I’ve mentioned in the past that I have reading mood swings, where my brain suddenly switches from devouring one kind of book to craving an entirely different kind. In late 2014/early 2015, I switched out of a three-year fantasy kick to what ended up being the longest nonfiction swing I’d ever had. I craved nonfiction for almost a full year. Over the last two months, however, I’ve felt a definite shift happening, and still have no idea what kinds of books it will lead me to.
The transition has been long, much longer than normal. During the transition, I’ve found that I really don’t want to read anything new. Mostly, I just want to listen to the same audiobook(s) over and over again. I’ve listened to Words of Radiance three times now, and am beginning a fourth after a short break to listen to Howl’s Moving Castle and The Host (three times). All I want to read and listen to are rereads, in fact. More than just rereads, but multi-reads. I want to read/listen to the same book on repeat…and I’m not sure how long that will last.
Multi-reads often mark the beginning of a transition for me. Sometimes that’s in life, sometimes that’s a reading mood swing. The longest transition I’ve ever had was in 2005/2006, when I spent nine months reading nothing but the Harry Potter series on repeat. I read those six books – the seventh wasn’t out yet – two dozen times apiece in that nine months. When I was done, I wrote my first novel (as opposed to the short stories I’d been writing for a decade at that point).
Maybe this transition, too, is unrelated to reading. Certainly, I feel no particular urge toward books right now, beyond the multi-reads. Instead, I’ve started writing again this week, just tiny bits, a couple hundred words at a time. It’s the first time in months that writing hasn’t felt forced for me. I’ve also started listening to music regularly again for the first time in two years. And of course, there are life-changes going on, as usual, trying to deal with a new job (Jason’s), a new blood tests and diagnostics (yay doctors!), a new medication (yay depression!), etc. Then there are the vivid semi-nightmares I’ve been having on a nightly basis for the last two months, which often mark the period right before a huge internal change for me. So I don’t know what will come next.
In the meantime, though, don’t be surprised if no books pop up on my blog for a bit. I’m not going to force my brain to read through anything else while it wants to multi-read. It wouldn’t do those books justice, and I couldn’t give them the attention they deserve. So if the blog is quiet for the next little while, that’s why. I’m still here. I’m just…transitioning.
The Zen Leaf 
I hope something amazing comes from this transition period. In the meantime, enjoy!
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I hope so too – and honestly I hope it ends sometime in the near future, because some of the side effects (nightmares!) are unpleasant!
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Hi. Have a Zennish transition. I hope that internal change will be something positive, and I hope that everything which dampens your spirits will bid adieu. Happy writing.
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Thank you! I’m really hoping for a positive change, too, especially after the last two years of emotional hell!
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Sending you loads of good vibes, Amanda!
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I also hope that something productive and stimulating comes out of this transition time. I’ve been rereading more than usual lately too. I’m sure it’s the chaos in my regular life that is making me want guaranteed good reads. Here’s to having a bit more stability in our lives one day soon!
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Guaranteed good reads is definitely part of it for me, too, and also, stories that are familiar and comforting and loved. Hope your life stabilizes soon, too!
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I find that I’m reading a lot more slowly this year and almost all of my reads have been from the library. I’m not really keeping on top of upcoming releases all too well and the books on my shelf are gathering dust! I’m not sure what happened but I used to read a TON of young adult books and in the past months I haven’t read any. It’s so strange! I say go where your soul and mind take you … transitions are good! I find I go through them too and always come back to the same things … books, music, crocheting … but it’s fun to dabble in other things, too. I think it keeps us sharp!
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Glad to hear you’re going along with your instincts, too – I think sometimes we bloggers get so caught up in making sure we stick to what our readers are used to, instead of going with our gut. It’s nice to meet someone else going with their gut. 🙂
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I used to be an obsessive re-reader, but since starting the blog, I’ve only re-read a few things. At the beginning of every year I make a list of what I want to re-read, but I never seem to get there. It’s very interesting what you said about writing your novel after re-reading the Harry Potter books. I think that exercise lends itself much more to writing than reading new stuff.
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I think both can be good for writing, depending on what stage of writing you’re in. 🙂 I hope you can find your reread love again despite blogging! I was the same way in my early days of blogging, but I’ve found recently, after so many years, that I want to go back and revisit a lot of things. I go through reread moods, and I don’t want to deny them any longer!
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Keep listening to what you body and inner self are telling you, hun. Just do what feels natural to you right now – whether it’s rereading over and over again or letting the writing come out of you. The last thing you want is to pressure yourself into reading something new or forcing a particular style of writing. *hugs* Miss you and sending you love, hun xx
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Agreed! We’ve both learned that lesson well since our early years of blogging, haven’t we? Miss you too, dear! It’s wonderful to see your face pop up. 🙂
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If you haven’t already, talk with your therapist about your nightmares. It could be a side-effect of your medication.
I, too, often go through phases where all I want to do is re-read books. Especially in times of stress or a lot of change. I can zone out with the book since I don’t have to think quite as hard since I know what’s coming. 🙂
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Hi Jessica – Welcome to the blog, and thanks for your thoughts. My therapist is definitely aware of the nightmares. Unfortunately, I can’t blame the medicine as they were going on for a long time before I began taking the medicine and haven’t changed much with taking it. I’ve periodically gone through these kinds of transitions in my life, with continuous nightmares, usually on the brink of some large internal change. It makes sense, actually – when my children were young, our pediatrician told us that sudden periods of nightmares in toddlers often indicated an upcoming mental or developmental leap. I think it would be fascinating to know more about the science of that!
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