The Trouble with Highly Anticipated Novels . . .

What I'm doing: thinking about watching Gossip Girl
What I didn't do tonight: excercise
What I just finished reading: Catching Fire

So, I just finished reading Catching Fire, the highly antcipated 2nd novel in The Hunger Games series.  Here's my problem with getting really, really excited about reading a novel that I've been waiting and waiting for.  I always seem a little let down.  It's like I get all geared up thinking it's going to be the greatest book of all time, and then . . . well, it's not.  Total bummer. 

This has happened to me a lot, and I guess maybe it sucks even more this time because before Catching Fire, I read Shiver, another book I was really excited to read.  And not only did I read them back to back, I bought them back to back (in hardback!).  I can't honestly say that either one would in my top 10 YA favs.  But maybe it was just because I expected so much.  Were they both great books?  Yep.  Were they both page turners?  Yep.  Did they both have great story lines?  Yep again.

I think it's just because I was so fired up to read them that I expected them to blow me away.  This has happened with a few movies for me.  One I can remember is Jerry McGuire.  Everyone raved and raved about it, and when I watched it, all I remember thinking is, "Really?"  But then I saw it a few years later and loved it.  It's probably one of my favorite movies. 

The trouble with highly anticpated novels is that I'm never going to read them again.  Books for me aren't like movies.  I read them once and that's it.  So, in my humble opinion, I am totally ruining books for myself.  Had I not been overly excited to read Shiver and Catching Fire, would I have loved them?  Who knows.  Probably.

All I know, is the very best books have been those rare surprises.  I'm not expecting them, and WHAM!  they are the best books I've ever read.  I need some more books like that.

I just started The Adoration of Jenna Fox.  Wish me luck.

Sara