How to get out of a Reading Slump
You’re reading a book, but slowly it becomes like wading through mud up to your waist. Turning the pages becomes an effort because the story isn’t grabbing you. You don’t care what happens to the characters, often fatal in reading a book.
What to do? Fear not, dear reader, in this blog post I am going to explain how to get out of a reading slump by telling you what I have done in the past. Yes, even book bloggers get a dose of the bookish blues. We’ll look at the meaning of a reading slump later on, but lets back to my own experiences.
My Reading Slumps
My own experiences of reading slumps tend to occur when I haven’t been well. As they say in Ireland ‘When I’m not at myself’. I’ve kept a record of my reading dates over the years, and I can look at certain periods of fallow reading and think oh yes, that’s when I was ill and a book was as heavy as a brick. I'’ve always had a book on the go so when I don’t, it means that something's up.
I find great comfort in the pages of books, as you can probably tell from this blog. Books have been a great companion to me during my life, especially during bad times. I find solace and wisdom amongst pages, and just sheer escape in the imagination of another person. I find there to be something incredibly special in the fact that we can read the thoughts of a person who lived long ago in a different era.
There have been times in my life when the black dog has visited and just simple acts have become difficult. I have learnt to buckle myself in and try to let it roll over me without, hopefully, taking too much damage. Experience has told me there’s not a lot I can do, but my constant refrain is: This too shall pass.
Alphabet Stew
It’s during those times that I have my reading slumps. Words congeal into an alphabet stew, and summoning the attention span to finish a page is like scaling a mountain wearing one boot - a bit of an effort.
Sometimes I’ll abandon a book and pick it up at a later date. It’s just the wrong book at the wrong time. And it’s perfectly fine to close a book and never pick it up again. The book police won’t come knocking at your door.
I tend to be careful with my picks during these periods. Something light, with a bit of pace. I have a TBR pile so I tend to pick something that has languished for times like this.
Page a day
It might be a page a day. There’s been times that it has only been a couple of sentences. But I persevere, because it’s one of the things that I do to bring myself back again. I don’t force it, but I know that this is one of the self-care activities I will do that restores balance.
There are other times when I just don’t feel like reading, maybe because blogging sometimes feels like a job rather than a hobby. Thankfully, that’s a rare occurrence, but I know when to take a break. And I have a few tips I’ll share below.
And I run a book blog - those reviews aren’t gonna write themselves, goddammit. (Though should I engage chatgpt for those times? No, nay, never. The day I ask artificial intelligence to write my reviews is the day I close the blog down. What’s the point?)
What is a reading slump?
The meaning of a reading slump, simply put, is a period when you don’t want to read. Or in the case of audiobooks, listen. Reading a book becomes exhausting, both mentally and emotionally. You just don't have enough of yourself to share.
You start but you can’t finish. That's ok too but when you are surrounded by unloved and half-read books, strewn about your room like discarded sweet wrappers, somethings up. Eventually, you realise; it’s not you, it’s me. No matter the genre, or the author, you just don’t want to read.
Where once you tore through several books a month, now you can’t be bothered facing one. Perhaps you’ve read a couple of stinkers in a row, and have fallen out of love with books for a bit. You might never read another book again.
Can’t be bothered
You spend as much time flicking back, as you do reading. You struggle to remember events from just a few pages back and everything takes so long to happen (JUST GET ON WITH THE STORY PLEASE).
You simply can’t be bothered reading and sitting down with a book doesn’t seem to help, and it might be the last thing you want to do. Reading requires an effort that you can’t find, and there are times when you opt to consume crap tv that requires you to take your brain out of your skull and leave it in a nearby empty box. That’s ok too, as sometimes junk tv is exactly what we need.
These periods can last weeks, months, and in the worst cases, forever. I’ve heard of people who studied literature at school who have never lifted a book since. Some of the syllabuses at high school have a lot to answer for.
School
I remember the 18th century text ‘Journal of a plague year’ by Daniel Defoe being one of our college picks for an English language class during the nineties. Sure, it was a useful handbook for the epidemic of 2021 (Such foresight) but the archaic language and sheer misery was enough to make you want to crawl into a lime pit you’d dug yourself. I bet there were people from that year who never lifted a book again. (Personally I didn’t mind it, but I’m a sucker for history from this period.)
So that’s what a reading slump is, and you probably have your own experience of it. Now the question that we want answers to is:
Getting out of a reading slump
These are some of the things that have helped me over the years. Starting with a
Comfort Book or Author
Is there a book that remains closer to your heart than any other? A title that always comes to mind when someone asks ‘What’s your favourite book?’ Now might be a good time to pull it down from the shelf, hug it, and start reading it again.
I’m surrounded by my books, but have also given so many away or loaned them from the library that I don't have all of my favourites close by. But I’ve kept quite a few and repurchased some.
Stephen King
One of my first reading loves was Stephen King. I can remember balancing a bowl of rice krispies on one knee, and reading ‘Salems lot’ with the other hand, whilst the clock ticked down until it was time for me to go to school. I was so entranced that I would probably have gone to school without my trousers if it wasn’t for my loving and attentive mother
This scene from Salems lot haunted my dreams as a kid. I’d already read the book, but this just made it worse.
I do still read Stephen King, but I haven’t kept up over the years so a few gaps remain. This is deliberate, because during periods of ill health, I'll check in with Mr Kings back catalogue and borrow/buy/download one I haven’t read.
I enjoy spending time in his worlds, I like the characters with which he populates his small towns, and he tells a good yarn. I feel comfortable in his hands; away ya go Stevie, spin your story webs. He also makes me laugh, or at least smile, which at times is incredibly important.
Is there a series of books you read as a child and loved? I adored ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’ and think I’d like to read them again. I don’t care about people who judge others on what they’re reading, but if you’re self-conscious, an ebook reader is your friend.
Who’s your comfort author? Is there a book that will send you back to your childhood, when you could curl up without a worry about being disturbed and disappear into the pages?
Pick something short and suitable
Yup, everyone is raving about this new award-winning book set on a Turkish moon colony in the year 2098 that will absolutely make you think about, like, everything going on in the world right now. But it’s 700 pages long and looks like a small brick.
Pick something slim and succinct. Novellas are your friend - one of my favourite books of recent years was ‘Small things like these’ by Claire Keegan. Slight and perfectly formed, it tells a satisfying story in just 116 pages. That’s what you want.
Don’t forget about short stories either. These bite-sized chunks of reading are perfect for getting you out of a reading slump. Switch it up.
If you haven’t done so already, audiobooks are worth a go. Many people resist them, but as I’ve written here, there are lots of advantages.
Another switch is Fiction to non-fiction, poetry, memoir - any genre that you don’t usually bother with. I’ve always dabbled in non-fiction, but never regularly. Joining the nonfiction challenge has helped with that - I choose my titles from the broad categories. I’ve enjoyed reading about everything from neuropsychology to the tsunami in Japan. It pushes me, and can help me out of a reading slump.
And what about that thriller you keep seeing on the supermarket shelves? Who cares if it’s not on the end-of-year critics lists? You wanna to read it? YOU ABSOLUTELY READ IT! Why are you waiting for permission - are you still afraid of the book police? You have my permission - go get it tiger!
I could tell you to switch up styles, but sometimes 'we like what we likes’ and that’s that. But try another genre if you think it might shake things up a bit, check out a reputable book blogger (cough) that mixes up the genres and take a chance. Recommendations aren’t an exact science, and there’s no guarantees you will like the book. But what have you got to lose - sure you said you were never going to read again anyway.
Light a spark.
Why not listen to podcasts about books, such as interviews with your favourite authors? Check out book tok or instagram, and go to readings. Anything bookish, give it a go - it might spark enthusiasm and get you out of your reading slump, meaning more inspiration.
Do what I did and start a book blog! Be social on Instagram, meet lots of nice bookish people, and share your passions. Just don’t let it become a job.
But if you don’t want to start a book blog (and I don't blame you) why not begin a journal with your opinons on books? You don't have to share them with anyone, just let your thoughts flow onto the page without censure and see where they go.
Join a book club - I’ve also written a post about this. Why not take the pressure off and let someone else choose a book for you to read? If you’re lonely and sick of being surrounded by piles of unread books, it’s a great opportunity to be social and talk about why you absolutely hated a book or quite liked it.
Related to this are buddy reads. Do you have a friend who also likes books? Maybe drop them a line, say you're thinking of reading a title, would they like to join you and then meet up to discuss? A solitary activity with a social outcome!
Take it outside
Now that summer has arrived in Ireland (or rather, the rain occasionally stops) I like reading in the park. Nothing better than being attacked by wasps, the rain coming on despite your checking the forecast four times before you left and deciding not to bring a jacket, and a nearby farmer happily spreading slurry in his field.
There’s that negativity bias again. Nope, there’s a lot to be said for fresh air and sunshine, a cool drink to hand, and losing yourself completely in a book. It remains for me one of life's pleasures.
Audiobooks are just as good. Choose a different route each day and end up at a park bench. So many audiobooks, particularly memoirs, make great company.
Don't forget about coffee shops. Where I live, new ones seem to pop up like mushrooms. Enjoy a latte in a different place each week, bringing a classic by a dead Russian novelist, drawing admiring glances from staff and customers alike, whilst you struggle to tell your Dimitri’s from your Nikolai’s but remember that even if you don’t finish it, the book will be handy to prop open a door if needed.
And as Noha has written in Nohawrites, why not try reading in a beautiful place? In front of a beautiful sunset, relaxing in the park or with a gorgeous window view, you can then associate the act of reading a book with beauty and calm.
Compare and contrast
There are so many books that have become movie adaptations. Have a look at what’s out there, and pick something that catches your fancy. You can then be that person we all love at social gatherings who says, ‘Well, actually, I found the book to be much better’.
Seriously, it can be good to see how the vision that is displayed in your local multiplex cinema relates to your ideas of the book. Reading a book, we create the setting, and cast the characters; we are the world builders in our private cinema.
Keep it light
Mysteries, young adult, thrillers, fantasy, something from your childhood- pick something from a genre you like, that’s not too heavy. Immerse yourself in it, and remind yourself why you love reading in the first place. Often our first literary loves (paper) cut the deepest.
Set a target
I've written about this elsewhere (click picture above), but if you find yourself distracted, proclaiming that you JUST DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO READ, don’t worry. Life is busy, and reading can seem like a luxury amidst all the other stuff going on.
Social media has destroyed our attention spans, so if you’ve read down this far, well done! Most people won’t. But it’s time to start the fight back, to retrieve what has been stolen from us by these social media companies.
If this is you, start with five minutes, or five pages. Too much? Five sentences then. Each day, that's your goal, and you reach it and go about your day. Keep the bar low. Humans love setting goals and getting a wee boost when we meet them. Be proud of yourself for carving out those five minutes for yourself.
Maybe you’ll find you have to set your alarm clock five minutes earlier to get your reading done. Perhaps this will become your new time for reading, just you and your book. Join me on my voyage of the dawn reader.
Browse
One of my favourite bookish activities is browsing. Obviously, your local library is your first stop, Charity shops are also good, as are your local retailers. Take some time but pick those books that align with your interests. That may sound like stupidly simple advice, but too often people choose a book because is a bestseller, or others have told them they simply must read it.
Poppycock and Balderdash my bookish buddy. What do you like? What are you interested in? Think back to that time when you were curled up on a sofa and couldn’t put a book down, or were lying on a sun lounger in Spain and got sunburnt because you just COULDN”T GET UP!
You know your likes, your interests. Use them to get back into reading and end that reading slump.
Mood reading
I wrote about this recently when talking about tackling my TBR pile, but mood reading has a lot going for it. Only you know what you feel like reading, what aligns with your emotions. Don’t force a book on yourself, pick according to whatever mood you’re in. If that’s classic 80’ horror or a romance novel with werewolves, so be it.
Give it up for a while
Maybe just give up reading for a while. I know, imagine saying that in a book blog, of all places. It may seem extreme, but it is ok to not read. No one will judge you (any sign of the book police yet?) and perhaps you just need a break.
Hopefully you’ll come back to books in your own time. I hope you do, as there’s so much to discover, - enrichment, beauty, knowledge…I know people who don’t read and I just feel they’re missing out, but they don’t, and that’s what’s important. I’ll never judge someone who doesn’t read.
I read because I’m curious and I can never understand how you can’t have a sense of wonder about being alive on this small blue ball spinning into infinity, but maybe that’s just me.
Perhaps something else is happening in your life and you are too distracted to read and just don’t feel bookish. That happens, and you should be gentle with yourself and heal in your own way. Books just aren’t on the menu for you at the moment. That has happened to me in the past and I’ve got sick of saying it in this blog post, but I have also written about that!
So there you have some of my own ideas about how to get out of a reading slump.
If you are in a reading slump right now, don’t worry, and always be gentle with yourself.
One word, one sentence, one page, one chapter, and one book at a time, no matter how long it takes.
And remember; This too shall pass.
I’ve chosen this song to end on because I loved it as a bookish student and was a huge fan of the erudite Neil Hannon.