Can Too Much Anticipation Ruin Your Reading??

Before I begin today with my usual rambling discussion/ranting post, let me apologize if this gets a little over the place… I’m actually writing this on the fly sort of speak, without any preparation whatsoever.. (If the muse hits you in the head with a hammer who am I to argue? right? — I know, my muse has sadistic tendencies)  This bookish matter has been in the forefront of my mind all through the month of  June because it is something I’m experiencing right now… So I guess my answer to the above question is, sadly yes.

Too much anticipation CAN ruin your reading experience

Let me get into the thick of things and try my best to be coherent, as bookworms a big part (yes, let’s face it ..it is a very big part) of our lives consists on waiting; that’s right we are always waiting for the next release of a series we love, or the next standalone from an author we can’t miss, or we just unavoidably fall victim to the mass hype about an upcoming release everybody and their dogs has been raving about.. (we shouldn’t fall for this but it happens.. let’s be honest). Then the anticipation starts building up… Would the book be as awesome as its predecesor?? Would it be about that character we adored on the other series?? Will it have everything I want it to have and more?? Will it release early?? Will I get the ARC of it so that I don’t have to wait that long to read it?? Would I be able to purchase it when it comes out??

Exciting but also a little bit stressful isn’t?? Sometimes we get a reprieve if the wait turns out to be a long one (because we get distracted with other books.. and a little bit of our everyday life) but when release day closes in… the anticipation builds up again until we manage to actually get that precious book in our hands to read ASAP…

Or that’s what we think, because that’s when my problem (or maybe our problem?? I hope I’m not alone in this) begins… We are happy and excited and ready to read it but when we actually start to … You just can’t, you find yourself putting it down again and again, not moving forward or not getting suck into the story as you so eagerly thought.

Some might say that it’s just the beginning of a reading slump but it actually isn’t because you can read other books wonderfully… it’s just that freaking story that you had been waiting for forever to read… I mentioned before that I’m actually going through this unusual experience.. in fact I’m having this issue with two highly anticipated releases for myself  Legendary by Stephanie Garber and Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh… I was over the moon when I got them and started to read them almost immediately but it’s almost halfway through the month and I haven’t past the 15% mark on either book… and it doesn’t have anything to do with the books per se.. it’s an honest example of the saying It’s not you It’s ME..

I think I was more emotionally entangled with the whole waiting and imagining than with the actual reading of them if that makes sense… So, I’m hoping to purge this issue with this post and trying to find kindred spirits who have gone or are going through something similar, maybe we can help each other overcome this quirk… As for the books I’m putting them down for now and enjoying reading other books maybe all I do need it’s a little time to deal with my craziness..

Have this ever happened to you?? What did you do to overcome it?? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below…

As Always

Happy Reading