Yes, it’s true.
I’m a glommer.
Books, movies, songs — you name it, I’ve glommed it.
But I’m still figuring out that fine line between enjoying a piece of entertainment/art, and burning myself out on it.
I’m first and foremost a reader, and love to glom books and authors. I have favorites that I read over and over, and authors that I have to buy every book they have published. But I have to be careful so I don’t go too far overboard, and end up feeling like I just ate an entire chocolate cake in one sitting. Slightly nauseous, and hating the sight of chocolate. At least for a little while.
So I work very hard to prevent that from happening with my favorites.
Right now, I’m glomming Suzanne Brockmann. I just finished her latest. For the third time. In two weeks. I love the characters, the dialogue, the interaction, the story…sigh. In fact, the only reason I’m not reading it again is because I loaned it to my neighbor, in my effort to convert her to Suz fan as well.
And that’s probably a good thing. I don’t want to get to a point where I’m sick of the book (or the writer). Because that’s an easy thing to do.
Ever hear a song on the radio? You love it right away, and spend the next several weeks searching it out on different stations, maybe download it or buy the CD, learn all the words. Then, you reach saturation point on it. It’s still everywhere, but now all you can do is groan and change the channel.
Or a movie you can watch over and over until — you just can’t watch it again.
So how do you avoid oversaturation? Have you ever killed a book or series or song or movie because you loved it too much? (And why does that sound like a self-help title? Readers Who Kill The Books They Love…)
And can you recommend any other books, series or authors to glom?
I was the same way about the LOTR movie series – I watched all three movies over and over again (slow-mo-ing through the parts with Aragorn) until I reached saturation. I can now say I haven’t pulled out any of the DVDs for at least a year!
I glom, but in an odd way. I must own every book by William Sleator (and I believe I do), but there are six on my shelf now that I haven’t read yet. Susan Cooper, too. I’m eagerly awaiting her latest in paperback. She, however, I’ve kept up with reading-wise.
I think I only avoid oversaturation by having a painfully short attention span. Or rather, an unwillingness to commit the time I know I need to commit to truly enjoy something. Once I’m in, I’m hooked, but getting in… That’s another matter.
There are only a few authors who I don’t get sick of. Stephen King is one of them… although even his latest stuff feels a little like reruns to me… sigh
So what’s the actual definition of “glom”??
Carolan — I know a LOT of people who glommed the LOTR trilogy. I think it just lends itself to glomming. Intricate storylines? check. Tremendous world-building? check. Fascinating characters? check. Hotties? yup.
Meredith — Susan Cooper has a new one coming out? Be still, my heart!
Selena — It’s great to find an author you won’t burn out on, isn’t it? And good question about the definition of “glom”. I looked it up on Dictionary.com, and the first few definitions were all about stealing! It wasn’t until the last definition that it mentioned something close to how I’ve heard it used — “seize upon or latch onto something”. Interesting, eh?
Thanks for commenting, all!
I’ve had songs I didn’t own hit a certain point where I was sick of hearing them despite how much I liked them. Things got to the point where I couldn’t see another show, interview, what have you, about Harry Potter without speed diving for the remote. And I swear, if they had decoded one more thing after The Da Vinci Code hit theaters, I was going to go albino-monk ninja on my cable provider. But those were all outside influences.
When I personally “glom” on to something it’s with the intent to make it everything for a little while, (and sometimes a not so little while), which leaves me incapable of getting sick of it because I can control the flow of input. I’m the person that can put a song on repeat for days and never blink about it. Albums are worse, I’ve been rocking One-X by Three Days Grace near daily for months, creating a sound track for so many things.
When a new book comes out by a loved author, I pick up the last book in the series or the last four to five books, and reimmerse myself in the world. I get to a point where everything is that world and then something else comes out and it’s time to immerse myself in that.
So I guess I never reach the saturation point where I have to back away because I’m marinating in so many different things. Something else comes along before I’m sick of my current obsession, meaning I always get to go back to a former obsession with praiseful thoughts and still holding whatever crush I had.
The apparent key to love never fading is loving enough things and giving each its due time. Hmm…there’s likely some mental insight to why I write poly-relationships in that phrase. * grin *
~X