Friday, February 22, 2013

Friday Free for All #2

Back in November 2012, I came up with a random post called "Friday Free for All" and I gave a summary at the beginning of the post for my reasoning which you can read about it in the original blog post.

An updated tag-line: 

Friday Free for All is my infrequent anti-meme where I discuss anything book related that is on my mind in the past/present/future, where I share an informal rant/ discussion/ story/ experience/ dream/ propaganda scheme/etc. that may or may not make me sound like a looney-bin. Plus, there's a fun bright colored flashy gif to distract you!


Readers block. This is similar to writers block, only when you have trouble starting to read a new book or continuing with a current read. Why I am discussing this? 

Because I have a confession to make: my name is Sallie Mazzur and I have readers block. My condition has gotten worse, although I am trying to slowly ween myself back onto books by reading e-books. Not that I don't take e-books as seriously as I do physical books, I just feel that the ambiguous device helps to separate the authentic feeling of holding a book in your hands while you read. I have no idea if that actually has anything to do with it, as it might just be complete bull. But this is what I'm choosing to believe for the time being. 

What caused this? I think I touched upon this topic lightly in my past, but have not been able to fully present my findings. I am still not 100% sure on why this happens so frequently to good people, including myself. I sometimes think it has to do with my interest in movies and how I find myself only enjoying watching movies in my spare time, whereas in the past I had lost myself in my books when I had time to spare. While both movies and books require visual stimulation to make connections, I feel that for whatever reason, the images are winning over the words. 

I'm also not entirely convinced it's "readers block," as I still enjoy browsing and reading blogs and reviews. There is something about the entirety of a physical book, whether its the page length, the size of the tome (love that word), or just the anticipation and expectancy that ultimately scares me away from reaching out and taking that first step towards my bookshelf. 

So what is my conclusion? What is the next step in my discovery of a solution? I have no idea. But I'm going to now get back to reading an e-book I started a few days ago and maybe I'll wake up tomorrow with a physical book resting beneath my hands, having coaxed me into breaking open its pages, falling asleep during the adventures that invited me in. 

Happy Reading (I hope)!

4 comments:

  1. I totally hear you about readers block! I think it's a real thing. I actually get it a lot, too. Mostly it's because I actually enjoy other things more than reading at certain times(like movies or writing) and then reading just feels like work.

    Usually to get over this I have to find a REALLY good book that sucks me in from pg 1. Otherwise, just blah or okay books make it even worse.

    I'm sorry your going through readers block right now! No fun! Hopefully, it won't last long and you'll find an awesome book to read :D

    Great post, Sallie! Love this meme :)

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    1. I think the fact that I'm not allowing myself to buy any more books until I make some serious progress with my TBR pile is going to help immensely. It's just adding more to the problem if I keep buying books - money wise and readers block wise.

      Thanks for checking out my post, Krista!

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  2. I am currently feeling this a bit. It always hits when I am on a really good reading streak and I feel 'ahead' of my goals and such. Then all of a sudden... WHAM! Reader's block. *sigh* Hoping to snap out of it soon. You are not alone!

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    1. For whatever reason, my readers block always comes when I'm in the middle of a story. I have a feeling it might have to do with my tendencies to put down a book before finishing it to start another, and there's too much going on for me to focus correctly.

      I think I need to separate all the books I own that I've previously started and the books I haven't started and just plow through the ones I've started so I can finish them. I feel like I might be unconsciously feeling guilty about not finishing them to enjoy newer books. :/

      Glad I'm not alone, although I hope anyone going through this gets through it sooner rather than later! Thanks for stopping by, Sara!

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