As a grad student who always feels burnt out after every semester of heavy reading, I can relate to this. Reading is a passion of mine that started as a little girl who wanted to know more about the world, but it became a burden once I started my masters. Granted I still love reading, but now I know when to take breaks and breathe a little. It's true that reading isn't sexy, but it's not for the faint of heart either. Thanks Robin!
This is very common among readers: here in Brazil we call it a “literary hangover”. It soon passes. Reading is in our blood. Impossible to be without. It's like vitamin D and sunshine.
Thanks for this Robin. We can certainly over romanticise our intellectual pursuits. Most of my writing is done on a phone whilst the pasta is boiling, or on the sofa whilst my partner watches a bit of telly. If I waited for the window seat of a quaint café on a cobbled street under a cathedral before I felt like a writer I'd never write a word. On the reading burnout - mine tends to come in cycles, although I hope Satre pulled you out of yours on a more permanent basis
I can feel you! When I prepared for my law exam back in the day, I spent one year over the textbooks and totally lost the joy of reading which I had felt since my childhood. Once the exam was written, I overcame the exhaustion and then scheduled half an hour in the morning for reading literary fiction, plays or poems. This routine helped me over another exam and my PhD. Since then, private and academic reading have found their slots in my days. Carry on!
I've been thinking about this lately. Sometimes I wonder if reading is has more of the compulsive character to it for me. When people asked me if I "love" reading, it always produced a very complicated set of thoughts and feelings in me. Reading can be wonderful, yes, but it can also be terribly dreary.
As a grad student who always feels burnt out after every semester of heavy reading, I can relate to this. Reading is a passion of mine that started as a little girl who wanted to know more about the world, but it became a burden once I started my masters. Granted I still love reading, but now I know when to take breaks and breathe a little. It's true that reading isn't sexy, but it's not for the faint of heart either. Thanks Robin!
This is very common among readers: here in Brazil we call it a “literary hangover”. It soon passes. Reading is in our blood. Impossible to be without. It's like vitamin D and sunshine.
Thanks for this Robin. We can certainly over romanticise our intellectual pursuits. Most of my writing is done on a phone whilst the pasta is boiling, or on the sofa whilst my partner watches a bit of telly. If I waited for the window seat of a quaint café on a cobbled street under a cathedral before I felt like a writer I'd never write a word. On the reading burnout - mine tends to come in cycles, although I hope Satre pulled you out of yours on a more permanent basis
... And we're still waiting for the trip vlog :(
I can feel you! When I prepared for my law exam back in the day, I spent one year over the textbooks and totally lost the joy of reading which I had felt since my childhood. Once the exam was written, I overcame the exhaustion and then scheduled half an hour in the morning for reading literary fiction, plays or poems. This routine helped me over another exam and my PhD. Since then, private and academic reading have found their slots in my days. Carry on!
Thank you for reading this piece Norman! Carrying on :)
I've been thinking about this lately. Sometimes I wonder if reading is has more of the compulsive character to it for me. When people asked me if I "love" reading, it always produced a very complicated set of thoughts and feelings in me. Reading can be wonderful, yes, but it can also be terribly dreary.