Book Hangover is real and I have been experiencing one of late. For anyone unfamiliar with the term, I would define a book hangover as the inability to move onto a new book due to a lingering connection to the story you recently finished. Basically, you are still processing or thinking about the events or characters of the story you finished and need to take some time before moving on.

This can occur after reading a great book or a story you connected with strongly. It happens to me from time to time and usually occurs after I finish a series I really enjoy. There are many definitions the internet will provide because this is a fairly common occurrence but it affects people in different ways. There are several good memes out there that will give you a laugh. I enjoyed a few while writing this post.

The term “hangover” makes it seem like a bad experience, but I don’t consider it to be bad in any way. Yes, I am not yet ready to move on from a story I recently finished, but I just experienced a great story and need some extra time. Granted, a book hangover can be caused by a less-than-ideal experience or even a traumatic one (I’ve never cried during a book but some events can hit hard), but I wouldn’t consider relatively negative experiences in fictional worlds bad for us. It just means we were invested and being invested in a story or character is a good thing. I just wish more of us were as invested in our real-world friends and family (though these are longer-term commitments that require much more effort but they are that much more worth it).

Stories are amazing things. Books are simply vessels for stories. We create the connection and our imaginations bring the world and characters to life. My favorite, absurd description of reading a book goes like this: Reading a book is just staring at a piece of dead tree and hallucinating.

I’m curious if you have ever experienced a book/story hangover. Can you think of a book, series, tv show, or movie that stayed with you long after you finished it?

I think I am near the end of my own book hangover and will be ready to move onto the next experience. I wish you all a great story in the near future.