So, I know I'm a little late to the party, but I just finished Karen Marie Moning's Fever series and loved every minute of it! I selfishly ignored all of my review requests and have read this series exclusively for several weeks now. As much as I loved the Fever series, it has left me in a state of mind that Natalie and I call a "Book Slump."
A Book Slump occurs when you finish an excellent book or series and just can't move on. Nothing else compares to what you just read, and you don't want to let go of the characters or story. It's almost like you are honoring the book by abstaining from reading other books for a little while. For us, only five star and stalker-worthy books inspire Book Slumps. Before the Fever series, the last book that left me feeling this way was Richelle Mead's Last Sacrifice.
We admit to being in the Book Slump state for weeks (more like months for Natalie) after reading the Twilight Saga. Yes, we are Twilight fans through and through, although we have made room in our hearts for other books. We have Richelle Mead to thank for breaking us out of our Twilight-inspired Book Slump with her outstanding Vampire Academy series.
The Book Slump state is not to be confused with the Book Depression state. A Book Depression occurs when you read a book that you thought would be awesome, epic, outstanding, etc, and ends up being a huge disappointment. We tend to talk up our anticipated releases and build them up in our heads. Then, when the book finally comes out and doesn't meet our expectations, we're left with all of our dreams shattered.
The last book that sent us into a Book Depression was, I'm sorry to say, Mockingjay. A Book Depression usually lasts until we read a stalker-worthy book (or binge watch episodes of The Vampire Diaries on TheCW.com). There are some authors we depend on to break us out of Book Depressions: Jeaniene Frost, Richelle Mead, Cassandra Clare, Anna Godbersen, Francine Rivers, and Liz Curtis Higgs, to name a few.
Have you ever experienced a Book Slump or a Book Depression? What do you do to break yourself out of it? CAN you be broken out of it or do you just wait it out? I find that I have to give myself at least two days for a Book Slump, although I get out of Book Depressions faster if I start reading again immediately. I want to hear your thoughts on Book Slumps and Book Depressions!
Twilight comes to my mind first, although there have been others. I broke that slump by reading any other vampire/paranormal/fantasy book I could get my hands on. I got into Vampire Academy, Hunger Games, Blue Bloods, Uglies, and more. And then I went and re-read Twilight some more :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm in one right now. I think it was because I had so many book tour books due really quickly and then my dad was in the hospital, so I couldn't catch up and I couldn't get into anything I was reading.
ReplyDeleteMy cure is usually to find something light and fluffy and fun to read for awhile...
I get hit with book depression way more than I like. But I usually move on pretty fast. I especially love Book Slaps. You know when you read a book that you weren't expecting much from and it ends up blowing your mind and slapping you around a couple of times with its awesomeness!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I love Twilight
I'm sort of in a book depression right now. So far all the books that I've read have been "eh", which has slowed down my reading speed. The last book that got me out of a slump was "Anna and the French Kiss". I think what happens is that you get burnout from reading one particular genre over and over again. Sometimes you need to cleanse your plate. ;)
ReplyDeleteBoth Harry Potter and Twilight have caused book slumps. They're now what I use to get out of both slumps and depressions. Harry potter always makes me feel better!
ReplyDeleteI love the distinction you make here between the two! Yep, I've experienced both...I find that I just have to keep trying more books until one really hooks me and I get excited again. Although for book slumps, I think part of it is just waiting it out, until that "aw the awesome party is over" feeling goes away. With book depressions I think it sometimes helps me to write a review articulating why it didn't live up to expectations and find some other people who were also disappointed, LOL.
ReplyDeleteOMG THANK YOU THANK YOU for identifying this sickness!! This is how I felt after Last Sacrifice! I didn't want to read another book because I ddin't want let go of Rose & Dimitri. I didn't want to leave this world and I figured if I didn't read anything else my thoughts could always remane with VA.I felt so empty after LS because I knew it would be over and I didn't know what to do.
ReplyDeleteThe first book that gave me a book slump was the twilight series! What I ended up doing was rereading the series again!
Now for the BOOK DEPRESSION! I have only really experienced this once. that was with Evermore: alyson noel. I was really upset with this book because although I wanted to know what happened i felt evry cheated with this book. The author didn't explain anything throughout the book until the end and it was confusing. I was very mad because I felt as a reader I deserved better. After reading this I didn't want to read any books for week in fear that most books were written in this!
So thanks for this diagnosis!!
My friend and I have definitely experienced "Book Slump" before! Although we called it "Book Stupor". The "Twilight Stupor" was particularly bad!
ReplyDeleteI felt the best way to deal with it was to keep the book by your bed and reread all your favorite parts over and over.
And your comments on the depression that was Mockingjay and the healing powers of Vampire Diaries on the CW made my day! :) To help my book depression I like to blog about all the things I didn't like and then simply deny that the book happened the way it did and substitute my own imagined ending. Ha!
I felt a book depression with Beautiful creatures. Everyone just made it out to be this amazing book and I barely finished, and that was because i forced myself too do so.
ReplyDeleteI know that feeling and can so relate. Good luck pulling your self out!
ReplyDeleteI am hoping for "Book Slump" once the spin-off series of VA begins Bloodlines and I hope Cassandra Clare's TMI series keeps up the momentum it has going for it! I do not want a "Book Depression"... that would be too reminiscent of Katniss and Peeta/Gale.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I did read Last Sacrifice and it left me in the same situation. Just could not choose anything else to read. The craziest thing is that I was on a very important trip when I read it, I was in Argentina and had the chance to finish it in my buenos aires apartment. We had a nice deck in our building and I used to spend every morning reading. It was really relaxing, too bad I was not able to move on!!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Jules
Book Slump, Book Depression - you girls crack me up! Of course, I think avid readers go through both the slump and depression.
ReplyDeleteI know when I hit a slump I will read the first few chapters of a book and if it doesnt hook me I move onto another book (and this can be several) until I get a five. Though, I havent had a book slump in awhile. Thankfully.