Weekly FAQ Thread October 09, 2022: How do you get over a book hangover?
Hello readers and welcome to our Weekly FAQ thread! Our topic this week is: How do you get over a book hangover? Please use this thread to discuss whether you do after you've read a great book and don't want to start another one.
You can view previous FAQ threads here in our wiki.
Thank you and enjoy!
Ive just accepted that I will not always consistently churn out books. I do think it's important to be consistent, so I at least try to read for a short time everyday but if I just finished a good book and I want time to reflect on it then I might take some time where I'm just reading small portions of books to figure out my next read but not looking to commit to anything.
Taking time to write some thoughts helps me move on as well. It helps me feel like I've thoroughly digested the book and mentally let's me let go of it.
I almost always wait a few days before starting another book, especially if it's fiction, true crime, etc. Educational like books to improve my math skills or programming skills don't need a delay.
I think of it like savoring a good meal. I don't dive right into dessert or coffee, I savor the flavor of the meal.
I try not to leap too far from the previous books tones or themes if I did enjoy it a lot. If it’s a tough read emotionally I look forward to moving onto the next material and completely reset. Or read something lighter in between reading a heavy book.
I just finished Freezing Notice and dove into Say Nothing; can be heavy subject matter and focus on dystopian like politics. Will need a good science or discovery book in between Say Nothing I think.
Honestly? I’ll sometimes restart the book, skimming/skipping to the best parts. Being a shameless daydreamer, I’ll spin parallel stories in my head. I’ll find plays or movies based on the book and watch those. Essentially, I lean into the obsession for a bit, until it plays itself out enough for me to move on to other things.
It is much harder for me to get out of negative book hangovers. For example, I had a hard time getting my brain to stop thinking in a half-crazy convoluted stream of consciousness while reading The Sound and the Fury. I love The Poisonwood Bible, but I reread it once while depressed and found myself wallowing in how awful people and life and the universe are. And non-fiction surrounding egregious injustices puts me into a towering rage. You’d think I’d gravitate toward light and cheery books, instead, but they bug me.
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