It is certainly not most books, indeed it is the rare book that one picks up, starts reading, and in a few paragraphs, absolutely knows: I am going to love this book. It's a weird feeling, because almost always there is simply not enough to go on. Three paragraphs in and I'm sure I'll love it? That seems unlikely. But though I suppose I've been wrong, and a few books have broken my heart, or even just slowly disappointed, almost every time I've felt that way about a book, or a movie, or an album, a minute or two into it, it's been true all the way through.
It would be nice it this were based on a book I just started, but it isn't. For some reason I remember reading The Rook by Daniel O'Malley and feeling that near instant enthrallment, but that was years ago by now. I just reread it for probably the fifth or sixth time last month, but I do remember that initial thunderbolt. I'm currently reading the third book in The Children of the Fox series, or having it read to me brilliantly on Libby, and I think it's a fantastic book, but it's the third book, and though I did fully love the series at the first book, it took some time and is not an example of what I'm talking about here.
What actually made me think of all this was starting to watch a movie tonight with my dear wife. We just watched the first ten minutes and had to delay the rest, but after a minute into the movie I purely felt like I was going to love the whole thing. Now, telling you about it, and only having seen ten minutes, I doubt my feelings more, and am reluctant to go out on a limb putting it in this category with no verification of seeing the rest of the film. But the nature of this is it's not for me to say really. I'm not betting on anything, or even trying to prove a point. I merely thought of all this because that feeling, I don't know, of trust, or engagement, or full enjoyment, was there barely into the film, just as I'm talking about here. Whether it all ends justified or not is not the issue exactly.
The movie I loved so much?
A documentary called Will and Harper.
Would you like to know more about it?
Me too!
Any day now I'm going to watch it!
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