The title of my post sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Why would anyone thank a thief? I know I wouldn’t. Yet every other day, I see precisely that happening on Instagram.

Last week I considered if pre-publication hype causes weariness. The responses have been somewhat mixed, as some thought that this is how they learnt of new books. On the flip side, when the hype gets to many, the enjoyment of the new books can be compromised.

Hype has a way of attracting yet repelling readers. If a lot of hype surrounds a book, it’s only natural to be curious and to want to be part of it. After all, if so many people love a book, it holds a lot of promise for anyone who has yet to read it. On the other hand, those sky-high expectations pose a danger of greater disappointment if you don’t come to love the book like everyone else.

Tell me, how many pages are in an audiobook? How do you determine that? Would you even want to? Well, let me tell you that Goodreads equates hours to page numbers. At 10 hours 6 minutes according to Audible, Cinder by Marissa Meyer has 11 pages. Goodreads mandates that you round up the hour, not down. The 400 pages in the hardcover edition are of little concern to Goodreads.

When it comes to reading, I don’t discriminate against any format. I read printed books, ebooks and audiobooks. In fact, I have great appreciation for audiobooks. Where my love falls short though is abridged audiobooks. What’s the point of them?! I ask myself every time I stumble across them.