In a Mood
Is there such a thing as "Reading Bipolar?"
For the past several months, I was on such a reading high that I was going through three and four books a week. My monthly book budget went from one or two books a month to having to scale down the ten or so that were on my to-buy list for a given month. It didn't hurt that I had just been inundated with hand-me-down books from various friends who were cleaning out their shelves. I was going through them like a chainsmoker goes through a carton of cigarettes. This very blog is littered with titles, rants, raves and reviews of the copious amounts of books I was reading.
Now, it's all just blah. I look at a book and go, "Huh. I'll read later." I've still got stacks upon stacks of the hand-me-downs and at least two or three unread books from my last buying binge. But now they all seem sort of meh. Just now, I went browsing through this month's and next month's offerings on eHarlequin, the site that normally gets the majority of my book budget. I looked at a few covers, read a few blurbs and skimmed a few excerpts. Nothing. Even the latest title from a favored author just seemed sort of blah. The excerpt for it actually had me yawning. And it sucks too because they have their twelve deals of Christmas promotion going on with all manner of free and discounted book offerings. *sigh*
So what is this? Have I literally read every version of every scenario so that they all look the same to me? Or have muses the world over turned the current material into mediocre offerings of the same old crap? Or, is it as I suspect, and I'm going through a sort of "reader's depression?"
What IS a reader's depression anyway and why the heck would an avid reader, such as myself, go through it? My theory is, I read so much in the past several months that my brain is still processing it and is simply unable to bear the thought of cramming even one more story in there. Or, it could be that I have read too many of the same scenarios and I've become bored. I haven't, after all, gotten the blahs as far as reading other things, like say, other folk's blogs. For instance, I was cruising some blogs earlier and came across Jennifer Crusie's blog. It almost literally had me rolling with laughter at several points. Had I not been at work, I'd have been howling with laugher. And the Smart Bitches blog had a very thought provoking entry today on racism and being a racist. I enjoyed reading these very much along with a few other blogs, articles, etc.
So why no excitement about fiction? It really bugs me because I want so much to find a book to get really excited about...a book to really get my juices flowing. I always feel so...I don't know--empty--if I don't have a book nearby.
Sure, I've gone through periods like this before in my life. Don't know why it's bothering me so much now. It just is. For some reason, I worry that I'll never get excited about a good book again. Like maybe the avid readers fairy has deemed me as having met my limit as far as how many good books a girl is allowed to read in one lifetime.
And then, there's another conundrum. The very few books that have piqued my interest lately have all been e-books. Not a big deal, right? Except...and I may get stoned, lynched or dragged naked through the streets for this but...I don't like the whole e-book format thing. For one thing, I don't see me curled up on the couch with my laptop reading a two or three hundred something page book. I like the convenience of email and the 'net as far as computers go but when I want to read a book, by heavens I want an honest to goodness actual book-- bound and backed (hardback, paperback, tradesize, etc.). One could argue, "So print it out." Still not the same. Yes. I know. I'm a freak who needs to keep up with technology. And maybe one day I'll cave. I know I'm missing out on a lot of good stories and wonderful new authors but there it is. E-books and me= oil and water.
But anyway, enough ramblings from me on my neurotic obsession with books. (oops. there's that obsession thing again. hehe)
It's actually probably a good thing that I can't get excited enough to buy a book or ten this month, though...I couldn't afford it anyway. lol
For the past several months, I was on such a reading high that I was going through three and four books a week. My monthly book budget went from one or two books a month to having to scale down the ten or so that were on my to-buy list for a given month. It didn't hurt that I had just been inundated with hand-me-down books from various friends who were cleaning out their shelves. I was going through them like a chainsmoker goes through a carton of cigarettes. This very blog is littered with titles, rants, raves and reviews of the copious amounts of books I was reading.
Now, it's all just blah. I look at a book and go, "Huh. I'll read later." I've still got stacks upon stacks of the hand-me-downs and at least two or three unread books from my last buying binge. But now they all seem sort of meh. Just now, I went browsing through this month's and next month's offerings on eHarlequin, the site that normally gets the majority of my book budget. I looked at a few covers, read a few blurbs and skimmed a few excerpts. Nothing. Even the latest title from a favored author just seemed sort of blah. The excerpt for it actually had me yawning. And it sucks too because they have their twelve deals of Christmas promotion going on with all manner of free and discounted book offerings. *sigh*
So what is this? Have I literally read every version of every scenario so that they all look the same to me? Or have muses the world over turned the current material into mediocre offerings of the same old crap? Or, is it as I suspect, and I'm going through a sort of "reader's depression?"
What IS a reader's depression anyway and why the heck would an avid reader, such as myself, go through it? My theory is, I read so much in the past several months that my brain is still processing it and is simply unable to bear the thought of cramming even one more story in there. Or, it could be that I have read too many of the same scenarios and I've become bored. I haven't, after all, gotten the blahs as far as reading other things, like say, other folk's blogs. For instance, I was cruising some blogs earlier and came across Jennifer Crusie's blog. It almost literally had me rolling with laughter at several points. Had I not been at work, I'd have been howling with laugher. And the Smart Bitches blog had a very thought provoking entry today on racism and being a racist. I enjoyed reading these very much along with a few other blogs, articles, etc.
So why no excitement about fiction? It really bugs me because I want so much to find a book to get really excited about...a book to really get my juices flowing. I always feel so...I don't know--empty--if I don't have a book nearby.
Sure, I've gone through periods like this before in my life. Don't know why it's bothering me so much now. It just is. For some reason, I worry that I'll never get excited about a good book again. Like maybe the avid readers fairy has deemed me as having met my limit as far as how many good books a girl is allowed to read in one lifetime.
And then, there's another conundrum. The very few books that have piqued my interest lately have all been e-books. Not a big deal, right? Except...and I may get stoned, lynched or dragged naked through the streets for this but...I don't like the whole e-book format thing. For one thing, I don't see me curled up on the couch with my laptop reading a two or three hundred something page book. I like the convenience of email and the 'net as far as computers go but when I want to read a book, by heavens I want an honest to goodness actual book-- bound and backed (hardback, paperback, tradesize, etc.). One could argue, "So print it out." Still not the same. Yes. I know. I'm a freak who needs to keep up with technology. And maybe one day I'll cave. I know I'm missing out on a lot of good stories and wonderful new authors but there it is. E-books and me= oil and water.
But anyway, enough ramblings from me on my neurotic obsession with books. (oops. there's that obsession thing again. hehe)
It's actually probably a good thing that I can't get excited enough to buy a book or ten this month, though...I couldn't afford it anyway. lol
Comments
It's usually caused by your brain being crammed with lots of books in a short amount of time. It's happened to other friends. I say, go look into other genres. See if something else will pique your interest. If that doesn't happen, take a vacation from books.
It's just like being an author. They have to take vacations just like the rest of us. I think if they didn't they'd be burned out much faster. :)
Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Bye!
It's hard not to read our favorite blogs, message boards, email and author newsletters, newspapers or magazines, but sometimes taking a complete break from the printed word will not only help get you excited about reading again, but writing as well.
I'm actually reading something right now a bit different from my usual tastes, a vampire novel by S.E. Hinton. Yes, that S.E. Hinton, the one who wrote The Outsiders, Tex, That Was Then...This is Now, and Rumble Fish. These were popular books when I was growing up, as were the movies based on them -- movies that helped launch the careers of C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Lou Diamond Philip, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, Meg Tilly, Patrick Swayze, Nicolas Cage, Christopher Penn and Tom Cruise. Gosh, why am I suddenly feeling old??
Anyway, her first novel in 15 years came out last year and has just been printed in PB. I stumbled across Hawke's Harbor while browsing recent releases at B&N a couple weeks ago, and was intrigued by the first few pages I skimmed. It's turned out to be a real page turner! I'm usually more partial to werewolves than vampires, but this has been great!
So my advice is to A) try taking a media break (print AND visual) and B) pick up something outside your normal genre(s). If you primarily read fiction, try something nonfiction. If you mostly read chick lit or romantic comedy, try a mystery or thriller. It really does help!
Plus, not reading so much will leave me less resentful of having to spend time Christmas shopping instead of reading. hehehehe
I've found when I turn my mind to other crafts - cards, scrapbooks or cross-stitch - that the "mindlessness" of it often produces a ton of ideas, scenes or a scrap of dialogue, so make sure you have a notebook handy to jot down whatever comes to mind.