. I don’t know why she would say that. Why the hell would you DO THAT to a person? I was so shocked I kind of stuttered and changed the subject.
On the Book Cover/In the Synopsis
I personally only read the book’s synopsis once–when I first hear about it or see it in the store or library. If I like how it sounds and I want to read it, I put it on my TBR on Goodreads and I don’t read the synopsis again. Because I don’t want to remember much when I actually sit down to read it. And often, if I’m hooked by the first sentence or so of the synopsis, I won’t even read the rest of the synopsis. And I’m glad I don’t. Because sometimes a synopsis can reveal too much, almost like a movie trailer. I’ve also been spoiled by an author’s blurb on the cover of a book. Not cool.
On the Wiki Page
Sometimes Recaptains doesn’t have a book I’ve read recapped yet, so when I go into the second or third book I forget some things. So there have been a few times when I try to find the wiki page for that series and look something up. NOT A GOOD IDEA. Because I have been spoiled that way and it sucks. This is when I should tweet/text/email a friend who I know has read the books and say, “Hey I’m reading book 3 in this series and I don’t remember who this guy is. What did he do in book 2 again?”
Basically, for me, if it happens in the book and it’s not in the synopsis, DON’T TELL ME. And even if it is in the synopsis, I might not want to know. Most people are good about not spoiling things, and like I said, I know to stay off social media, but sometimes, these things are unavoidable. Or you just have that jack ass “friend” who tells you who effing did it when you simply mention that you’re reading the book.
What about you guys? Do you think I’m a bit too much of a spoilerphobe or are you like me?
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pagesunbound
July 28, 2015 at 10:00 amI think I'm a little laxer with spoilers than some people, definitely. I will write about the twist on page 15. Oops!
However, for some reason it really bothers me when people spoil classics I haven't read. I don't care if "everyone" knows the character dies at the end; I didn't until now!!! I think it's just because it IS so hard not to generally be aware of what happens in well-known books like classics that I'm really ticked off if I had a chance of being surprised and someone ruined it.
Kami
July 28, 2015 at 3:25 pmI hate spoilers as well, maybe not as much as you, but I do hate them. I try not to give anything away in my reviews or when I talk to someone. On the flip side, I think if a book has been out for a while, it is fair game to talk about anything in it. For example, I think classic books, like Austen and Dickens, are fair game, and I think Harry Potter and The Hunger Games are getting going to be fair game soon.
Kate Midnight Book Girl
July 28, 2015 at 3:47 pmLol, there needs to be some kind of support group for people who have been traumatized by spoilers.
For me it just depends. Sometimes spoilers don't bother and other times they do. Rarely do they ruin a book for me… although because of spoilers I don't want to read Go Set a Watchman, which I was already on the fence about because I worry that Harper Lee was coerced into publishing it.
For spoilers, I guess it comes down to what causes you more anxiety, some people can't handle emotionally investing themselves in a book without knowing what's lurking between the pages. I have on occasion flipped to the last page of a book, usually out of anxiety. That's part of the reason I like audiobooks and ebooks, because I won't ever jump go the end on those despite anxious temptation.
I really hope I'm not the friend who spoiled a book for you!
Kimberly @ On the Wings of Books
July 28, 2015 at 6:05 pmI really hate spoilers too. I don't often have the issues with books as I don't generally read reviews until I have read the book, but there have been a few. Thankfully I can't think of any show I watch right now that is so "hot" that I have to lay off twitter or facebook until I watch the show. I was on twitter a few weeks ago and someone was live tweeting Jurassic World which reallly pissed me off. It's Jurassic World so it's not like I didn't know that some people were going to die, but knowing who sucked. I don't have a very good memory though so by the time I went to see it I forgot the name.
I'm with you on the synopsis. Once I decide I want to read a book I never go back to the synopsis, which usually works in my favor as a lot of time it's better to go into a book blind.
I have been the friend that spoiled though and I felt terrible. We were talking at book club about Harry Potter and I mentioned a death, completely forgetting that one of our members was still on book 4. Or 5. Didn't matter because I was talking about book 7. I still feel awful about it.
I do feel that there is a statute of limitations on spoilers though, at some point (not sure what that point is) it needs to be assumed that you should know, either by reading/watching or by general pop culture knoweldge.
Micheline D
July 29, 2015 at 5:54 pmI'm pretty much just like you. First I hate spoilers and second, I have certain anxiety triggers and have to be forewarned if any movies, books or shows have those triggers so I can turn away at the right time. I once had someone ruin the twist in a mystery movie that I was LOVING until he ruined it. *glares* I never forgave the idiot for it either – it was my high school bf's dad so it all worked out when we broke up I guess? LOL
Anyways, I also avoid reviews for books if I'm planing to read the book soon, some people don't see spoilers the same way I do and I've been inadvertently spoiled before. And yes Twitter and Wiki have ruined me as well so I avoid ALL THE THINGS until I'm caught up on whatever book/show/movie I'm into atm. All of this to say: I feel your pain. *hugs*