The Reading Afflictions

Not everything is joyful when it comes to books. There are experiences that take the fun out of reading, such as the reading rut, the hostage negotiation, and the incessant replay. If you are an avid reader, you have probably experienced all of these.

So what are they? I will attempt to explain.

1. The Reading Rut

This is probably the best known of the reading afflictions. A reading rut is a period of at least a week in which every book you start makes you want to put it back down again. It’s the equivalent of standing at the end of a long line with fleeting hope that you’ll have any success when you get to the front of it.

For me, a reading rut often happens after I’ve read several three-star books in a row. Three-star books are tricky, because they’re neither good nor bad. Often they have intriguing premises, winning characters, and some good writing. They are also way too long, with subplots or repetitive scenes that slow down the pace. You can spot the ending about thirty pages too soon. The forced emotional resolution doesn’t land.

After too many books like this, I begin to lose faith in writers. I remember my teen years, when I could never get past a few pages of any book I opened. I begin to wonder if maybe I’m not a reader after all.

And, then, something worse happens: every book I sample begins to remind me of the experiences I’ve had recently. I’m like a finicky cat, turning up my nose at anything offered. My eyes begin to glaze over. It’s undeniable: the reading rut.

2. The Hostage Negotiation

If you’re like me, finishing a book is important. The lamest line in English is, “I read part of it.” It might flash you back to your college years, when you were too busy procrastinating to get much done in a class that might have shaped your future for the better. Wasted time can be soul crushing.

You may have had this experience: at about the half-way mark of a book, you start to get bored. It’s harder to stay focused, you begin calculating how long until it ends, and you vow to never read the author again. By about the last third, you feel as if you’re being held captive by the words.

And the negotiation begins: just how bad would it be if I abandoned a book? Could I skim to the end? Sweet freedom comes with a price. You can’t add the book to your Goodreads feed unless you’ve made the effort to finish it.

As I get older, I’m having less trouble putting a book down. Life is just too short.

3. Incessant Replay

If you read a lot, at some point the lack of creativity in publishing is laid bare. Although every agent claims to be looking for original voices, you wouldn’t know it from the projects they sell.

Here are just a few of the repetitive plots I’ve encountered over and over. I won’t give away the titles, but the number in parenthesis is the amount of books I’ve read with this premise in the last five years.

1. A domestic suspense novel in which a protagonist is keeping secrets from the neighbors. The lead is usually a likable mother, the husband is usually flat and possibly adulterous. The takeaway for the reader is to feel safe with their comparatively boring suburban lives. (15)

2. A narrative in which the reader is tricked about the novel’s events by an unreliable narrator, misunderstanding of ephemera like letters/journals, or a clever time jump. These are fun mind bends, and despite the lack of originality, I tend to enjoy them. (9)

3. A work of fiction centered around a “hot topic” like racism, immigration, suicide, or abortion. (10)

It should be noted that this is the most pleasurable of the list, as authors have a unique skill at making these stories seem fresh. When taken in moderation, they are more enjoyment than affliction.