Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Discussion Post: Why I Never Finish A Book Before Bed

So if you follow me on Twitter then you have probably seen me whining about how I am about to finish a book before bed and I have a rule about not doing that. I think I tweeted it three times in the past two weeks. I'm probably the only bookish person I know that won't stay up late to finish a book. Seriously, I can't remember the last time I did that. I will stay up late reading, but I never finish a book before I go to sleep.

Calling this a rule is probably a stretch but it's definitely a bookish quirk. I only realized recently that I do it however. The reason I realized I do it is because for the first time it has also been problematic. Usually I'm very happy not finishing the book before bed. But for three times in the past two weeks I have regretted this policy. But I am going to keep doing it. In general it works for me. I like it. I know what you're thinking, "but Cassi clearly it's not working anymore." No, it is working. I just like complaining about it. Complaining is one of my top five favorite hobbies. So to prove it to myself and to you I thought I would explain myself. Especially for you people who think I'm crazy for doing this. Also I'm secretly hoping that there is at least one other person who does the same thing.

What I Do:

Okay so let me set the scene for you. You're reading a great book, minding your own business, and you know the climax is coming. You look at how many pages you have left. Wow, not very many, only 50 pages. And you think about how long that will take you to read. I'm not a very fast reader so 50 pages usually takes me about two hours, sometimes more. So that's when it hits you. If you finish thins book it will be about 11pm and that's bed time. So what do you do? Well I stop reading. I put that book down and pick up something else. I'll finish it tomorrow.

So I was talking to Octavia from Read.Sleep.Repeat about this and I realized that this is a mentality that I have always had. I remember being in college and working on big projects and papers where most people would stay up late working on their and I'd write a draft and then be like "meh, imma sleep and finish it in the morning." Even my senior research thesis I didn't pull an all-nighter. In fact never in my life have I stayed up all night. The closest I came was when I worked for Americorps and we were hosting a lock-in for our students. I slept for about an hour and a half but I slept. This mentality I think has translated to my reading. I would much rather get up early and finish a book then stay up late.

Why Do I Do This:

1.) Because I Really Love Sleep

Well there could be any number of reasons. Maybe it's a little personal, like this is just how my brain works. Like I said I have done this for as long as I can remember and in other instances. I'm not a night owl (I mean I'm not even really a morning person either but that's a different story) so the idea of staying up late is not something I revel in. I really love my sleep. It's like my favorite thing ever. Not to mention the fact that I have always read for pleasure before bed. In high school, in college, when I didn't get to do a lot of reading I would treat myself by reading for a few hours before I fell asleep. So I think subconsciously my brain is trained that book means sleep. And I think even if a book is amazing and I don't want to put it down, I will reach a point where I am too tired to read (that point isn't 10:30pm but stay with me on this) so rather than hit a wall where I can't focus anymore and start missing information I decide to just call it quits for the night.

2.) I'm Always Reading Multiple Books

"Could I be reading any more books?"
One thing that I think allows me to do this is that I'm always reading multiple books. At the moment I am reading a physical book (The Rose Society by Marie Lu), an e-book (The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrcik Rothfuss) and an audiobook (Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger). So because I am reading more than one book, I can put one down if I am going to finish because it's easy to just go to another one of the books I'm reading.  It even helps me balance my reading better. There are some times where I even plan out how many pages I will read in one book to finish on schedule and then just go right to the next book. This means I almost never am placed in the situation where I do finish a book right before bed. 

3.) It's How I Avoid Book Hangovers

But I also like this because when I finish a book, I like to start reading something else immediately. I don't like there to be any more than an hour between finishing one book and starting another. If I go to bed after finishing a book then I can't do that. Now there is probably a longer explanation about why I do this but mostly it's because that's how I avoid book hangovers. For me, book hangovers are not very common. It takes the rare book to affect me in that way. I have found that the longer I linger with a book the longer it takes to forget it and reenter the real world or restart another book. So if I finish a book and then write a quick review or take a quick break, and then start something else I can avoid stewing with a book. So if I finish a book right before I go to sleep then I will be lingering with that book and the book hangover. As I fall asleep and try to shut my brain off all I will be able to think about is that book.

So there you have it. My explanation for why I never finish a book before going to bed. Does that make sense? Am I crazy? Do you do this? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

18 comments:

  1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the last book that I stayed up late reading, I just couldn't put it down. In hindsight, I wish I had savored more, so I get what your're saying. Now, I too want the sleep.

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    1. That may have been the last book I stayed up late to finish too. Or something that people had already spoiled on twitter like Ruin & Rising or Queen of Shadows. As far as savoring it goes, I think that's what rereads are for. And with HP I like to just periodically read whole sections just for nostalgia reasons.

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  2. I love reading about other people's quirky behaviors. This is a little weird. ;) But if it works for you, go for it. I don't often stay up too late to finish a book, but it's timed right with my normal bedtime, then I will finish the book. Your explanation makes sense though. Fun post!

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    1. I know it's quirky and weird, but yeah, it works for me. Yeah I think that's probably normal, to not stay up late to finish but finish if you can. If I see that I'm going to do that I will try and avoid it.

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  3. It's so fun to read other peoples reading quirks...I loved this post! I'm the complete opposite of you I have sacrificed so much sleep for books I always say I will go to bed on time, but I never do, but I was also one of those people who pulled all-nighters in school :)

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    1. I think most bookish people are like you. Book > sleep. But I just love sleep too much. And yeah, we are opposites on that whole all-nighter thing.

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  4. Ah, this is too funny! I used to stay up reading all hours of the night, but then I couldn't turn my brain off to fall asleep, so I've kind of implemented the same kind of policy. Because even if I'm not up late reading, finishing a book still leaves my brain in turmoil and it's impossible to fall asleep with a book hangover. I like to jump right into the next book, too, to avoid that. Also, perfect GIF usage. =)

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    1. YES! I'm so glad I'm not the only one. And you are totally right, I can't get my brain to turn off. Plus that book hangover before bed this is totally horrible. I can't handle that. I'm too emotional. I must try to combat it.

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  5. I’m the opposite of you. I try to finish books before I go to bed so I can start a new book in the morning.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. Yeah, I don't know. I mean I like starting a new book in the morning (that's most Sundays for me) but it's the finishing before bed that I don't like.

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  6. Complaining is definitely in my top 5 favorite hobbies too haha!! I am always staying up late to finish a book. I am a night owl though... and also I like thinking about the book after I finish it... and thinking and thinking and thinking. It stays with me more if I spend time dwelling on it. But to each his own and I am a little jealous that you don't have book hangovers because that is a big problem for me :)

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    1. Right! Complaining is amazing. Oh man, I can't dwell on it. I like when books stay with me even though I haven't spent the time to sit with it and think about it. My favorite books are always like that. Probably the dwelling is linked to the book hangovers. And I mean I do still get them and when it hits, it hits hard. I can barely cope!

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  7. Good for you for knowing that sleep is essential haha. I actually wish I was more like you and had a bit more control. I can't put down a book even when it's really late, though for your exact reasons, I know I should.

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    1. Haha, yeah, sleep is my favorite hobby. Wow, I never thought of it as control but you may be right. I HAVE THE POWER! No, I think it comes from the fact that I'm always reading multiple books. I'm used to putting a book down and picking up something else.

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  8. Definitely the first option for me. I love sleep wayyyyyy too much. Even if I am reading a really good book before bedtime, I end up nodding off because I cannot stay up. It is hard! And I am in college right now, and I rarely almost never pull an all-nighter!

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    1. Sleep is the best. I can't not sleep at least 7 hours. I just can't. I always nod off too. And then I miss things and that's the worst. I'd rather stop before that happens. And all-nighters are overrated. I mean, I wouldn't know but I never felt like I was missing out.

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  9. I'm quite the opposite! I usually also juggle a few books at a time, but I have lost count of the lost (but not really because I don't consider them lost, you know?) hours of sleep because I've been up reading!! I am a total night owl, so I think that is also related!

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    1. They are lost Pili! You will never get that sleep back. Well until you can catch up on your sleep debt. I stand corrected. They're not lost they're procrastinated. You crazy night owls and your staying up late reading. Not me, nope.

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