# What Page Are You on? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2022, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398 "2022-01-26T04:37:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/1 "2022-01-26T04:37:00Z")
I’m curious what page you’re on of the book you’re currently reading. If you’re reading several books at once, then you may answer for each, but otherwise please answer only for the one you have most recently put aside. I ask this because I don’t want you to cherry-pick the book you have made the biggest dent in. Anyway, what’s the point of trying to impress me? You may well wonder what possible interest this question could have. I hope to get an idea of how likely people are to finish a book once begun. For instance, if most people have yet to read 50 pages, I might conclude that a lot of people begin many more books than they finish. On the other hand, it might simply reflect the (possible) fact that people tend to pick up speed once they see light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll worry about that later. I’m torn about asking for titles, because some may be ashamed to admit their lowbrow or depraved tastes. Nonetheless, I’ll include that information in my own response, because otherwise the thread may be too dry and may even be moved to another forum where I never find it. So, I am currently reading “Orange is the New Black”, by Piper Kerman, and I am on page 58. I was only on 54 when I conceived this question, but I was on a bus without internet access. I then planned to read through to the end of the chapter (on page 71) before posting, but who knows what distractions may yet arise between now and then? This particular edition of the book ends on page 299, with another 25-30 pages of optional supplementary matter. It begins on page 1 (title page) or 3 (Chapter One), and no introduction, foreword or preface. This is more information than I ask from you; I’m just trying to set a good example. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/2 "2022-01-26T04:43:26Z")
Page 184 of _Wedding Station_ by David Downing. Around half way through. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/3 "2022-01-26T05:38:36Z")
Page 264 of Seanan McGuire’s _Once Broken Faith_ I like Seanan McGuire a lot, but the October Daye series didn’t warm my heart at first. I skipped several and jumped ahead and they got better at the 2/3 mark. Overall, Seanan McGuire writes good stuff, some of which she wrote under the pseudonum Myra Grant. I love her “wayward children” series, and the “parasitology” series, a more adult and darker series, is also wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/4 "2022-01-26T05:53:22Z")
Page 50 of _God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater_. While cleaning out my garage, I found a Vonnegut collection in some boxes of books I’d never cracked open. I’ve finished _Cat’s Cradle_ and _The Sirens of Titan_. _Welcome to the Monkey House_ and _Slaughterhouse-Five_ remain. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/5 "2022-01-26T12:49:02Z")
My kindle (where I do 95% of my reading) currently isn’t displaying page number. This is my third kindle. I’ve never known how to turn page number display off/on, it seems to just occur randomly. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/6 "2022-01-26T12:51:49Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I found a Vonnegut collection in some boxes of books I’d never cracked open. And so it goes. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/7 "2022-01-26T12:59:03Z")
I read on my Android phone, and the page number displays when I touch the bottom of the screen. Touch it again, it shows which page in the chapter I’m on. One more touch, and the page number area is blank. Maybe you’re touching the bottom of your page display and not realizing it? Anyhoo, I’m on page 196 of _Dark Matter: A Novel_ by Blake Crouch. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/8 "2022-01-26T13:10:21Z")
I’m on page 211 of _the dawn of everything_. My Kindle says I’m 27% through, but there’s always a lot of random crap at the end of Kindle books, so it’s probably a little bit more than that. I started a while ago, took a break, and recently picked it up again. There’s no plot to drive plot lust, so it’s fairly easy to put down for a while. But it’s also fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/9 "2022-01-26T13:14:53Z")
I’m 43% through _Kingdom of Characters: the language revolution that made China modern_ by Jing Tsu. It’s nonfiction about Chinese characters and technology, very interesting and well written. I’m also 28% though the novel _Enigma_ by Robert J. Harris about Bletchley Park. I may or may not go back to it. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/10 "2022-01-26T13:25:02Z")
Page 510 of War and Peace. Still waiting for something of interest to happen. I’ll finish it though. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/11 "2022-01-26T13:26:45Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I’m on page 211 of _the dawn of everything_ . My Kindle says I’m 27% through, but there’s always a lot of random crap at the end of Kindle books, so it’s probably a little bit more than that. The last third of it is footnotes, bibliography, and an index, so you’re really at about 40%. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/12 "2022-01-26T13:30:17Z")
Page 152 of 231 in Jim Thompson’s _The Killer Inside Me_. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/13 "2022-01-26T13:34:44Z")
I got about 3-10 pages in a few times, and decided i wasn’t going to finish it. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/14 "2022-01-26T14:05:30Z")
I’m on about page 260 out of 360. It’s a book by a favorite author and I’ve read the book a couple of times before. There was never a doubt that I wouldn’t finish this one. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/15 "2022-01-26T14:13:08Z")
Somebody pointed to the Schlock Mercenary archives a few weeks ago, just finished. Oh, wait, does illustrated count for this? ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/16 "2022-01-26T15:13:13Z")
The first few pages are largely in French, which doesn’t help. The plot is dull and the characters are mostly disagreeable. I read a few pages at bedtime, which helps me sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/17 "2022-01-26T16:33:08Z")
Page 54 out of about 400. There was also an introduction section of about 5 pages that was numbered by Roman numerals. ---
**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:** [January 26, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/18 "2022-01-26T17:25:45Z")
I’m listening to a book on Audible, Robert Greenberg’s _Concert Masterworks._ It’s fascinating, but way over-my-head technical, and no page numbers. I’m currently on Lecture #4, Mozart’s Piano Concerto #25. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/19 "2022-01-26T18:46:06Z")
I read on a kindle too. I have it set up to show percentage of book read. I’m currently at about 75% of my current book. To change it tap at the very bottom left corner of the screen, it’ll toggle between percentage, page number, time left in book (based on your average reading speed), and nothing. I think those are the choices. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398/20 "2022-01-26T19:06:15Z")
P. 227 of 384 of The Martian, which I’m reading to my kids. We will finish, but it’s slow going at the moment because they’re dawdling at getting ready for bed, so it’s like 5-10 minutes at a time. > [@Paintcharge](#): > > To change it tap at the very bottom left corner of the screen, it’ll toggle between percentage, page number, time left in book (based on your average reading speed), and nothing. I think those are the choices. Thanks for this. I’m reading through the Kindle app on my phone, and it was giving me %. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-page-are-you-on/958398.md?page=2)