They are stacked in their own neat little corner, almost like children who have been given a time out. And what these ten books have in common is that I’ve read approximately two/thirds of each and then set the work aside.
Some of the books are fiction; others offer advice on the writing life. Some were recommended by friends and family who know my interests, while others called to me in bookstores. All remain unfinished, even though none is boring or uninteresting.
The truth is I have chronic reader’s block, a malady that’s had me in its thrall for about a year now, maybe longer. I’ve never seen it defined in a dictionary, so I’ll give the problem credence by defining it as “that condition where a previously avid reader begins a new book, eagerly moves through enough of it to determine if she wants to finish it, decides it’s worthy, but then becomes derailed as she gets closer to the end.”
Reader’s block doesn’t prevent me from starting another new book; it just keeps me from finishing any. So, in the past year, I’ve read only one book, a novel, from start to finish. The others sit waiting patiently for me to return, while I’ve run out of bookmarks and have taken to reading only the daily newspaper and contemporary magazines whose articles don’t require lengthy periods of concentration.
I suspect some of my closer acquaintances might say, “Yes, Anne, but you always read the last page of a book first.” And I would have to admit it is true. “Ah,” they’d probably nod, “doesn’t that ruin it for you? Doesn’t it make the book less interesting?”
I’ve done this all my reading life. It does change the perspective from which I read a book, but I was always capable of then going back to the beginning and reading to the last page in the usual fashion. So I don’t think reading the last page first is the root of my problem, but I don’t know what is. If anyone else out there has experienced reader’s block, I would appreciate hearing from them. Perhaps we could form a support group.
I sense my little stack of unfinished books is nodding its communal approval.
Leave a Reply