What Sorrow...

...that I should find such disappointment at something I was so looking forward to.

I just finished a book that I borrowed from the library yesterday. It's a book that I have been wanting to read for a while now, based on the fact that I enjoyed the movie adaptation so much.

As it is customary for books to differ from their movie counterparts, I expected to have a different experience with the book than I did with the movie, though I was certain it would be just as satisfying as the movie had been.

I was wrong.

For the sake of being objective, and to avoid hindering anyone else's opinion or desire to read this book, I will not share it's title. It had a good story line, very interesting and well written. However, upon reading the last few words and closing it, I found I was not satisfied at all.

I did not like the book.

It was not how the book ended, or the fact that it was a completely different ending from the movie, it was simply that I did not feel anything for this book. To be completely honest, I really did not care so much for the characters. I did not finish the book out of love or concern for the character's well being, but simply out of curiosity for the plot. And that was rather disappointing.

Now you must understand, some of the major plots in the story were rather interesting and I couldn't help but wonder how it was going to play out. But, when it comes to books, in order for me to enjoy the full extent of the story, I have to connect with the characters, or else it's like reading a text book about some historical event you never learned about. Curious to know what happened and how it all ended, but you don't feel the same emotion as something you read for enjoyment (unless you like reading textbooks which is totally fine). 

At first it wasn't very clear to me why the book did not bring me as much satisfaction as I had hoped for however as I have been writing this post and thinking about the story itself I have been able to work some of it out.

Firstly, the characters. I don't want to say that the author didn't think about the characters or give them any real depth because that wouldn't be entirely true. It's just that they felt so generic, so a-typical, that I could tell you the basics about them and you could probably apply it to at least a hundred different teen novels or movies. I mean, I get that nowadays it's hard to come up with something original, and I wholeheartedly believe the saying that all writer's are thieves (meaning we steal ideas from other places), but for goodness sakes at least give them some kind of twist to make them your own.

Secondly: Throughout most of this book I found myself wondering if the main character and her love interest would actually go all the way and have sex because that seemed to be a major focal point in the story. I mean, it was like the story had two major plots. The plot that they talk about on the back of the book, and then whether or not these two were going to have sex. That bugged me. I mean, the main characters talk about love and yet it seems to me like they cared more about lust. The book wasn't riddled with sex or anything, but the amount of time the character spent thinking about sex and how  badly she wanted it from her boyfriend made it hard to think she really loved him at all.

Reason 2.5 (because it kind of ties into the second reason) I understand the whole raging hormones thing with teenagers, but sex isn't the only thing they think about. No wonder so many parents are freaking out about their kids going off and having sex every time they walk out the front door. Society is painting teenagers in that light and it's not the teenagers that are writing this stuff. It the adults. Do teenagers have sex? Yes, I won't argue with that. But, is that all they think about, all they care about? NO! Stop making it seem like all they care about is sex for heaven's sake!

*sigh* Okay, I'm going to get off my soap box now. Lol.

Anyway, the point of writing this post wasn't so much to rant and rave about the book (thought it has helped to get my thoughts out). The point is, I was so excited to read this book and it came up as such a big disappointment which makes me sad.

I absolutely love reading. I love movies and TV shows too, but books, well, nothing can compare. There's nothing that can compare to the joy of curling up on the couch or lying in bed with an open book and sinking deep into its world, becoming the invisible bystander to the events transpiring and feeling the adrenaline as the plot thickens and secrets are revealed. And even though it can be sad coming to the end of a book and realizing you must bid farewell to the new friends you have made and the short life you were able to live and experience through those black words on the page, finishing a book can be exhilarating. The best is when you close the book and as you take in your surroundings it feels like you've come home from one of the greatest adventures of your life.

I love it.

So, when a book fails to produce that kind of exhilaration, that adrenaline, that joyful homecoming feel, it is disappointing and sad. That's the real reason I started this post. That was how I felt. Disappointed and unhappy.

But you want to know the best part about reading? No matter how disappointed you were at the end of the book or how sad you are to say goodbye, there are always thousands, hundreds of thousands more adventures to take.

You just have to find the right one.