Collecting Dust is...One part Nostalgia. One part strange magic. All inspired by photos of real objects begging to tell a story if only we will pay attention.
If January is for getting things done, then February is for stopping. Do you suffer from the between books ebb?
I was unable to finish a book in February. I kept flitting from one title to the next, trying to find something that would stick, but nothing did. You can see the pile above. I also tried a few audiobooks, most notably Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, but still, no dice. As the universe keeps hitting me with a convergence of messages about water, wave after wave if you will, I am trying to embrace it and go with the flow. 😅
Here are 3 tidbits to take from the in-between times in your reading life:
The Triumphant Return
This isn’t a post about the merits of not finishing or allowing yourself to put down a book. I’ve never had a problem with that. What’s more, I often return to books later and find I can finish and enjoy them. It’s this pattern of return I find interesting—the idea that being in the right frame of mind, the right time in your life, or the right physical space (think beach reads) affects your ability to engross yourself in a book that at some other time just doesn’t meet your needs.
I got at least 100 pages into each of the books above. That’s farther than a “hate it and toss it” book, but for some reason, I just didn’t care to continue.1 Time will tell if I return to a few of them. (I think I will.)
One audiobook I enjoyed (and finished) in January, The Wedding People, had a section where the protagonist revisits Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and gains an appreciation for a novel she never really enjoyed or understood, thanks to her current life circumstances.
I’ll have to think further on specific books I’ve revisited with greater appreciation later, but it’s heartening to think that books can come back into your life when you need them. It’s all about timing.
A Constant Rotation
Contemplating our need for change, the ebbs and flows in our tolerance or love of various genres, styles, lengths, points of view, or even tenses lends itself to tracking the patterns of what you read.2 And then, if you know your usual pattern, can you land on that right book sooner when you are stuck in between? (and is that even desirable?)
I had an exchange with listmaker
, who also shared a recent post about unfinished books and why we stop reading them (Didn't Finish). He suggested I keep track of these ebbs and flows with spreadsheets and color coding to decipher a pattern in my tastes. I’ll let you know how that goes, but for now, my Goodreads keeps track of most of what I’m reading.In broad strokes, I alternate between women’s fiction and more fantastical stories with a strong throughline of crime and mystery. I am returning to a fantastical kick after sharing the first Lord of the Rings movie with my 10-year-old daughter, attending a writing workshop about writing for video games, and embracing my family’s love of everything D&D. I also often have a nonfiction book going on the side, but these take a lot longer for me to get through.
Even if you know your rotation, it’s probably not enough to go where you think your pattern leads you because we are always changing. I think sampling, as I did, is a good way to see if something unexpected might take hold of you rather than always returning to the same old thing…
Comfort Genres
Yet, despite the need for novelty, my forever go-to comfort genre is crime/mystery.
Any time I am in one of these dry periods and can’t find the next right book, I return to my audiobooks of the Strike series by Robert Galbraith (and sometimes to Tana French). I toggle between spending time with Cormoran and Robin while seeking out my next read. I love the humor that underlies all of the dark goings-on. Plus, like any good mystery, the truth is revealed, and justice prevails in the end, so I am always satisfied. Hopefully, before I reach the end of the comfort book, I’ve found my next new book to read and can slip seamlessly into that world without worrying about stopping—my comfort books will always be there waiting for me when I need them.
3 Questions:
Have you returned to a book you put down? How’d it go?
When searching for the next perfect book, do you have comfort texts you return to? What’s the longest it’s taken to find the next right book?
Do you see a pattern in the rotation of books and media you consume?
What I’m Enjoying Right Now:
📖Stacey Swann’s, Olympus, Texas. (Texas family drama inspired by the Greek gods)
📖Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore (she’s so good at crafting mystery and tension with small moments, and all her books showcase a love and awe for nature)
🚀 The Expanse series on audio I went through my rotation of realistic fiction and am back for another change-up
🐉: Reading The Golden Compass to my daughter and watching her reactions to the twists and surprises brings me immense joy.
🐈⬛ Flow, A mesmerizing dialogue-free animated film I watched with my kids one snow-day morning last month. Arguments ensued midway through as each person had to identify which character they were…and then it kept changing. (I chose the lemur.)
I forgot to share this:
I was excited to share my current wants with
. If you haven’t checked out, What Women Want, you should. It’s a quick little piece of connection and an inspiration to mull on your own current wants. Just stop and brain-dump what comes to mind in the moment. That’s what I did.Take Care,
Jacqueline
I do have to say I was getting sick of the cheap cliffhanger chapter endings in one of the books while another dragged with description when I needed some more plot. I guess I was looking for some balance.
A lot of present tense right now