Literary Insomnia -- Disease or mere obsession?

[Weird Harold]

I've been offline for four days because of a bout of "Literary insomnia" -- AKA a "book too good to put down."

When I surfaced from my reading binge and realized it had ben four full days since I'd been online, I began to wonder if I'm wierd or something.

How many others get so involved in their reading that it becomes the overriding purpose of their lives.

"Just a couple more pages before I give in and go to sleep."
"I'll finish this chapter before I fix something to eat."
"It's too late to go to sleep before work, so I'll just finish this volume and be able to start the next right after work."
"Two hours is enough sleep. I might as well read some more."

These and other things are the excuses I give myself to justify putting the real world on hold until I've finished whatever has caught my attention -- this time it was the complete works of David Eddings, but Anne McCaffrey, David Weber, Robert Jordan, Elizabeth Anne Scarborough, and many other authors have grasped my soul and dragged me into their literary creations.

Over the years, I've noticed that, for me, reading is a true addiction -- In my more rational moments I can see how the excuses and rationalizations sound uncannily like those I used when I was a Lush and alcohol ruled my life.

Is this an addiction I should be worried about? Should I sek professional help or just find another good series to read until I've satisfied my need for escape?

 

[lovetoread]

There are times that my kids have had to hit me,just to get out of a book.

So to answer you.no dont seek help. Get more books.

 

[Rubyfruit]

There have been many nights I stayed up far too late because I couldn't put a book down.

Help is at your local library.

 

[Pixie]

Been there, done that...
and looking forward to more.
I love books.
And I know what you mean by Eddings' books
They kept me up quite a lot.

 

[UrbanRiot]

Nice to hear other people have this ! Ugg i can start say a 600 page novel and be done in time to start the next one and finish the next day. Then i relize i was up all night with this damned book! It might be an obession but how many obessions do you have that you can be proud of ?

 

[cutie pie]

All this time I thought I was the only one!! I go through spells where I'll read every free moment I have, while eating meals, on my lunch hour, sneaking pages in at work, staying up late, putting off things that need done in order to read one more page, one more chapter.

So what if it's an addiction? Unless you're filling your time with cheezy Harlequin romances, it's an educational addiction.

 

[Weird Harold]

Help is at your local library.

Well, there too. However, this sits about 18 inches behind my computer chair and this is only the front side.

According to my Excel database, there are 1443 books total.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Well, there too. However, this sits about 18 inches behind my computer chair and this is only the front side.

According to my Excel database, there are 1443 books total.

It's just plain eerie how much that looks like my office!

Whatever you do, don't seek treatment.

 

[Weird Harold]

Whatever you do, don't seek treatment.

I don't think I will. I've been afflicted with an ability to get deeply involved in what I'm reading for nearly fifty years -- I can't remember a time when I didn't love reading to excess.

When I was about six or seven, my Uncle offered me a ride on the "trailer" behind the tractor. He gave me a comic book and seated me on the step at the back of the trailer and I rode in utter oblivion while he towed the manure spreader around the pasture!

(I don't think my mother or aunt ever really forgave him for that little prank -- I on the other hand never even noticed. )

On several occasions in my elementary school years, I got locked in the local grocery store at closing time because I was sittin next to the comic book rack, happily lost in the worlds created by Marvel and DC artists.

I doubt treatment could possibly treat such a deep seated addiction.

 

[cactiphile]

Well, there too. However, this sits about 18 inches behind my computer chair and this is only the front side.

According to my Excel database, there are 1443 books total.

Emmm the staying up reading all night isnt a problem.
I do that through entire series as well.
The fact you have your books on records in excel is slightly
worrying.

Though my wife went and sorted all our books into sections
and alphabetised them the other month. Why she would want to do this in heer free time is beyond me, esp as she works
in a bookshop and does it all day there ....

c.

 

[cybergirly]

I don't think it's a problem. At last count I had slightly over 2500 books (they are also alphabetised). I stay up all night reading all the time. And I too have used the excuse, well there only 2 hours before I need to go to work, may as well finish this book, instead of sleeping.

 

[markb325]

Lord knows that I have done that. Lay in bed till 4 in the morning reading so caught up in the book. Get a couple hours of sleep and go open the store. Get off at 3:00 go home and start reading again.

I finally had to set my reading times and take weeks where I don't allow myself to pick up a book.

 

[AnnaB]

I have done this too many times to count. If it's a good book I can get lost for hours on hours.

The last set of books I did this with was David Eddings...give me a good book and I am one happy lady!

 

[Weird Harold]

The fact you have your books on records in excel is slightly
worrying.

I had to do that to keep myself from buying duplicates. I print it out about this time every year for my daughters so they know which books I've already got when my birthday rolls around.

I've got it set up so Excel even tells me what shelf a particular book belongs on when it comes time to file the new ones.

 

[cybergirly]

I had to do that to keep myself from buying duplicates. I print it out about this time every year for my daughters so they know which books I've already got when my birthday rolls around.

I've got it set up so Excel even tells me what shelf a particular book belongs on when it comes time to file the new ones.

LOL!

You really are weird huh?

 

[Susano]

I must confess as well to being a literary lush, a problem reader. I've gotten into trouble with friends for becoming lost in time in bookstores and completely forgetting about them.

 

[Weird Harold]

You really are weird huh?

Having Excel compute which shelf a book goes on isn't weird, It's just Lazy! It takes about an extra ten seconds to load the number of pages to the data and then I don't have to think very hard about alphabetizing.

However, people have been telling me, "Harold, You're weird," for nearly thirty-five years now, so I guess I really am weird.

 

[cybergirly]

Having Excel compute which shelf a book goes on isn't weird, It's just Lazy! It takes about an extra ten seconds to load the number of pages to the data and then I don't have to think very hard about alphabetizing.

However, people have been telling me, "Harold, You're weird," for nearly thirty-five years now, so I guess I really am weird.

You know it's actually not a bad idea. You should keep a copy somewhere besides home, for insurance reasons. My parents recently had a house fire, and listing what books they had was the hardest part.