We readers are a unique bunch and we all have books we love and books we don't. And sometimes those "books we don't" happen to be ones that everyone (and I do mean just about everyone out there who's read it) loved. The first time or two this happened, I remember feeling slightly embarrassed. What was wrong with me that I didn't love it? Everyone else did and especially some favorite bloggers whose recommendations are usually spot on? But see, I was totally wrong. It is perfectly normal not to like what everyone else does! Especially when it comes to books. Thank goodness.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green was my first time experiencing this. I even went out and bought a hardback copy because I just assumed I would love it! It had all the things that normally worked for me. The romance sounded cute and the issues that the teen protagonists were going through were heartfelt and appealed to me.
But....
And because of that experience, I am now really leery about any overly hyped book or series. If everyone loves it, then I'm a lot more likely to approach with lots of caution. I might actually end up loving it too! Take The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer, for example. I was a bit leery of Cinder when it first came out. Everyone raved and I wasn't so sure. But I ended up trying it from the library and then I had to go purchase my own copy because everyone was right! (And that whole series is epic and awesome and amazing and yeah. So I totally bought into all the hype for those. ;)
So what I'm saying is, hype isn't always what it's cracked up to be. And sometimes it is. It just all depends on the reader. It also means that there are books out there for everyone. I love this book, but you don't, yet you love this book and I don't. And yet again, we both love this other book!
At the end of the day? There's no right or wrong, it's just books. And if we all love books, then we all win anyway, right? :)
Great post! I completely agree. Everyone is different, and each book is different for each person. What matters is that people are reading. It doesn't matter what they read, just read!
ReplyDeleteYep! And I never seem to learn my lesson. I know I probably won't like it but I give in anyway and usually end up hating it.
ReplyDeleteI DO love books! And I agree, just because everyone loves a book doesn't mean I will, too. This was the case, for me, with the Divergent series. I really did love book 1, book 2 was good, book 3 was....not. And I think there are quite a few people who would agree with me about those!
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