“A book hangover is condition in which attachment to a book or series that has ended causes the reader traumatic emotional distress. “
– Epic Reads
We all know one person who claims they can party all night and never get hungover. I’m not convinced that’s true… BUT I don’t know any readers who have never experienced a devastating book hangover. The issue with a book hangover is that no amount of sleep and greasy food will cure it. We all deal with the distress of a book hangover differently but, here are a few ways I’ve eased my book hangovers in the past:
- Turn to music.
One of my favorite things to do when I’m reading is to make a music playlist inspired by the story. This is especially cathartic when I feel a colossal book hangover coming on. It’s a fun way to look back at your favorite moments, characters, and the feelings the story inspired and create something out of it. I just started doing this with all of my favorite books and I’m having so much fun with it! If you don’t feel like taking the time to curate your own, there are already a bunch of book-inspired playlists out there – you just have to look for them. You can find all of my playlists on my Spotify, here.
- Allow yourself to daydream.
A Pisces talking about daydreaming? Shocking! But, seriously, I’ve been known to daydream a bit too much, but allowing yourself to drift into that state every once in a while isn’t bad. Give yourself permission for a few days after finishing a book to continue to live in that world. If more books are yet to come in the series, theorize what you think is going to happen next. If the series is finished, you can think about what you would have liked to happen had the author decided to continue the story. Maybe even start writing some fanfiction if that calls to you.
- Talk about it.
Join Facebook groups. Chat in online forums. Find social media posts about the book. Message your favorite bookstagram or book blogger *wink wink*. Feeling a sense of community and making connections with people who feel the same way you do about a book is one of the best parts of being a reader. You never have to survive a book hangover alone.
- Binge a tv show or movie .
This tip only works if you find something that really catches your interest and *warning* if it catches your interest enough, you might find yourself with a TV show hangover. But, I always found that book hangovers were much worse for me than show hangovers. Essentially, I’m telling you to pick your poison. A great example of this working out for me was when I finished A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, and Bridgerton had just come out on Netflix. And let me tell you if the Duke of Hastings doesn’t cure your hangover, nothing will.
- Start a new book.
Every so often, a book hangover can feel more like a book breakup. You may not be ready to move on, and that’s totally fine, you can take your time. But, just like a breakup, sometimes the best way to get over a book is to get into a new one. Look online and see if there are any books similar to the one you’re hung up on that are highly recommended. If you don’t want to visit a similar world, go another route and pick up something that’s the complete opposite. I know I’m mixing my metaphors here, but picking up a new book is the bookish version of “hair of the dog”, except, I would argue, much healthier.
How do you get through your book hangovers? Let me know in the comments below!
Pages From a Pisces 