No no, I'm not talking about the one a man needs after he has been... intimate. I am talking about a literary one.
Sometimes when I finish reading a book I am energized, ready to jump into the next book. This is especially the case if it is part of a series or a new-to-me author. This past weekend I read Angel's Blood by Nalini Singh. So fabulous! I immediately pulled Slave to Sensation out of my TBR pile. I've got about a third of the book left. I'm loving her heroes and the worlds she has built. I know I will be picking up the next book in the Psy-changeling series as soon as I finish. No down time. No recovery period. No refractory period.
Other times I finish a book and need a break. It could be because I have glutted myself on a particular genre. I could be completely stressed by RL stuff. Perhaps I read an author's entire backlist and just need to reset the brain. Occasionally, I read a book that is so good, so complex, that I need time to process it. I need a few days to savor the story, characters, and imagery. Unfortunately, there are the times when you read a book so bad that you just can't bring yourself to pick up another book. (Usually, though, a good book will cleanse away the foul taste of bad writing.)
Recovery time. A literary refractory period. Do you have one? When do you need a break?
3 comments:
Fab post, Shannon! I get the refractory period thing.
Mostly after I've read a really "meaty" book. As in The Spymaster's Lady. Took me forever to find something else to read that captured my attention. There are some books that just ruin me for other books for a while.
I'm so glad you're enjoying the Psy/Changeling series. It's my all time favorite paranormal series. And each book just gets yummier! I recommend them often, but always tell people, "Have more than one on hand. You'll finish the first and wish you had the next."
Periodically, yes I do have the refractory thing going on, especially if I've just finished a fabulous book. Other times it's because I need to review and I don't want to start a new book.
Right now there are so many I want to read that I just can't decide! *g*
Kati- Spymaster's Lady was the exact book I was thinking of with this post! It was so good that I just couldn't bring myself to pick up another book for a few days. Nothing else appealed to me.
Stacy- I know what you mean. I have SO many books to read right now. I am on a serious Nalini kick. Finished Visions of Heat today and am already itching to run to the store for Caressed By Ice. At the same time I think I need to let myself appreciate Vaughn for a bit.
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