Let's Discuss: Which Feeling is Better?

 

So one of the rare moments I hopped on Threads...I still haven't quite gotten used to posting or reading through all the posts on that app yet...I mean even with Twitter I would just pick up where they left me and scroll to the top and skim the tweets. I don't really use Twitter too much but for a few things. Trying to make Threads my go to app, but yeah...haven't really read through all the Threads. I think because they start me at the top and I have to scroll down to "wherever" I might have left myself. I'd rather start where I ended and go to the most recent one. But yeah, that's a rant for another day...which really, that was the sweet and short of it!

But ANYWAY--Lol--I was on Threads for some reason or another and saw Penguin Teen posting a poll or it could've even just been on Instagram now that I think about it...yeah, off topic again! But they had a poll and I found myself unable to vote as I felt like there were good reasons to each choice and Penguin Teen seemed to agree based on their comment!

Which Feeling is Better: Starting a Book or Finishing a Book?

And I was like...well...it presents different kinds of feelings for myself! Lol. Both are pleasant so I mean, how do you choose from one happy feeling from another? It's like which of your favorite desserts is better? All are equally wonderful!

I LOVE starting a new book because you're entering a new world! You're meeting new characters and experiencing all sorts of new things and it's all just sparkly and new! Even if you're returning to a favorite series, I mean it's still new characters from whatever your last book was. Unless you're binging reading a series...that then kind of deflates this whole discussion, so let's not discuss that option! Unless you're going to compare WHOLE series start to finish feelings vs feelings from finishing the book before the series binge! Lol. You see, I'm always overthinking things like that!

But yes, starting a book just brings about joyful new beginnings and you're thinking of all the adventures you're going to have with these characters--even if it's just the one adventure in a standalone, there's still mini events and happenings to make minuscule adventures. I feel like I keep adding these little "add on" descriptors because that little nagging voice we sometimes have is trying to contradict myself. Lol.

But finishing a book...! That just brings about great feelings of accomplishment! Even when you're an avid reader, you're like YES! One TBR book down and only another 592 to go! And yes, that's my current TBR number according to Goodreads, although I have been known to forget to add a book, and who knows what's on my Kindle that I haven't marked as "to read" here as that's a scary dusty mess! So 592 is a safe number, but we could round it up to 600 as I've a stack of "maybe" books, mostly from book boxes that I haven't decided if I'm going to read or sell/donate.

See, I get started on a topic here and I sidetrack myself. I can easily say that it's very likely that I would be doing this if we were talking in person too! I get on one subject, sidebar over to another topic that relates to what I'm talking about and then jump back on track after that! Finishing a book just brings me such joy too! There's the feeling of accomplishment but also contentment. That hurray! I did just read yet another book from the TBR mountain! I'm tackling that beast one book at a time...even though I know there's several books on there that border the 1,000 page count! We're talking multiple books with 800+ pages! That's daunting! Especially when you read slow like I do!

Now since both scenarios are joyful occasions, it's hard to say which feeling is "better." I mean seriously, how do you choose between two things that bring you equal amounts of happiness to declare a winner? It feels too full circle to me. You get the joy of starting a new book and reading it and all the joy and wonder that comes from it! Then you finish it and you start that cycle of joyful emotions and THEN you get to start the whole cycle of feelings all over again! It's really a tremendous feeling!

I really can't liken it to anything else, because there's that voice that will say one can still be better than the other. Like you love vanilla and chocolate cake but don't you sometimes love one more than the other? Perhaps cravings come into consideration.

Starting and finishing a book isn't like that to me. Besides, for me, it's vanilla cake all the way! Now if you say vanilla cake and yellow cake then yeah, I'm like they are both equally great! I'll take whichever you got! But I went with the first scenario as it seems more likely to resonate...maybe, unless you're not a cake person or you do prefer one over the other? I honestly couldn't think of two things that are the same but not the same. Because even when you bring in brands of the same thing there still might be a taste difference and preference comes about. Like Peter Pan peanut butter vs Jif peanut butter. Is that a better example maybe? Peanut butter is peanut butter after all when you go with it like that. Let's not get into the chunky vs creamy vs that natural kind. (Creamy all the way though! lol)

I actually don't like chocolate cake. Yeah, I'm weird. But I love brownies so go figure! Different texture though! And now I've gone way, way off course, again! Sorry folks!

But yes, I feel like the overall feelings I get from starting a book and finishing a book are both so overwhelming happy and positive that I can't really say one is better than the other. While one gives me a sense of excitement for a new adventure, the other gives me such a feeling of accomplishment that I'm giddy either way!

What about you? Which feeling do think is better? Or do you, too, think that they are both equally happy feelings? Even if you ended up not liking the book overall, don't you still feel a little bit accomplished for giving it a go? I didn't want to dive into those negative feelings where we felt "ehh" for the book or DNF'd it. That obviously brings about other feelings from starting it and ending it wherever we ended it!