Have you ever finished a book that was so good, you couldn’t move on to another? If so, you’ve likely experienced a book hangover. A common affliction among avid readers, book hangovers can be emotionally distressing to say the least. Symptoms can vary between spontaneous fits of sobbing to repeatedly shouting the word “why.” But don’t worry: There are ways to recover, courtesy of online pokies Australia real money.
- Read something completely different
The natural move after you’ve finished reading something awesome is to try and find something similar, right? Wrong! You’re only setting yourself up for disappointment. One of our writers made the mistake of reading John Green’s Looking For Alaska after The Fault in Our Stars. It just didn’t satisfy. So she moved onto non-fiction; Stephen King’s On Writing, to be more specific, saying that:
- Therapy
Talk to someone else who has read the book you’re in mourning over. If you can’t find a nearby physical being – hop onto an online forum. You’ll have to filter out some less-than-desirable observations and comments, but more often than not, you’ll find someone else who is in just as many pieces about those fictional traumatic events as you are. Bond with this person, heal together! Another option is to reach out to your writers’ group, you might even turn this into a productive conversation about writing!
- Try other books by the same author.
Not all of an author’s books will be hits, but if their style or themes really stuck with you, you can try reading some of their other works to nurse your book hangover. You’ll get a new, fresh story, but with some of the familiar quirks that made reading the last book such a memorable experience or you can just opt for games from casino francais en ligne.
- Read fan fiction
Fan fiction is fictional writing created by fans of an existing work. It usually features at least one of the characters from the original and imagines them in future or alternate situations (kind of like a spin-off).
While most fan fiction isn’t exactly known for its quality, it can satisfy your craving for more of the characters or setting.
- Find other books that fans love.
If you feel so connected to a certain story or character, chances are, you’re not the only one. Take to social media to see what other fans are saying, or use sites like Goodreads or the “people also bought” section of Amazon to discover what else fans of that book are reading. Even if they’re not all penned by the same author, you’ll likely see a pattern of similar themes, narrative styles, or characters. You can also consider joining a book club to connect with like-minded readers. You’ll discover more great books, and have a support system for when your next book hangover strikes.
- Track your thoughts in a journal.
If there’s something you just can’t shake from your mind—whether it’s a character, a line, or the story’s setting—try writing about it in a journal. Why do you think that part of the story resonates so deeply with you? Do you see any similarities between you and one of the characters or storylines? Did the story open your eyes to ideas you never considered before? Doing this kind of reflection and introspection can help you to understand why the book is having this effect on you so you can move on in a healthy way.
