When Everyone Else is Reading the Latest "It" Book... and I'm Not

A couple years ago, I remember watching The Today Show one morning and the anchors were discussing the latest "it" book - the one it seemed everyone was talking about and reading.  The book was causing a huge stir, particularly among the 'soccer mom' crowd.  The book?  Fifty Shades of Grey.  I thought to myself that maybe I should check it out, too.  But I didn't run out and get it, and actually didn't read it until last year, 4 years after it came out.

This is the dilemma I run into every time there is a crazy amount of hype surrounding a book.  Part of me thinks that I should be reading it, too, if everyone else is.  But another part of me wants to resist, that just because everyone else is reading the same book doesn't mean I have to as well.

There are good reasons to read the "it" books.  Generally (although not always) the hype is there for a reason - maybe it's a really famous author releasing their newest work or the book is exceptionally well-written or timely.  And if everyone else is reading it, too, you'll have plenty of people to discuss it with.  Plus, the sooner you read it, the less chance there is of the book being spoiled for you, either through some twist being revealed or through bad reviews that may crop up.

But I can be stubborn.  Sometimes I just don't like to be told which books I "must read."  Just because everyone else is reading a certain book doesn't mean it's actually any good (see Fifty Shades of Grey).  I like to seek out my own books, regardless of whether the book or author is well-known.  Some of my favorite books have the fewest reviews on Goodreads.  I love to find those hidden gems.  And if that "it" book is in a genre I don't normally read, I feel even less of a pull to check it out.

But often, FOMO wins and I will eventually read those "it" books.  Sometimes I don't get what all the hype was about (sorry, Fifty Shades) and sometimes I could kick myself for waiting so long to read it (like the Harry Potter series, which I refused to read for so long but once I picked it up, I fell in love).  Sometimes I'm right in there with everyone else, like with The Hunger Games or The Girl on the Train, but more often than not, I'm literally years behind.

So, what about you?  Do you like to read books everyone is talking about?  Maybe in a few years I'll read Go Set a Watchman!