7 Feelings Every Bookworm Can Relate To

Reading is an emotional experience. A great book can bring soaring happiness, followed by deep melancholy when it’s all over. A terrible book can bring teeth-grinding determination to push on through, and then an explosion of relief and accomplishment when it’s all over.

Here, we’re looking at seven feelings that most bookworms have experienced at one time or another – seven emotions that make reading so rewarding.

The Joy of Getting Lost in a Book

We’ve all been there. It’s late, we’ve been working all day, and it’s time for bed. But maybe we can squeeze in half an hour of reading before we hit the hay.

So we sit down, and we get started, and by the time we look at the clock a whole hour has gone by, or maybe even more. This is the danger of becoming really absorbed in a book, but it’s a joy too.

The Excitement of Starting a New Book

It’s a bit of a cliché to say that every book is a journey… an adventure. But there’s some truth in that. The author has created a narrative and a universe for you to traverse and explore, and you’re delving into this whenever you open a book.

So yes, it might be a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason. Starting a new book, and taking the first step on that journey, is genuinely exciting.

The Relief of Leaving a Bad Book Behind

We can’t pretend that all books are great. They just aren’t. Just like all films aren’t great, and all songs aren’t great. And of course, some books are great, but just don’t do it for us. They don’t resonate with us, personally. As book lovers, we’ve got to be discerning when we read.

This is why it can feel so relieving to finally be free of a book we just aren’t engaging with. Whether we battled through and completed it, or we simply gave up, it doesn’t matter – the path is now clear to the next book, and all the excitement that’s going to bring.

The Mixed Emotions of Finishing a Great Book

Finishing a book is always a powerful experience. You might experience relief after struggling with the work, or you might feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in having gotten through it. You may be joyful about the way in which the plot was resolved, or you might be left considering your own interpretations of what you’ve just read.

There may be other feelings too. You might feel a little sad, as the melancholy feeling of parting with such a great book makes itself known. You may find yourself reading those last few pages again, unwilling to let it go just yet. Whatever you experience, the range of emotions is often broad and diverse, as the journey comes to an end with twinges of happiness and sadness.

The Dilemma of Choosing the Next Book

So many great books, and so little time in which to read them. This is the conundrum that all booklovers face, so choosing the next book is a big decision.

Will you be disciplined, and keep on working your way through that pile that has been building up? Or will you dive into that brand-new book that caught your eye only yesterday? It’s a difficult decision, and it’s one we all face whenever it’s time to start a new book.

The Thrill of Recommending a Book

Recommending a book can be exciting like you’ve just discovered something magical, and you want to share that with the world… or at least with a friend. But it can be a little nerve-wracking. A book is such a personal thing, so recommending a book really feels like putting yourself out there. What if they don’t like it? What if they don’t engage with it in the same way I did?

This is why I’ve chosen “thrill” to describe this feeling. Like a rollercoaster is thrilling, or a bungee jump – it’s exciting, fun, and it’s a little bit scary at the same time.

The Comfort of Reading a Book Your Way

We all have our own ways of reading, the way that suits us best. For some people, that’s going to be a hardback first edition, an armchair, and a mug of cocoa. For others, it might be relaxing on a beach with an eReader, packed full of holiday reads. There’s no right way or wrong way to go about it. How we achieve that personal connection with a book is up to us.

But there’s certainly a comfort to be found in these familiar habits. Whether you’re getting back to your reading nook after a long day at work, or you’re back in a familiar coffee shop after a few weeks out of town, the feeling of disconnecting from the outside world and escaping into the haven of a book is a wonderful one.

Just Scratching the Surface

Emotions are complex things, and it’s impossible to distill the experience of reading and engaging with books into seven feelings.

There are so many different emotions and feelings whirling around when we read, and it’s certain that we’ve missed a whole host of different examples from this list.

Next time you sit down to read, try to tune in to those emotions. There might be a new sensation, one you hadn’t encountered before. This is all part of the sensory and emotional richness of reading.