The 5 Stages of Finishing a Book
Hello, this is Dr. Kate the Booknerd Psychologist.
I’m here to educate you today about the five stages of finishing a book. You may experience these in a definite order or as a mixture of emotions, scientifically known as “feels”.
These feels are universal in the bookworm world and are nothing to be ashamed of. It can be helpful, however, to be able to identify the specific feel you are experiencing at the moment in order to identify where you are in the cycle of finishing a book and determine when you will be able to move on to another book.
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Let’s get started!
Denial. Denial is often exhibited by slowly closing the book, staring up at the wall, and opening the book again. Some catchphrases for this feel are “It can’t be over!” and “Did I skip some pages?” Anger. While levels of anger may vary from bookworm to bookworm, the spoken words are usually very similar. “Aaarrghhh. I always read too fast, don’t I?”Bargaining. “How much more can I spend on books today?” “I need the next one, pronto.” A return to the feel of anger is imminent if there is no projected sequel or if the sequel is being released in more than two weeks. Depression. If left untreated, this feel may cause a longterm reading slump, but regular levels include re-reading favorite scenes and copying down quotes from the book. Depressed bookworms will often say, “There will never be another book as good.”Acceptance. This final stage of finishing a book allows the bookworm to move on to their next read. It is usually evidenced by the bookworm removing the book from under their pillow and returning it to the shelf (or library) and possibly even loaning it to a trustworthy friend.
It is my hope that this blog post will help you identify and possibly work through your feels as you live your bookworm life. And remember, the best books are those that are gone but not forgotten.
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Note: This post is meant as a parody of the five stages of grief as experienced by fangirls. It is not meant to be real medical advice or make fun of anyone’s grief.
