A funky kind of funk...

We've talked about reading ruts before. We've talked about those inescapable lazy modes, where we just can't be bothered to pick up a book. We've talked about those books that you stall on, and even though you want to finish so you can move on already, you just can't make yourself sit down and finish the thing. (I'm having a bit of one of those at the moment, unfortunately...) We've talked about required reading, and how, even if you like the book, the very fact of it being obligatory makes you dig in your heels and not get any reading done. We've talked endlessly about funks and funk-breaker books to get you out of them.

We've talked about all of those rut-related things, but today I want to talk about a different beast entirely. A new funk. A funky funk, unlike the usual readerly rut. A funk that swallowed up half of my 2014.
I want to talk about the 'I want to read everything, and so somehow am reading nothing' funk. It is a strange one.

Yes, the fact of the matter is, for the last 6 months, at least — for the last year and then some, if I'm honest — I've been suffering from a major case of O.S.S.:

It goes something like this:

I'm going along like normal, reading a perfectly enjoyable book. I like it. I may even sorta love it. I'm totally gonna recommend this book to all my friends, you guys!
AND THEN

****** S  H  I  N  Y  ******

Did you see that? That shiny, shiny book that just flew into my hands, out of nowhere? It wants me to read it, now, right now, forget about that other book, that other book is nothing to me. This. This shiny golden god of bookstuffs, this is the ticket.
BUT WAIT.
It brought shiny, shiny friends! Obviously, I should read this shiny book! Or no, maybe that is the shiny book I should be reading; it's gotta be better than all the others, right?
But look there! Even. More. SHINY!

And so it goes, on and on until I find that I haven't read much of anything, really, and all of those lovely, shiny books, all of those books that I honestly know will suit me, will make me love them, have been abandoned, callously tossed by the wayside, in my pursuit of shiny.
It's like a bookish mirage, and as soon as I reach my oasis, I see that really, it's still off in the distance, with a new face and a snazzy title and fancy foil lettering.

There are so many books that got left in the dust of 2014, and part of my mind is still latching onto them. Whether it's readerly guilt (finish them!), bloggerly guilt (omg Misty, finish them!), an inkling that there's something really stellar in the pile (come back! look back at me!), or some as yet undiagnosed affliction, my brain doesn't want to let them go, but they're keeping me from moving on. These books, these shiny, abandoned books, have got me in a funky funk, and like Elsa (sorry not sorry), I've got to let it go.

I may come back to you, shiny books. And others may join you in the meantime — O.S.S. is a difficult malady to shake — but for now, I've got to leave you to your shiny ways and move on. I've got to shake off this restless, wandering spirit and ignore your siren song. . .
As soon as I find a way to do that.

So, I know I'm not the only one to come down with a case of the Shinies from time to time. Since this is different than your run of the mill rut, tell me, how do you shake it off?  Does the traditional advice of "read something fun and fluffy" still apply?  It's not a case of losing the joy of reading, it's a case of being spoiled for choice. So how do you deal when your brain is bouncing off the walls of your inner library and you're in total book floozy mode?
Help me.
CURE ME.

(please.)

Thanks to Juskteez Vu and Luca Zanon for sharing amazing photographic work under a Creative Commons license, enabling me to have some silly fun making banners in this post!