Do you have withdrawls after finishing a book?

sometimes, but that’s why i like series… but then i guess the withdrawal is even worse when the series is over….

Absolutely. That’s why I usually keep another book lined up for after I’m done.

Absolutely yes (if it was good, anyway). It’s especially hard when the characters in a fictional work have become like friends, if that makes any sense. It’s like I want to hear what they did afterwards.

I do, if the book is good.
@laureth I know what you mean. They do feel like friends at times.

Sometimes. If it was a good series and it’s over. Or at least, I’ve read all that is available at the time.

Yes I do! I always hate that feeling you get when the climax really starts to get rolling, and as excited as I get I know it’s about to end because I can see the number of pages running out. It kills me!

For me, it’s more a sense of accomplishment, kind of like getting to check something off of a to-do list. It’s not that I’m not reading what I want to read—it’s just that there are so many things that I want to read, so I’m glad to move on to the next.

Yes, after reading a book, my accent usually changes. Indeed, sometimes I get a Southern drawl, although, not always. Is that what you meant?~

For me it depends on the book. There are honestly some books that I just drudge my way through and am glad when they are done, but there are others where I dread reaching the end.

Almost always. Even if the book isn’t great, I’m sad to reach the end. If it is great, I even try to stretch it out a little…kind of rationing myself to make the book last a little longer.

I did when I finished the last Harry Potter book. BIG TIME.

But mostly I read program manuals so not so much.

I do! If it’s a book I really connected with, I develop these funny little relationships with the characters, and then I wind up missing them when I’m done. I wonder what they’re up to, and what they would think about specific situations.

With other books, I find that I’m happy I can ‘end’ the relationship when the book is done, or even just by closing it when I’ve had enough of them.

Not lately. The only books I’ve been reading recently are textbooks. In the summer when I read more of the books I’m interested in then yes, I do sometimes get reading withdrawl.

Sometimes, if the story line was really good or characters particularly compelling.

Wahl, Ah’m a Texan so Ah drawl all the tahm!

sorry, couldn’t resist.

well, maybe I could but I didn’t want to

I had withdrawl after finishing a series of books because they were all intricately woven together and told a story that covered multiple generations, locations, and timelines. They were some of the best books I’ve read, ever.

(Shogun, Tai-Pan, Gai Jin, Noble House, Whirlwind – James Clavell)

Oh lord, yes. All the time.

What I do is that go back and re-read the important parts of the book. That grounds me.
If I’m watching a movie on DVD I watch the extras, interviews of the director/cast on YouTube.
But yeah.. it’s a weird transition when the work is strong.

Yes, especially if it is a series and I know I have to wait a year or two for the next installment.

Yes. In fact I’m often depressed for several days after finishing a really good series. I actually miss the characters. It’s like losing friends you’ve come to know and love. Examples of book withdrawal: The Lord of the Rings; Harry Potter.

@suzyq2463: I miss Samwise. :’(

@asmonet, me too.

There are specific authors whose books send me into withdrawal after finishing them – JK Rowling is definitely one of them; Orson Scott Card is another. After reading one of their books, I have to take a couple of days off before starting another book, because other authors just don’t live up to the quality of writing I’ve gotten used to…

I was especially sad after the last Harry Potter book too, not knowing if there would be more JKR books in the future; fortunately, Orson Scott Card comes out with a new book every year or so, so I can get my fix!

sometimes I’ll craft a letter to the author, and send it, letting them know how much I enjoyed their work.

In high school, I read a particular series of books which I thought had fairly accurate portrayals of female characters, for a male author. I wrote him to tell him so, and he actually wrote back, a handwritten letter (!) and sent me a copy of another book he had written which was not part of the series.

Years later, I learned that He was really a She – a female author writing under a male pseudonym. No wonder the female characters were so well-written.

@laureth: Who was the author? I’ve often thought that about Orson Scott Card (especially his Women of the Bible series – the portrayals of those women are astounding for a male author). But I’m pretty sure Card is actually a man! =)

William Sarabande, author of the fairly cheesy The First Americans fiction that I just ate up when I was younger.

Only for really good ones! I keep those for future withdrawals.

If it was a very good book and the characters were ones I liked and empathized with, then yes, I do have a withdrawal of sorts.

I withdraw to the point that I won’t talk to people, and I dread any time when I’m alone because I get overly depressed. Any book will do this to me, especially if it’s really good. Harry Potter, the Time series, the Odd Thomas books to name a few.

@Bluefreedom upset because that sounds like a really good series, but my library only has Gai Jin… :(

Also, yes I get extreme withdrawl, I slow down when I figure out I only have 50 or so pages left!

Yes! When I become particularly emotionally invested in a book series, and then it’s over.. The day I finish the book I never know what to do and feel slightly depressed. I have those “what do I do with my life now?” moments. I also still have those nostalgic instances when the memories from the OC come flooding back, I miss you Seth and Summer!