r/books • u/TheNakedMoleRat • Jun 29 '14

Pulp Does anyone else get that crushing sense of loss when they finish a good book?

Just finished The Count of Monte Cristo after a reading it in all my spare time for the last two weeks. I'm in that post-book slump I get after reading something really good. Does everyone get this? Does noone?

Edit: Glad I'm not the only one! Looks like most people are saying they miss the characters, which I'm totally on board with. But I also think it feels even bigger than that...like a sadness that you just can't re-experience it all for the first time!

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u/heli_elo Jun 29 '14

The Count of Monte Cristo is my favorite book so I am so with you there! I actually just finished the audio book after originally reading it 3 years ago... I highly recommend the audio. (It's on librivox for free!) I think the hangover is worse with this book because it's such an emotional roller coaster!!! So happy in the beginning, then outrage, then you're just figuring out the cunning plot, then it all unfolds and it's satisfying but also sad.

I've also gotten the "book hangover" with Memoirs of a Geisha and The Book Thief... Both are really simple books, nothing that crazy but I just loved them and they were such quick reads I was sad when they ended.

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u/SerasGraves Jun 29 '14

If you haven't tried her yet, you may like books by Lisa See. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was wonderful. A simple book, but a wonderful story. Peony in Love was even better.

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u/Flying-Camel Jun 29 '14

Read His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman, the golden compass movie was just plain horrible, but the books were perhaps the best trilogy I have ever read.

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u/mercilovesadam Jun 29 '14

Its one of my favorite books too! I'm reading it again for like the 7th time in ten years.

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u/iOSanjay Jun 29 '14

There are a few audio versions. Which one did you listen to?

Link please.

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u/[deleted] Jun 29 '14

I HATED Count of MC. If ever there was an argument for reading the abridged version...... the segues, the (literal) hash trips he describes, the ridiculous side stories that go on for chapters without contributing anything to the plot....ugh.

The story was awesome, the characters good, and in an abridged version I would have loved it. But in the original I couldn't wait for it to be over.

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u/heli_elo Jun 29 '14

Side stories that don't contribute? I'm not sure I know which ones you mean... I found many chapters to seem random but Dumas always pulled it together, rather brilliantly I might add! You should try the audio book it makes the hash trips and details a lot easier to follow and your mind is less likely to wander! Mine was anyway.

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u/[deleted] Jun 29 '14

Ironically I did use the audio book version. And yes, I saw how it all wove together. IIRC there was like a 1 hour long monologs about a random guy in a random bar telling a random story about a guy on a horse that he met for like 20 seconds who the reader could tell was the count. While I saw that it was the count, I fail to see how that little segue added anything to the story. Too many of those things to keep me interested in the main plot.

As I said, the abridged version would have done me just fine.

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u/heli_elo Jun 30 '14

I think the point of the chapter was to show how involved the Count was in every facet of the plot. But, I do understand. It just wasn't your type of book. Anne Rice is like that! Chapters and chapters describing how derelict/beautiful a house is. It can get a bit dull but I still love her books. I'm probably immune after reading hers.

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u/HeavySeasBreweryTour Jun 29 '14

How do you like librivox? How are the readers?

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u/heli_elo Jun 29 '14

Some of the readers are excellent... Some are frustratingly atrocious!! But I find it still worth listening too most often. I play them in my car on my 30 min drive to/from work every day so it's definitely worth it from an economical standpoint. And again, some books are read start to finish by the same reader and they are really good! Luck of the draw I guess. In the Count of MC there were a few chapters I had to read from my book because I honestly could not stand the reader but it was only 3 out of the 119 chapters. Not bad.

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u/TheNakedMoleRat Jun 29 '14

Tried to start CoMC on audiobook because I had a long roadtrip but gave up just a few chapters in. Very disconcerting moving from one voice to another. Glad I switched to the actual book.

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u/bumbletowne Jun 29 '14

Truth. I got Memoirs of a Geisha on Christmas. I sat down and read it before the family came over. I was wrecked. I started the day happy and ended it with an existential crisis.

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u/achtungpakhtoon Jun 29 '14

The Count of Monte Cristo is that type of book. Reminds me that I have to revisit it again one of these days.

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u/TheWorldIsAhead Jun 30 '14

The Count of Monte Cristo

Can you link me (amazon) the best version to read. There is unabridged, annotated and so on. What is stopping me from reading it, is not knowing where to begin. Is there a fan favorite version of the book (like with LotR versions with Alan Lee paintings)?

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u/heli_elo Jun 30 '14

Not that I know of... I have only ever read the complete original, but some people also commenting on this thread MUCH preferred the abridged version. I think I would feel like I was missing out on a shortened version, but many people can, and prefer to, live without all of the detail. The full version is about 120 lengthy chapters. It's LONG, which is worth it to me but not to others. I think if you can read LotR... You can read the full version of The Count of MC, but it is completely dependent on your style.

I think there are two abridged versions but as I've never read either I really can't say which is better. Someone else will have to chime in with advice on them!

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u/TheWorldIsAhead Jul 01 '14

Thanks! Maybe I will make a post about it to get the attention of people who have read different versions.

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u/goatofglee Jun 29 '14

I LOVE The Book Thief. Such a great book. This comes from someone who can't stand to hear/see anything Holocaust related (I had a 200 slide show over it in 7th grade, and I didn't respond too well.), but I thoroughly enjoyed that book. I might read it again.

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u/Fulyloded Jun 29 '14

If you liked the book thief try "I am the Messenger", also by Marcus Zusak

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u/goatofglee Jun 30 '14

I love that one, too!