What Enola Holmes Taught Me: Avoiding Burnout in Series Reading

Much like choosing a training regimen for running a marathon, having a strategic approach to reading a series of books at the outset may be helpful to both the would-be series reader and the seasoned series reader alike. Whether it's the Wheel of Time, Harry Potter or Hunger Games, pacing is the key to enjoyment - otherwise it's Expecto Exhaustion! Series choice, reading, pacing and completion are all phases of your reading enjoyment.

First off – how does one choose a series? Word of mouth? The desire to be part of the cultural zeitgeist? An innate sense of obligation or, perhaps, even guilt of having underperformed one’s duty at giving enough attention to one author’s or one’s friends’ obsession? The reality is that people who begin to read a series of books may or may not choose to complete it for a variety of reasons. Often, I am told, burnout is the reason. With this in mind, having chosen your series, the next step is jumping into the grand whirlpool of imagination.

An example of a good choice in series and ill-paced reading is the adventures of Enola Holmes. After watching the bravura performance of Millie Bobby Brown in the Enola Holmes (Sherlock’s younger, smarter sister) screen adaptation on Netflix, the book series, of course, came to mind. As MCL has all six original books – as well as the recently released Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche (2021) and newly released Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade (2022) – the game was afoot.

But, much like a traditional Sherlockian mystery where time is of the essence, no attention was paid, on the part of this reader, to the pacing of the reading experience and so it was that when Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche was released, having just completed the previous six in approximately a month, burnout had set in. It was just too much of a good thing, a Victorian-era binge, and I found myself hesitant to continue with Enola on her new adventures and stopped reading – until now.

What had changed? A year had gone by. A year to breathe, a year to read most of the Artemis Fowl series, a year to digest the completeness of the Enola Holmes adventures, and begin to be curious about where she might be headed next. With the publication of Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade, I knew it was time to reunite with the adventures of this pugnacious protagonist – plus I had burned out on Artemis Fowl on book seven of eight. For me, time off, a period of quiet reflection and a rejuvenation of the sense of fun I had experienced in the reading of the initial series, brought me back for the further adventures of Enola Holmes.;

Several lifetimes of book series are available through the Mercer County Library System. Finding a reading pace that’s right for you will heighten your enjoyment and keep you going. What’s your favorite book series? Whether it’s Enola Holmes or Hunger Games - may the odds (of not burning out) be ever in your favor!

- by Chip McAuley, Hickory Corner Branch