Hopes diminish reading enjoyment
My enjoyment of a book is sometimes hampered by what I want out of it.
Three examples come to mind: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” by J.K. Rowling; “The Lovely Bones,” by Alice Sebold; and “New Moon,” by Stephenie Meyer.
[Caution: There are what some could consider spoilers in the following paragraphs.]
I purchased the last Harry Potter book the weekend it was released. I feared someone spoiling the ending, so I read the 700+ page novel by that Monday morning.
I reread the novel last month, allowing myself more than a week to get through the massive story. Because my focus was no longer on Harry’s outcome, I could better appreciate Rowling’s storytelling skills and the events leading to the final chapters.
My reading of “New Moon” was similar. [Spoiler alert] I became impatient for Edward to return to the story, so reading about Bella’s growing friendship with Jacob was frustrating. Only when I accepted Edward’s absence did I enjoy the tale Meyer wove.
[Spoiler alert] With “The Lovely Bones,” I was eager for Susie’s family to discover her murderer, so I was disappointed that, upon the story’s end, the man never received public blame for what happened. I suspect my hopes for the story affected my enjoyment of it.
My book club selected the novel for our next read, and I found my second time reading the novel was much different. My focus remained on the words in front of me rather than my hopes for the story.
