# Books you've stayed up late to finish reading **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109 "2009-08-11T21:14:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/21 "2009-08-12T03:44:00Z")
[Maus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maus), the Pulitzer-Prize winning graphic novel about the impact of the Holocaust on one family, as illustrated by the son through the narrative of his survivor father. Read it in zombie mode straight through, finished at 3am and commenced sobbing like a little girl. Everyone should read that book. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/22 "2009-08-12T03:51:42Z")
The Graveyard book by Neil Gaiman. A very well done young adult novel. I recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/23 "2009-08-12T03:55:37Z")
Most recently, Dennis Lehane’s _Shutter Island_. He’s becoming one of my favorite writers. This one has been adapted for film and is coming out in October directed by Scorsese; I can’t wait to see what he’s done with the material. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/24 "2009-08-12T04:02:00Z")
Harry Potter books 5, 6 and 7. Foundation and Earth, by Isaac Asimov. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/25 "2009-08-12T05:44:04Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Harry Potter books 5, 6 and 7. Came in here to post exactly that! 🙂 Also, _The Deed of Paksenarrion_, by Elizabeth Moon. ---
**Author:** ![Elyanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5ac83/32.png) [@Elyanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elyanna)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/26 "2009-08-12T06:18:26Z")
_Potter and the Deathly Hallows_. I got it at midnight, started reading at one, and finished before 10 that morning. It wasn’t my original plan; I was going to take my time, but my roommate pretty much dared me to stay up with her. I made it; she fell asleep around five am. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/27 "2009-08-12T06:31:53Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Replay. I think I carried on reading that through the night and to the next day. Same here. I think the first book I ever read straight through the night was [_The Keeper of the Isis Light_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeper_of_the_Isis_Light). I think I was probably in grade 3 or so and I stayed up until at least 4 in the morning. I think the last book I stayed up all night to finish was _The Time Traveller’s Wife_. And I mean _all_ night. It’s a pretty long book. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/28 "2009-08-12T06:58:48Z")
The whole Time-Life series focusing on strange phenomena titled [Mysteries of the Unknown](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysteries_of_the_Unknown). I was in high school when the series came out in the late 80’s. I remember getting one book every couple of weeks and reading it all the way through into the night. Scared the SH\*T out of me, but I kept on! Remember the [eerie TV commercials](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNk6CCTWu8M) they played during that time? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/29 "2009-08-12T07:15:41Z")
I usually wind up doing this with any book I read. I mean, I plan to stop, but I get too rapped. In fact, it seems that if I do stop, I usually don’t ever get back to reading it. Oh, yeah. And I usually find that, if I read it again, there’s a whole lot I missed by being tired. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/30 "2009-08-12T13:36:44Z")
A long time ago in my youth… Night Mare by Piers Anthony, an early Xanth novel, before the series turned into complete trash. The only reason I refused to put it down was that I expected a particular character to solve the conflict in a particular way, and the character failed where I thought he would succeed. I was thrown, my solution was tried half way through the book and I was totally wrong, I HAD to find out why and see the conflict through to the end. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/31 "2009-08-12T13:46:27Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And I usually find that, if I read it again, there’s a whole lot I missed by being tired. Yeah, sometimes I have to re-read that last chapter I read before finally giving up and going to bed. I do this all the time. The next one I’m expecting to be unable to put down is Diana Gabaldon’s new book. It releases on Sept. 22, which is a Tuesday, and it’s 832 pages. I will probably force myself to wait until Friday to start it or else I’ll be no good to anybody the rest of that week. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/32 "2009-08-12T13:48:23Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > _Salem’s Lot_. I was so scared I had to finish it so I could sleep. > > StG I was going to post exactly this. I finished around 4 AM, and just stayed up till sunrise to be safe. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/33 "2009-08-12T13:52:58Z")
When I was a kid, I used to stay up late reading an entire set of \*World Book Encyclopedias. \*Only because I had insomnia. ---
**Author:** ![curlygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/41988e/32.png) [@curlygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlygirl)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/34 "2009-08-12T15:51:47Z")
> [@TNWPsycho](#): > > Its a short one, but, “Jonathon Livingston Seagull” by Robert Bach…i think thats the only book i read straight through with no breaks. Well, if you loved that book, I just finished a book by a Seattle author called “The Art of Racing in the rain”. It is now one of my favorite books. I cried through the whole thing but it was a good cry. I recomend it to anyone who loves animals, has kids, loves racing or has a soul. ---
**Author:** ![curlygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/41988e/32.png) [@curlygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlygirl)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/35 "2009-08-12T15:53:35Z")
> [@JpnDude](#): > > The whole Time-Life series focusing on strange phenomena titled [Mysteries of the Unknown](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysteries_of_the_Unknown). I was in high school when the series came out in the late 80’s. I remember getting one book every couple of weeks and reading it all the way through into the night. Scared the SH\*T out of me, but I kept on! > > Remember the [eerie TV commercials](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNk6CCTWu8M) they played during that time? I have that set of books not 2 feet away from me! ---
**Author:** ![curlygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/41988e/32.png) [@curlygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlygirl)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/36 "2009-08-12T15:57:01Z")
I stayed up all night finishing the fourth book in a series called the Dragon Quartet. Very cool books, not just for fantasy fiction junkies but for thinkers about the world we live in and where it is all going. ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/37 "2009-08-12T15:59:52Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I do this all the time. The next one I’m expecting to be unable to put down is Diana Gabaldon’s new book. It releases on Sept. 22, which is a Tuesday, and it’s 832 pages. I will probably force myself to wait until Friday to start it or else I’ll be no good to anybody the rest of that week. I’m forcing myself to wait and order it from Amazon on 9/22 so I can order something else and get free shipping. I could get it at a local store but Amazon’s always cheaper! And I’m going to try to force myself to savor … savor … In my usual run-up to a new release I’m re-doing the whole series, only this time I’m listening to the unabridged CDs, checked out from the library. It’s an interesting experience, and I can do it while I do chores, etc. I’ve confirmed that I really didn’t care for _Fiery Cross_ although a lot happens in that book. I just think her editor should have whacked at least a 1/4 of it. I like her writing but god there were parts I nearly went to sleep over. Where’s ivylass? She should be in on this conversation! ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/38 "2009-08-12T16:13:29Z")
Just last night, _Genesis_, by Bernard Beckett. It is a science fiction book set in the near future after WWIII, which used biological weapons. A small colony set up on islands enclosed itself with a fence and instituted draconian isolation laws. This book is a philosophical investigation of what it means to be human, told through the context of a young woman testing for entrance into “The Academy”. She has to give a 4 hour presentation/question and answer session on her topic of choice, which happens to be about a man who transformed their society. The main reason I stayed up all night is that it is fairly short, and there is a blurb on it that it is best reading in one sitting. So I did. I probably could have stopped, but was intrigued. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/39 "2009-08-12T16:19:03Z")
I can’t really count the first Harry Potter because I didn’t stay up at night with it, but I did read it pretty much straight through. The only difference is, I got it in the morning. I finished Goblet of Fire about 4:30 am, though. I didn’t really mean to, I just never got to a good stopping point. The latest? The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I finished it at 8:00 the other morning. It started out utterly charming me, and then it just got better. I expected it, from the way it started, to be lighter than it was, but it turned out to be a bit of a different book than I thought. I think it has become a favorite, though ---
**Author:** ![Yesterdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@Yesterdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yesterdog)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109/40 "2009-08-12T16:46:45Z")
The Silmarillion for me. I’ve always been fasinated by that work. Also, G.R.R. Martin Song of Fire and Ice books, as well as the Last Lecture. I have more, but I could talk about this for hours. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-youve-stayed-up-late-to-finish-reading/506109.md?page=3)