I met up with a friend at a nearby store the other day, and she said, “I knew it was you because I saw you reading your book.” Guilty as charged.
Right now, I’m on a pretty good reading streak. I’m picking up one book after another, DNF-ing the ones I don’t want to read, and selecting titles that I already own instead of buying new ones. But there have been plenty of times that I’ve gotten in a bit of a slump. A slump is a bit like burnout for avid readers. We want to read but just can’t for any number of reasons – daily distractions, errands to run, or things like your day job. And then, when we sit down to read, we can’t relax and enjoy it. Instead, we lose our reading mojo and wonder if we will ever get it back.
Here are some things I do to spark my interest in reading again.
- Try a new genre – Sometimes, I need to change things up a bit by reading a completely different type of book. I switch from fiction to nonfiction. Or I sink my teeth into a juicy celebrity tell-all. (Brat-Pack movie star Andrew McCarthy just came out with a new one, and I can’t wait to buy it!) I will even try out a YA (young adult) novel. A brand new generation of YA writers has made a good impression on me, like Rainbow Rowell and Angie Thomas.
- Go to the library or bookstore – Shopping online is perfect when I know what book (or, in my case, books 🙂 ) I want, but sometimes I need to put myself in the right atmosphere to select my next read. Next time you are in a slump, stroll through the aisles and look at the titles to see what jumps out at you. Ask the librarian or bookstore owner to make some recommendations too!
- Download a book on your phone – For a while, I was a HUGE book snob and considered listening to a book in my car, not really reading. But I was 100% wrong. I’ve discovered that it takes just as much concentration to listen to a story in my car as it does to sit down and read an actual book. And when a book is well-narrated, it can spark your imagination and entertain you in a whole new way.
- Read a short story – The last thing I want to do when I’m in a slump is pick up the latest 500-page novel and force myself to read it. I’d much rather prefer choosing some wonderful short story collections or essays. A few that come to mind are written by David Sedaris or Lisa Scottoline, but there are so many good ones out there. Take your pick!
- Don’t sweat the slump – Finally, maybe you just aren’t in the mood to read, and that’s completely fine too. Take some time off. Clean out a closet, binge-watch a show on Netflix or start a jigsaw puzzle. When you are ready to pick up a book again, you will do it with newfound enthusiasm.
What do you do when you are in a reading slump?
I used to look forward to packing my weekends with people to see and places to go, but thanks to COVID, I’m delighted with quieter Saturdays and Sundays. After a busy week at work, all I want to do is curl up on the sofa with my favorite blanket and a good book. Luckily, I used my downtime wisely because April was another busy month of reading.
It was the opening scene that hooked me into this book right away. Casey’s landlord catches her outside and peppers her with intrusive questions about her book. And then, he has the nerve to say the most obnoxious thing that no writer wants to hear. “I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say.” I wanted to slap him. Once I have someone to root for in a book, the story has my complete and undivided attention. Casey is a writer and a waitress who is dealing with the grief of losing her mother and juggling her feelings for two men – all while trying to get a book published. I loved the details of her writing process and her posse of supporters that have her back. I finished this book in less than a week. Whether you are a writer or not, this is one novel to add to your TBR pile.
Springtime means three things to me – nice weather, allergy season, and summer reading guides. May is typically the month when these lists of new releases and paperbacks are splashed across every analog and digital platform known to man. The New York Times and Washington Post will have their lists ready to roll out any day now. Some magazines are already recommending their “best beach reads.” And for someone like me who loves buying books and recently quit cold turkey, these lists can be pure torture.