After Revolutionary Road....Lull Time

Sadly after a series of profound and outstanding books that immediately captivated me, it was followed by a series of equally renowned books that I can not for the life of me appreciate as of this point. Sometimes this phase always happens after having a good roll.   Catch 22, Mother of Pearl, Middlesex, Unbearable lightness of Being, these books are best sellers, worth of anyone's time, but for some reason I skip from one book to the next hoping something could anchor me in. It’s quite ironic that I can’t latch on to something, but this is not alarming. It’s happened before.

Sometimes mood has got a lot to do with it. I’ve known that as a reader that some books just don’t speak to you at a specific time. I read Anna Karenina in High School, some parts I fully understand, some parts were difficult, but when I read them again at college, it was like a totally new book to me, I appreciated it more. I read The Corrections 3 years ago and I stopped at the 20^th chapter, but I’ve read it again this year and it was hilarious. I’ve come to realize that if I sense that I’m not enjoying a particular book, it doesn’t mean that the work is worthless, probably it’s just not speaking to me at this point. Probably my mind was restless at that time and I’d want something else. I can’t be forced to read classics one after the other. Sometimes there’s a need to read one of my brother’s teen fiction books because my attention span is so low. Maybe my reading palate at that time doesn’t require melodramatic or contemporary stories. Maybe what you want is fantasy and an easy-go-lucky charm. There are times  you just go in a phase of figuring out what your mind wants to read and often times it means to give yourself a break and not read anything at all. 

I've known this so well that after reading 3-4 good books, I immediately anticipate a lull time.  It's not something to be alarmed about for all book readers out there. We just need a break sometimes. Have a trip to the bookstore and just browse. And you'll be surprised that the books you’ve tossed aside years or months ago, thinking that it was unworthy, is the actual book that can save you during these times.