You’ve just finished a book…now what? Maybe you’re not ready to move on because that book was so powerful or emotional or intense or just generally amazing, and you can’t stop thinking about it. In times like this, I need what former OOM-er Jess called a “palate cleanser.” The same way you might eat sorbet or drink water between courses to prepare for the next dish with a fresh sense of taste, you can have a “book palate cleanser” to help clear the feeling from the last book and transition to something different with a clear mind.
I asked friends and fellow OOM-ers what they read between books to help them transition to the next one:
- Catch up on the various articles and blog posts you’ve bookmarked to read later
- Pick up a magazine from the pile that’s been stacking up
- Read something that is engaging but not as long as a novel, like a series of short stories, essays, or poems
- Try another book by the same author
- Find a book that’s completely opposite (in style, genre, subject) from the book you just read
- Enjoy a “feel good” book; something light and refreshing
- If you're not ready to let go yet, slowly ease away by reading reviews about the book, articles about the author, etc.
What’s your book palate cleanser?
Last page of A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
