Last week, the meme I chose discussed the problems with prioritizing reading among all the other things that need to be done. It seems fitting that the next meme on the list talks about the flipside of that issue — what happens when you decide to prioritize that really great book you’ve been reading:
This is a problem I can definitely relate to, especially when it comes to some of my favourite authors. When a book is that good, I want to devour it all in one sitting, but I also want to take my time with it and avoid rushing through. This has been a problem for me with just about every Jodi Picoult book, and especially with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Actually, I find this kind of problem is especially bad when it comes to the end of great series (although I haven’t read too many full series). When the last Harry Potter book came out, I couldn’t wait to read it and looked forward to finding out how the story would end…but I also didn’t want to read it because I knew that meant the series would be over. At least at the time, before all these extra books, Pottermore, etc. came out. It was a very strange feeling to know that a series I’d been reading for years would suddenly stop, so as much as I wanted to read the whole thing at once, I also wanted to pace myself a bit.
The same was true for Jodi Picoult’s books. After the first couple of books that I read by her, I quickly decided I wanted to read them all and bought several of them at once. Although I read and enjoyed them all, there were a few that I remember feeling like I had rushed. This was especially true for Salem Falls, a book about a high school teacher, Jack, who is accused of an inappropriate relationship with one of his students and moves to Salem Falls to start over. While there, a group of girls who are experimenting with Wicca accuse Jack again, forcing him to have to defend himself all over again. I remember reading and enjoying this book, but I also remember feeling like I read through it much too quickly! I will have to start re-reading some of her books soon.
The main problem with finding a book that you really enjoy is that no matter how long it takes to read it, it still seems to be over too quickly. Even when it is a very long book, if it is good enough I will devour it. It seems a bit weird to feel rushed when reading through a book quickly though — there’s no time limit on how long a book will or should take (unless it’s due back to the library soon!). Sometimes it may be better to slow down a bit and enjoy it. Even the best books have to come to an end eventually.
Abyssal Librarian 