Between-books blues

[solestria]

Whenever I finish a book, I have this weird feeling of limbo and, occasionally, ennui. An unsurity as to what to do with myself and where to go next. Does everyone get that in between readings?

I finished Paper Towns this afternoon. I really want to read Iodine next, but it hasn't arrived at my door yet, so I can't

Comments

[kilpikona]

i get something like that. disappointment that such a brilliant book is over and i won't get to enjoy it in the same way again, and fear that something else won't be as good. also excitement and confusion about what to read next.
on that note, i must, must, MUST recommend "a fine balance" by rohinton mistry if i haven't already. i finished it a year ago, and it's still my newest, favoritest book in a long, long time. everyone must read it.

[blumsha]

It sounds sad.

[kilpikona]

what sounds sad? the book or the post-book blues i'm describing?
a fine balance is sad in some ways, but i found the whole book very satisfying when i was done.
it is simply a stunning novel.

[solestria]

I actually have a copy of it, though it's clearly long and so a bit of a commitment. Definitely in the queue, though, just waiting for the right time.

[fecesfaerie]

Does everyone get that in between readings?

Yes. With books, with games, with jobs, with personal projects: pretty much anything that requires focus and a time investment stretched over a long enough period to become part of your daily routine. Especially if it's enjoyed. For a short time things like that are a part of your life, so once they're finished, you're learning again and again how to start over.

That's my random baseless hypothesis that I authoritatively state to sound insightful anyway ;p

[blumsha]

Yes, though to me it seems like post-book blues rather than between-book blues. Also for me, it doesn't have anything to do with daily routine; it happens even when I read the entire book in a single day. My tentative hypothesis is that it's a result of release of emotional tension; if that's true, further data-tracking will confirm my belief that it happens more with fiction than with non-fiction (because non-fiction doesn't always have a climax) and more with good books than mediocre books (because good books create more emotional involvement). I won't be reading any books this month (high school finals prep), so I leave it to you to test this :-).

[nohx]

That happens to me too, with books and movies and any TV shows that I watch obsessively. I become sad that the story is over. I want to know what happens next, with the rest of the characters' lives. Anything that's good I just get really absorbed in.

For me it's also a little like waking up from a dream. Your brain becomes involved in this fictional story, and then it's over and back to reality, boo. So I also get kind of mopey and daydreamy for about 15 minutes post-ending.

I get that way about people and experiences too. If I have a friend visit for a few days and then they leave, I get bored and depressed feeling for about a day after as I re-adjust.

I'm very nostalgic and romantic in that way, really.

That was probably much more in-depth than you wanted, but hey, you opened up an interesting topic.

[jazzfish]

Depends on the book, but usually, no. Only if it's a book that's hit me really hard for some reason. Susan Palwick's _Shelter_ (which, incidentally, I think you'd enjoy an awful lot) and the Military Brats book both left me with that feeling of. . . being kinda lost, coming down from some pretty intense emotions and suddenly being outside the environment that'd sparked them. (Less so with the Brats book.)

Mostly I take a deep breath, say "that was cool!," and try to decide what to read next.