Studious Saturday: a reflection on my recent break from reading

studious saturdays

Sometimes we are all faced with surprises and unexpected complications that mean that we have to put aside our work, hobbies and daily routine. For me, reading has always been one of the most essential parts of my day and I had become used to reading on my commute to work and at home every evening. Unfortunately a recent series of events in my life rattled my routine and I found myself thrown into a completely different world where I no longer found joy in reading so decided to take a short break from one of my biggest passions.

During this period, I discovered several things about myself as a reader and the necessity to stop, reflect and take a break that I wanted to share with you. My first thought was that, strangely enough, although reading used to be a key part of my day beforehand, I no longer missed it. My mind was occupied with everything else going on around me and I didn’t feel the need to pick up my kindle even though it was always inside my bag next to me.

Another revelation that soon came to me as my mind started to clear up with all the unease was that I started reflecting on some of the books that I had recently read. Thoughts of the setting, characters along with how I plan to structure my reviews made me realise that I would hopefully soon return to my previous self and desire to pick up a book again.

Finally, I found the urge to start a new book when I was discussing No Way Out, the new book in Cara Hunter’s DI Fawley series, with my mum who was raving about how brilliant it is. I had already downloaded the book a few weeks ago but didn’t feel like reading it up until this point. It was almost like a eureka moment and that evening I devoured half the book in one sitting and finished the rest of it over the next day. (To those that haven’t yet read No Way Out, I highly recommend it!)

During this experience I realised that there are times in life where we are forced to put aside our pastimes or even times where we no longer find pleasure in the things we used to enjoy, and that is perfectly fine. I also now understand that the smallest nudge in the right direction like sharing views with a loved one on a favourite author is sufficient. Sometimes we need a break in order to focus on other more important situations or just to look at things from another perspective. I soon found my desire to read again and have decided to view this experience as a learning curve rather than a fallback.

Have you ever taken a break from reading and if so, how did you find it?

12 thoughts on “Studious Saturday: a reflection on my recent break from reading

  1. Great post, Darina. I think we all need to take breaks every now and then (easier said than done for me!) as there will be times where we don’t feel like doing the things we enjoy doing. I’m glad this helped you and am very much looking forward to reading your thoughts on No Way Out.
    I was hoping to have started it by now, but there was a delay on my Amazon delivery so I’ll have to wait a bit longer… 🤷‍♂️
    Happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. This is another lovely and smart post, Darina! First off, I hope everything in your life is settling down for you and going well. ♥️ I have definitely had periods where I didn’t read at all, sometimes long periods of time. Then, I have periods where I read a lot, maybe even too much, like now. 😂 And then a little of everything in between! Like you said, we find other ways to occupy our time with life stuff and that is a-ok. Reading will always be here for us when we come back, and I’m grateful to see you back on WP. 💗

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks so much, Jennifer ❤ Yes, everything has settled down now and I am happy to be back reading and blogging! We all have periods where we no longer feel like reading but I fully agree with you that books are always here ready for us when we are ready for them!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Great post, Darina!
    I was an avid reader until I fell into the big trap that is TV shows during high school. Suddenly, I didn’t need books, I didn’t miss them. There were other things in my life taking up my time and filling my days, so it was okay. It took me a few years and a medical diagnosis to long for escapism through words again. I have been reading more than ever since I started blogging in January 2016 but I have had a couple of slumps. I had to learn it was okay, despite it meaning I had to let go of my two hobbies at once. Books will always welcome us back, as soon as we need it in our lives.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Meggy! Oh, I completely know what you mean. You start one TV show and suddenly you are so hooked and no longer want to read! It’s happened to me several times before but I completely agree with you that books are always there for us when we want to come back to them 🙂

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  4. What a great and insightful post, Darina, I’m so pleased that our conversation about No Way Out has helped you rediscover your love for reading! ❤️ I very much like your thoughts on life’s hurdles and how they may affect our hobbies and pastimes, and particularly love your positive and constructive slant on your temporary reading hiatus- yes, you are right, it is a learning experience, rather than a fallback. I’m looking forward to reading your future blogposts and book recommendations. ❤️👍

    Liked by 1 person

  5. This is a great post, Darina! A lot of what you describe is why I have started to just accept book slumps for what they are and to stop trying to force myself to read when I have them. I spend my time with other hobbies or dealing with IRL things and reading is always there for when I am back in the mood for it! I feel like as book bloggers we put this pressure on ourselves to push through and continue reading, but unless this is the way you make a living there is no harm in taking a break… burnout is a thing and I find that I resent things I force myself to do.

    I am glad time away from reading rejuvenated you!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Kaleena! Before I took the break I was also under the impression that I should just power through but I’m so glad that I stopped for a bit now. I agree with you that focusing on other hobbies tends to help!

      Like

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