Reading a book is a journey. From start to finish, you live and breathe among the characters of the book. Their ups make you smile, their downs make you shed a tear. Here are the emotional stages of reading a book, from the first page to the final word and beyond.

Intrigue.

There is a reason you are reading that particular book. Whether the cover caught your eye, the title piqued your interest, you've heard good recommendations from friends, or someone within the library gives it a glorious review. For some reason, you and this book are crossing paths for the duration of your adventure. You open the book and begin with an open heart, a clear mind, and a relaxed soul.

Interest.

Beyond the initial appeal of a book, lies the reason why you keep reading. Past the superficial reasons that it caught your eye, or the review from another that may just have different taste than you do, you are officially invested in this book. You are now turning pages furiously, reading as fast as you can while still savoring and hanging onto each and every word. You have clear characters within your head: their habits, mannerisms, features...basically you are one among them. They have transformed from distant characters, birthed from words on a page, into friends, enemies and all that lies between.

Building.

As the story progresses, it builds onto itself and develops. You may not know exactly what lay ahead, but you know that it is getting so close that you can almost taste it. You are not sure whether he will live or die. You don't know if she will fall in love with him or choose independence. If you had to put the book down now, it would cause some serious health issues. You just have to keep reading because you need to know. Your emotional investment deepens even further and you are ready to explode with curiosity.

Comfort or anger in the resolution, or loss in a lack thereof.

Books can close in so many ways. Some fit perfectly into boxes like presents, and are tied up with a little satin bow and simply finish. They are satisfying, but some with a little bit more of a challenge can be more interesting. The ones that definitively close, yet still leave your mind wandering and wheels turning are satisfying in their own way because they leave you with more than you had when you started. Books that simply don't end are complex in their simplicity. Whether you don't know who lives, or how they live on, you are left without an answer. Not exactly the absence of an answer, but rather an open end for your mind to resolve how it wishes. There are no bounds.

Abandonment.

Finishing a book is like waking up from a nap. It can leave you disoriented, relaxed, and wishing for more. Realizing that the characters won't live on with you represents the end of the journey. The only regret one can truly have after finishing a book is the knowledge that you never will read the book again with the exact same passionate page-turning curiosity. You have gained so much, yet suffer that one small loss. The experience has been lived and you cannot relive or recreate that, until another book catches your eye and you have the opportunity to delve into another reality, even if just temporarily.