Current Reading Stage
2019 and most of 2020 have been a very dry reading year for me.
And when I say dry, I mean my books were collecting dust.
Never before had that happened to me. I’m a person that can read one book within days, yet I couldn’t focus on reading one chapter. It was weird.
Specially after an extremely fruitful 2018 when I read almost 50 books.
Struggling to read one book was not like me, yet there I was.
Then this summer I put my foot down and said that I will reread all of my books no matter what - refusing to put them on my bookshelf until I do so.
Now, I am proud to say I have finished 3 full books. Two of them are part of a series that was recommended to me, but it got me back to reading and I am grateful for it.
Since those two books, I finally managed to finished rereading the first book in the Harry Potter series after trying to complete it for 4 months and I’m planning on starting the second as soon as I have an opportunity to watch the movie [I’ve seen them before (numerous times), I’m just trying to keep a flow going]. In the meantime, I am reading a book published by my church’s founding Pastor called ONE: Healing the Racial Divide.
I found out recently [thanks to Facebook] that what I am going through is absolutely normal.
Someone posted a picture depicting the stages of the reader. According to this picture, there are 8 stages a reader goes through in their life:
Discovering Books [this happened to me in the 6th grade, back in 2004 when I discovered the fact that the Harry Potter movies were books and there was no going back].
Falling in Love with Books [this occurred immediately, not just through HP, but also thanks to The Chronicles of Narnia, which were my next series read in 2005].
Books as an Identity [I was known for being the reader throughout my Middle School and early High School Careers].
Books a a Substitute for Human Interaction [this was me upon the discovery, but it certainly rang true after I graduated high school in 2011].
Books as an Unbearable Frustration [I can think back to the Divergent Series on this and how I still have not finished reading the third book due to the ending].
No Books [If I really think about it, my lack of reading has a lot to do with me being busier in life as my social life became existent].
Rediscovering Books [I believe this is the stage I am currently experiencing].
Hoarding Books [I’m already doing this, there are books I’ve gathered that I have never read before as well].
Passing on to the next generation [semi-already doing so].
Knowing that what I’m experiencing is normal makes me feel better about it. I admit I was really strong on myself for not reading at all, and even now that I am, I’m still disappointed that I am not as fast as before. But everything takes time, and you don’t just jump into a tidal wave just because you know how to swim. And yes, I just compared reading books to a tidal wave, because for me, once I get into a book I am completely immersed in it. I have many things I need to do and thus sitting down reading a book all day is no longer something I can do.
What about you? Which stage of the reader are you on?
