As any Reader (note: not reader) will tell you, there is something thrilling about getting a book early. I must admit that I feel all twitterpated (stealing Dakota's word here) when I see a book sitting on my library's shelves or a bookstore's shelves early. The desire to check it out and/or purchase it is overwhelming. And don't get me started on ARCs (advance reading copies). Getting hold of a book several months before its release date is like crack to this book addict. And just like crack, early books and ARCs have their downside.

For example, over the weekend I finally got a chance to read Ready by Lucy Monroe. After reading about Bella and Daisy in two earlier novellas, I was really curious to read their brother's story (especially when I found out his story was a full length release and not a novella -- woo hoo!). My wish was granted when Lucy gave me an ARC of Ready, and I was spared having to wait until July. Feeling like a lucky girl and knowing I would regret diving in right away, I managed to hold off on reading it for a couple of weeks but finally gave into temptation over the weekend. Loved the book, loved the characters, loved the story. All good right? Nope. Now I'm dying to read the next book, Willing. Seriously. I finished reading Ready and said to myself, okay, I want the next book right now. Guess when the next book is coming out. January 2006. That is a long ass time for a girl who has almost zero patience to wait.

I don't think I'm alone in my impatience as a Reader though. A few days after Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out I had someone in the library inquiring about when I would be able to get the next book in the series for them. It is something Readers unintentionally do. We burn through new books (regardless of whether we are reading a favorite author or a newly discovered one) with alarming speed, and then are left not sure what to read next. The good news is that there are always new books and new authors to be discovered. The bad news is that if the last book you read is part of a series that you are dying to keep reading, the wait for the next book (no matter how long) will seem interminable.

And even though I know better, I will still stay up reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince all night when it comes out. And the next day I will be crabby not because of lack of sleep, but because I will be impatient for the final book of the series. Readers -- we'll never learn.

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