My favorite form of escapism: Books

Finally saw "The Hobbit" tonight!  I've wanted to but put it off until after I finished the book (as a LOTR fan, I was discouraged from reading it initially by a friend who said that it wasn't worth reading...after having read it, I wholeheartedly disagree.  I love the lighter writing style, though it does take some time getting used to), and then life in general got in the way.  But I saw it!  I came out satisfied, though I can't understand why they're splitting it into three movies.  Nine hours?  That's a lot of time for a short book such as The Hobbit.  Anyway, I've long since learned not to compare books to their movie versions because they are always disappointing in some way (e.g., Harry Potter books), but stand well in their own right.  The sole exception to this is The Princess Bride, which is both a brilliant book and movie.  Anyway, back to "The Hobbit."

Photo from Hobbiton Tours...which...can I go??

I will admit that my eyes were shining at that first glimpse of the Shire at the beginning of the movie, which I know makes me sound silly and nerdy but for some reason seeing it on screen feels a little like coming home.      No?  You don't feel like the Shire is your home?  I don't in the real sense (that would make me rather deluded), but I get that same surge of warmth in my heart that I feel when I see the San Diego skyline from an airplane.  It's amazing that the book gives me this feeling--that my imaginings of it were so vivid that it feels like home.
I think it's because I fall for books hard--I get lost in them for hours or days at a time and coming back to the real world almost hurts.  It's fairly challenging for any piece of fiction, but I am a fan of fantasy books.  This makes it even harder, as you're stuck in the real world rather than some imagined land that a brilliant author dreamed up (Ursula LeGuin, anyone?).

Does anybody else get this way when they read a good book?