I don't read books before I gift them to people - my mother does, shamelessly (if the book is for me, maybe not others). However, a couple of years ago I found myself reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, which I was giving to my sister-in-law. Before wrapping, I started to browse and simply could not put it down. I recall reading it, only half-opening the pages, trying to preserve the newness. Only a chink of words visible, it was like reading a triangle.
I have commited the crime again: I've read The Tiny Wife by Andrew Kaufman (The Friday Project), a wee stocking-filler for someone in my family. The book is small and cute, only 80 pages long. Quirky and funny - Andrew Kaufman has an imagination to envy.
