I just finished 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I’ve written my review for it, and it will likely go somewhere on the net eventually. One spoiler for the review is that I really hated the end of the book. Like, with a passion.

I’ve talked before about how I tend to get into a reading funk after reading a really good book. But now that I think about it, I also have the same problem when I’ve finished a book that I didn’t like.

Well, that’s not precise enough. I get in a funk not because I didn’t like the book (or in this case the end of the book), but because I wanted to like the book. I end up so disappointed because of how that experience went that I can’t seem to shake myself out of it. I can’t get how that book ended out of my head, even as I move on to another book. It’s why I didn’t choose a book on my TBR, but instead some random book off of Kindle Unlimited. I feel like if I were to read a book I’ve been planning on reading, that my disappointment in this King book will bleed over.

And these feelings often lead to slumps. I get so down in my feels, as the kids say, that I can’t focus on the next book.

Luckily, I don’t think that will happen this time, but I still feel that disappointment. I’ve been thinking about the damn book all day as I’ve done my work, and I just can’t get how horrible the ending was out of my head. Even as I take breaks and read something else, I find the back of my mind occupied with that disappointment. It’s not unique to this last book, this happens each time I read a book I want to like, but don’t.

My expectations are always pretty high for books I really want to read. It’s not really the author’s fault if the book fails to meet my expectations. But that doesn’t mean the feeling of betrayal and disappointment isn’t real. And that effects my reading habits.

I don’t know if I’m the only one who gets so effected by disappointed expectations or if this is common, but it feels like this shouldn’t be so debilitating.