Understanding the Difference Between Reading Slump and Book Withdrawal

If you have never heard of a book slump, also known as a reading slump, or a book withdrawal then I guess this blog will be helpful for you to understand what is meant by these terms.

I got to belie that this is a common experience that most readers have gone through, at some point in their reading journey, as I feel like it is quite a common occurrence. To understand the impact you must understand the definition. On urban dictionary, the dictionary for all that is slang, it says "not being able to pick up a book and read because you just can't, you just can't read" (https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=reading%20slump) I suppose in my own terms, I interpret this as when you have no desire to read. I guess a lot of the time there is some small voice in the back of a readers head - certainly mine - that has the desire to read pretty much all of the time. Although, that's not great when you do have work and studying to be doing, but I digress. We find the time to read whenever we can, but in the reading slump we can do days, potentially weeks and months without wanting to pick up a book. And that is an annoying and horrible feeling.

There is also something, I like to call a book withdrawal. I don't know if it is a common phrasing and there may be other terms for this, but in my mind this is when you finish a book and just cannot move on. It's when you get so attached to the book you have just finished that you just cannot pick up another book afterwards (either for a long time or a short time). I feel like this can be worse if it is with a series that has just been completed, with no cliffhanger or future books. You have all that time to read the series of the books and when you are halfway you feel like you have forever to go and that is exciting - at least for me - but then, next thing you know, you are on the last page and closing the back cover. Then you just have to sit there and reminisce about the world that you have just left. Yes, I suppose you can reread it however its not the same as when you read it for the first time .

So basically, this may be new terminology that book readers may or may not know. I mean, I have friends that read and when I said the word "book slump" they didn't know what it meant but they did understand how it felt when I explained it to them. To seems to me that there may be a universal understanding, even if they don't have the name for it. It is something many can experience but might have the name to aid them in understanding what they are feeling.

For me, having this terminology helps me to understand the emotions I am feeling towards my books, at the time and it even allows me to express my feelings to other people. I feel the best way to get out of the Reading Slump is by trying to find a short book that you may enjoy or a fan favourite that you can always reread and enjoy. However, to get over a book withdrawal, it takes time. For me, I need a moment - or a few - to sit with the characters that I have loved and lost and then may the next day or a few hours later I can potentially enjoy another book again. I do believe that this reminiscing time can vary with each person, based on the factors of how affected the reader was by it and how quick they read.

So, coming to the end of the blog post: How long was your Reading Slump and what are some of your favourite books that give you Book Withdrawal.

Until the next chapter,

#BellesBookBabble