Every now and then I suffer quite badly from a hideous affliction: readers block. For some unknown reason, I will be unable to focus on longer pieces of writing. Half a dozen books - fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels - will be left unfinished, their first chapters digested but I won't have any appetite for the rest. It's my experience that the blocks tend to coincide with periods of stress or busyness, but sometimes they occur quite randomly.
Luckily my most recent bout was broken by Walter Tevis's The Hustler, which is a great piece of American fiction. I know very little about pool, but I had seen the excellent Paul Newman film some years ago and this was enough to tempt me when I recently came across the source novel. Tevis was an extraordinarily good write, both precise and evocative, and The Hustler is short enough for even a blocked reader to complete with ease. Since finishing it I've managed a couple of long essays and am currently part way through a good-sized non-fiction book (more on which later...)
As with writer's block, overcoming reader's block is simply a matter of sticking at it until you find inspiration. Do whatever it takes to enjoy reading again - it's worth it.
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