If you’re an avid book reader like me, you likely have a lengthy list of books you’re excited to read and possibly a reading goal set for yourself on Goodreads. As a big fan of fictional stories, I love escaping to new worlds and experiencing things I don’t encounter in my day-to-day life. Meeting new characters, falling in love with them, and admiring their bravery immerses me into the story and blurs the lines between fiction and reality, with each page turned.
The In Between Time For a Reader
My long book list awaits, and the next one is ready at the library… but what about that in-between time? The time I need to reflect on what I’ve experienced, the characters I’ve bonded with, and the story that still lingers in my mind as glimpses of it appear throughout daily life.
It’s hard to leave one world and immediately jump into another. That’s why I felt the need to start a book club – sometimes you just need to talk about it. To find closure, revisit the characters you’ve been through so much with, and give yourself time to process before filing them away in the library of your mind and moving on.
So, how can you make the most of the in-between time for a reader like yourself? Here are a few practices to help you savor the previous story while preparing for the next.
1. Reflection Timeframe
Take some time to reflect on the story. Even better if you know someone who has also read the book so you can talk about those lingering items or questions you might still have. Reflection time will definitely vary depending on how complex the book was. Start with a day and let the adjustment settle in before immediately switching over to a new story. You’ll also find that you’ve opened your mind up to take in a new world or topic if you give yourself a day’s separation from the previous book.
2. Journaling
Sometimes switching to a new book immediately can cause you to lose site of the details you loved so much from the previous book. Writing down thoughts, feelings or quotes from the book will help differentiate each novel on your list, allowing you to process the experience more and recall those details in conversations when the time comes. Goodreads allows you to take notes in the app while you are reading if you set the book up as currently reading.
3. Book Club Conversations
I cannot recommend enough starting a book club with a great group of people who love and enjoy reading as much as you do. The conversations and insights you get from discussing the books and topics is like nothing else I’ve experienced. It’s my personal favorite in between time for a reader. This coping method is great because I not only get to voice my opinions and thoughts, but I’m able to hear other’s perspectives and ideas I wouldn’t have thought of. It’s the ultimate closure of a novel, in my opinion.
4. Choosing the Next Book Wisely
Sometimes, when reading the same genre of book back-to-back, you can find yourself confused and merging the plot lines together later on, or even during the book—and then not remembering anything about it at all. One time, I checked out a book from the library, not realizing I had already read it! I was really into the mystery/thriller genre then and they can be very similar. The next book choice is definitely an important one. If you just read a long series, you can try a shorter one next to break it up before you dive back into another lengthy one. Or try a biography if you’ve been in the same world for the past 4 novels to break things up.
5. Research
Sometimes books can leave you wondering and yearning for more information. If a book has sparked your curiosity about a particular time period, location, or topic, give yourself permission to dive deeper. This time will help you adjust to what you’ve read, and understand the novel and what the author was trying to communicate at an even deeper level. Historical fiction often leaves me in a period of wonder and has me researching real events or cultures inspired by the story. Science fiction might lead me to articles about emerging technologies. This research enriches the reading experience and provides a sense of closure.
6. Goodreads Community
Goodreads is more than just a place to log your reads – it’s a vibrant community of book lovers. In the same vein as research, you can finish a story and find that you have very strong feelings about it. When that happens to me, I feel the need to find others in the group for the book I’ve just finished and see what discussions are happening. When you do this, you might be surprised at the different perspectives but also at ease that others understand exactly how you’re feeling. Those conversations can help you process your emotions and gain new insights.
I hope you have enjoyed this post about the in between time for a reader and have taken away some positive coping methods while on your reading adventure. It’s always nice to know that others are feeling the same way you are especially when it comes to the amazing world of reading.
If you’re interested to learn more about some of the books I’ve read in recent years, check out my book reviews from 2022, 2023 and 2024 and find inspiration for your next read! Also, join me and my book club by following along with this post, updated monthly with the books we are reading and discussing.
