no, I completely understand. Amy Stern and I recently wrote a paper comparing Rob Thomas' Veronica Mars with his novel Satellite Down. It wasn't until we started working on the paper that we realized that we have committed ourselves to closely reading a book we both hate, hate with a fiery burning passion like a big hatey thing. Yes, of course, it was still pleasurable to find all the elements of the text that supported our arguments, but overall, there was a lot less joy in the experience that I am usually seeking. As you say, we could be spending that same energy finding something exciting in books we love.