When I came across this passage in a recent read,* it got me thinking. I'm so addicted to reading that as soon as I turn to the final page of one book, I'm itching for another. There is something to be said, though, for giving yourself a little time to let go of the last story--or let the membrane close (great imagery), as Diane Setterfield puts it. Maybe I'm not giving myself enough space between selections.
Do you take a break in-between books? Or are you a close-one-and-grab-another-off-the-shelf reader?
*Sidenote: if you are not just a reader but a bibliophile, and it you like eerie and Gothic fiction, you might want to check out The Thirteenth Tale
9 comments:
It depends for me - the last book I read was on Friday and I finished it about 4:15. It was due at the library at 5, so I raced across town to return it and was all "AUGH! I will not pay a 10 cent overdue fee!" I needed a break after that madness :) But I'm starting a new book this evening, so I rarely go more than a few days without reading.
That's a great quote. But I'm close-one-grab-one, for sure. Most of my reading breaks are circumstantial, and definitely NOT self-inflicted :)
It really depends on the book for me. Sometimes I finish a book that is just so darn good and leaves me thinking about it, that I can't start something new. Or everything I pick up just doesn't grab my attention. Usually I'm like you though--jumping right into the next one :)
I try to start another book immediately after finishing one otherwise I convince myself I don't want to read any of the books I have and end up in that horrid in between space. But I can definitely see the appeal of luxuriating in the afterglow.
@Sophia, I have that problem, too--sometimes I get really indecisive and judgey toward my physical TBR shelf if I don't start reading right away. But a lot of times, there is another book I'm dying to read, and I'm one of those people who will only read one (fiction) book at one time.
It depends... After an amazing book, I have a hard time immediately picking up another - it's not fair to the new book because I'm judging it from a different place, a different mood, and I have a hard time becoming engrossed. So, I usually need to read non-fiction for a day or so, newspaper, magazines, blogs... then I'm ready.
Catching up on magazines in between books is a great strategy. I can't not-read for more than a couple hours--I'm pretty sure it's a (healthy) addiction at this point.
I rarely take breaks. In fact, usually I grab an unread book from my stack(s) immediately after finishing another, if only just to stick a bookmark into Chapter One. I like to feel like I'm always "with" a book. That's weird, probably. :)
Not weird at all! If I'm afraid I'll finish a book on the way to work, I pack the next one in my purse, just in case.
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