I am afraid to read The Raven King. I was one of the lucky few whose pre-order had shipped out early - who people were threatening (don't you dare release spoilers!) and begging (release spoilers! I can't wait). By this account, I should've already finished the book, especially because spoilers are out there and I don't want to be spoiled. I've mentioned my love for The Raven Cycle multiple times, and it was one of my most anticipated books of the year. Yet I have not finished the book. I am afraid.

Do you ever get like this? Where a book can be so hyped and your expectations so large that suddenly you don't even feel like reading the book anymore? I'm on page 84, I believe, and that was all good and I was still excited. But then I started to embrace the bad habits-- I started to skim ahead, I looked at the ending. That's not me saying "bad book" but rather a part of that fear. What will the book do? I love Maggie's writing and I had to slap myself out of that one because hey, skimming is not enjoying the writing in the same way. It's a strange situation. I don't want to not read the book - it'll sit on the shelves and god knows when I'll get to it later, if I don't get it to now. Yet reading now means some part of the experience might be ruined -- when you're not even sure you want to read at the time because you've built the book up, why read it?

So I turn to you my fellow readers. What can I do now? Do you have any tips to combat the pressure of hyped books and any tips to get back into the reading experience and the experience of The Raven Cycle? I don't think I'll have the time to reread the previous novels, and the recaps aren't the same, but...? Help!

Have you tried one of the audiobooks offered by Audiobooksync? Maybe I should have written this earlier in the summer - oh well, remember this for next year, if you're interested, and these next two weeks. Audiobooksync is a program sponsored by AudioFile magazine, in which a classic is paired with a young adult novel, and available for free download during the week that they are offered. If you're in the U.S., well, here are a lot of big name titles like The Ring and the Crown and Around the World in 80 Days (and if you're not in the U.S., there are still plenty of titles for you too).

For me, Audiobooksync has offered titles that have introduced me to some fantastic authors. Last year I was introduced to Code Name Verity, a book which nearly made me cry and which made me a huge fan of Elizabeth Wein. I was so excited to learn about Rose Under Fire being offered this year, and indeed it was an absolutely excellent read (hugely recommended if you haven't already read it!). This established Elizabeth Wein as one of the queens of historical YA for me. And not just YA titles cause the excitement. For years I have been meaning to read books written by more "traditionally classic" authors. This year I got to listen to Great Expectations, and Charles Dickens was as fabulous an author to finally have read as was Elizabeth Wein.

Whether I'm walking to the train station before work or performing mind-numbing repetitive work, I'm going to be & have been taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity. I hope that you will be too, and perhaps we can discuss these books. There are only a couple of weeks left now, but you can definitely also mark your calendars for next year (mark the beginning of May & then check back with the website, or at least that's what I'm planning on doing).

Something I've been more conscious of since I started to read more audiobooks was how my expectations and standards had changed across various book formats... In some ways, I think the ebook is the place where the author can shine most; the print most dependent on the publisher's pushing and the audiobook dependent on the narrator you get.

(Discussion up on the blog!)