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Reading Slump! :(
I had a major fantasy reading slump for the past several years up until this June. I went from reading something like over a dozen fantasy novels a year to barely one. Like others, my interests shifted around during that time. I went from only reading fantasy and SF to reading SF, mysteries, thrillers, non-fiction, and occasionally some lit/classic lit.Then near the end of May, I decided to try and break the slump. The main motivator was that I had started watching booktube and had joined Goodreads the year prior. Watching tubers talk about these new fantasy books coming out and seeing others popping up on my GR feed finally gave me the push I needed. First, I finally finished a book I had started last year, The Black Prism, then followed it up with The Sword-Edged Blonde. After that, the slump vanished and I ended up reading five fantasy books by the end of June. In fact, with the exception of one thriller, fantasy was the only thing I read that month. Since then, I've decided on reading at least one a month, with a preference towards two.
As for what the slump felt like, I'm not sure I can accurately describe it. I would start reading a fantasy novel, get a good ways into it and then...just lose interest in continuing. You know that feeling you get when you don't want to keep reading a book? It was like that, even though I had been enjoying the book up until that point. After it hit, I would set the book down, thinking that I just needed a break from it, but wouldn't put it back up.
But basically I just figured that if I could keep going and push through that feeling, I would break through to the other side and my interest would return. And I was right. Not sure if it would work for others, but that's how I did it.
I needed to read this thread right now. I'm 'working' my way through a lot of children's books, because I'm one of the mods in a group here on GR. And though they're short, they're not always easy, esp. not easy to review. And I will not stop reviewing books.So I particularly appreciate the suggestions to read something *not* short or easy or 'mediocre.' I've been mixing in non-fiction and ST:TNG but I think maybe I need to mix in some actual literature, or classics, something fully engaging and juicy.
Thank you all!
You may be right, that those of us in a reading slump are actually also experiencing other 'off' things in our lives. I'll have to think on that.
Agree. My reading slumps are just a big ol' sign of depression.
My reading slumps often come - no, you know what, they always come when I'm having a hard time in real life. My teenager was going through a rough patch a while ago, and I was so worried and anxious for them that I found I just couldn't sit down with a book. Couldn't focus, wasn't interested, nothing gripped me. I've had similar slumps before whenever anxiety has kicked in for whatever reason.Cliche or not, time helps, and working through the real life stuff so your brain isn't constantly hyper-focused on it. And I've also found it helpful to read shorter books, like novellas, or listen to audiobooks if 900-page doorstoppers feel unappealing. In the end, it usually takes just one good book to reignite the spark.
So, yes, I've been thinking about this. And I've realized that it does definitely help a lot to be at peace with life in order to appreciate books that require a bit more patience, work, or thoughtfulness. Ime.
Amy (Other Amy) wrote: "Agree. My reading slumps are just a big ol' sign of depression."Revisiting this thread after having had a slump that lasted well over a month:
Amy's comment above resonated with me. Depression's a tough thing to gauge, or recognize it as it's happening. It can feel like a reading slump causes depression, when it's possible that the reverse is actually the case.
I have never experienced a reading slump.
Beth wrote: "Depression's a tough thing to gauge, or recognize it as it's happening. It can feel like a reading slump causes depression, when it's possible that the reverse is actually the case."I think that's a really perceptive comment, Beth. Especially because the frustration arises with the symptoms a lot of the time, instead of the cause. I don't get irritated with myself because I'm depressed; I get irritated because I can't get the books read (she says without a hint of self awareness at the time LOL).
Depression and/or high stress are the two biggest culprits when it comes to my slumps. I can't concentrate on a book. I remember one time several years back I was reading on autopilot. I hadn't registered a word that I supposedly read.
Agreed. A really great book can bring me out of my mood, but that's one in a million. I remember I read All Creatures Great and Small: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor while recovering from surgery and it was a lifesaver.
I read a TON of books while I was in High School. My phone wasn't great and it would die if I used it. So I was always reading after assignments.Now, however, I struggle to want to read. I get distracted by my phone, the TV, or even the wall while my mind wanders. I'm going through a stressful time moving across states, and I'm hoping that and depression is all it is. But the only time I feel like really reading is during downtime at work (I'm a Librarian) and even then, it can be difficult to concentrate on it.
Cassi ♡ wrote: "I read a TON of books while I was in High School. My phone wasn't great and it would die if I used it. So I was always reading after assignments.Now, however, I struggle to want to read. I get di..."
I'm sorry, Cassi!
Beth wrote: "Depression's a tough thing to gauge, or recognize it as it's happening. It can feel like a reading slump causes depression, when it's possible that the reverse is actually the case..."I really have to make the effort to remember this. Of course, when in the midst of an 'episode' of depression, it's hard to remember or appreciate good advice!
Speaking of reading slumps and depression/anxiety, this is the headline of an article in today's Washington Post: "Mindfulness exercises can be as effective as anxiety drugs, study shows. Breathing and body exercises helped relieve anxiety as effectively as medications over an eight-week study of 208 people."
I wasn't in the study, but I've done the 8 week program I think they used, "MBSR", aka "Mind Body Stress Reduction", and it made a huge difference for me. It was started in the 1970's by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. During the pandemic, a certified MBSR instructor put his MBSR course online for free, since people couldn't meet in person. http://palousemindfulness.com
It's the program I took.
I was afraid this might come up when I brought up mental health. Note that not every treatment or self-help program works for everyone, and it is best to consult health professionals about health issues.
Beth wrote: "I was afraid this might come up when I brought up mental health. Note that not every treatment or self-help program works for everyone, and it is best to consult health professionals about health i..."I thought about not posting this, but since your post struck a chord, it seemed important not to hold back if it could help someone. And now, back to books :)
Last time it helped for me to switch over to audio books for a while and then start reading one of my favourite books
Mod
I faced my reading slump after middle school. I'm really glad that booktok happened and got me back into reading. I'm really loving fantasy, dystopian novels peppered or covered with romance lol. I'm in love with the shatter me series btw
What Alison said! And remember that most people don’t read at all and reading more than 12 books in a year is considered reading a LOT. I hope you get through it soon.
Definitely different things work for different people. It's always good to be informed of options. I thank Nadine, Allison, and everyone for caring & sharing.
I definitely relate to the mental health/stress/anxiety trigger for slumps. I went through a bad couple of them back to back. In 2016, it was some major GR changes that started it, and then the 2016 election solidified it... That was a huge stress/anxiety/depression year for me, and I read literally NOTHING his first term in office. Not one book. It was awful. And then there was a slumpish Covid year. BUT, I come with another trigger that I wonder if anyone else shares (sorry if this was mentioned downthread and I missed it). I find that if I'm reading a book but I have lost interest in it, it has a high potential to lull me into a slump. I don't mean books that I'm actively disliking, but just a book that I started, but no longer have any interest in picking up. I just stop looking forward to knowing what happens, or thinking about it, or caring.
And then what happens is that I just fall into a habit of not reading that book, and then I eventually realize it's been days or weeks since I've read anything at all, and I didn't even notice. Some specific examples of this: Recursion, The Magicians, The Blacktongue Thief, Kill Creek, Ninth House
I think that this might relate to my ADHD brain as a form of procrastination/avoidance... but I don't really know why I would do that, because I have ZERO problems DNF'ing a book I don't like. Maybe it's just my brain's way of informing me that I don't like it, but I'm just too slow to realize it, so it avoids the book for long enough for me to catch up and realize that there's nothing compelling me to finish.
Like, you could just TELL ME I don't like the book, Brain! Dang.
Becky, I'm not sure if it's the same thing, but I often unintentionally avoid all reading if there's a book I feel like I should be reading but don't want to, no matter what the reason is.Most recent example, I had planned on rereading Spinning Silver before the Uprooted VBC discussion (last Sunday), but then when the actual date came with very short notice, and I wasn't in the mood to read it that day, I kind of felt that if I'm not reading that, I shouldn't be reading anything else, either. So I've been watching Youtube for five days now when I typically would've been reading. It makes no sense at all, the discussion is past, I no longer "have to" read the book, but I'm still kind of stuck on that "well I guess I'm not reading anything" feeling. This isn't a perfect example, because I don't feel slumpy and it wasn't a book I actually needed to read, but it's so fresh that it's a convenient example.
This happens to me every now and then, I don't really pay attention to it because it's absolutely fine if I don't read at all for a week or even two. I've never thought about whether it adds to potential slumpiness, but I think it's definitely a possibility.
I still listen to audiobooks when going to sleep, there is nothing that can stop me from doing that. Although reading slumps also make it harder to decide what to listen to, and that means it takes me longer to fall asleep because I'm browsing audiobooks instead of trying to sleep, and then I'm more tired, and then I feel less like reading the next day, and it's a cycle.
I still listen to audiobooks when going to sleep, there is nothing that can stop me from doing that.@Anna - my mom does that too.
Anna wrote: "I often unintentionally avoid all reading if there's a book I feel like I should be reading but don't want to, no matter what the reason is."I do this, too. I can usually tell that's why I don't want to read though (as distinct from the slumpy desire-to-read-but-can't feeling). I generally roll my eyes at me and play a video game instead.
I listen to either an audiobook or podcast pretty much every night when I go to bed. I've wrecked so many earbuds, lost the little foam pieces, etc., in my sleep. Progress can be anything from two paragraphs (common) to over three hours (very rare, dependent on insomnia).Back on the topic: one thing that has helped with occasional cases of the fidgets--going from PC to computer to TV, not sticking with anything for more than a few minutes--is having a dedicated reading chair that is not within easy reach of any of the other "mental noise" boxes. Unfortunately, both me and my partner like that reading spot, so there are good-tempered conflicts over it sometimes. :D if we ever move into a larger place, we'll get a second recliner!
Anna wrote: "Becky, I'm not sure if it's the same thing, but I often unintentionally avoid all reading if there's a book I feel like I should be reading but don't want to, no matter what the reason is."YES! I absolutely do this. It's one of the reasons I really dislike committing to group or buddy reads when it's not a book that I am personally interested in or committed to reading. (Selfish.) But if I only feel like I'm reading it out of obligation, I never make it to the "interested" stage, and will just avoid it - but out of guilt I will also avoid other books because I don't want to be unfair. LOL
Because logic.
Yes, that is exactly the logic, you can't have dessert before you've finished your veggies XD (I like veggies, but the principle applies.)Beth, I still haven't gotten a reading chair, but I keep meaning to for that exact reason. I can't read in the living room because I will always notice something out of the corner of my eye that I absolutely must do right now. I did find one, but I have other furniture related projects still in progress, so I'll have to wait until that's done before getting anything new.
"You can't have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!"So true. Usually I will try to at least start those books, if only so that when I ditch them 2 weeks later after having read 5 pages I can at least have something to show for that wasted time.
I find if I get in a reading slump that re-reading a favorite will reset my brain and I can move on to new books. I do enjoy re-reads though, I know some folks are not a fan but it works for me.I also set a 15 minute timer each night and fall asleep to a favorite audiobook. Again re-reads but since I have read/listened multiple times I am fine picking up the next night where the timer stopped. If I missed a favorite part I may rewind a bit lol
Re-reading favorites will usually work for me if I'm just in a mood funk, where nothing feels appealing to me at all. (Though, lately, re-reads of previous favorites have had me seeing the text differently and not at all favorably, which is a whole other problem. LOL)I can't listen to audiobooks to sleep though. Or music or anything like that. I will focus too much on that and not let my brain turn off for sleep. Booo!
Becky wrote: ""You can't have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!"So true. Usually I will try to at least start those books, if only so that when I ditch them 2 weeks later after having read 5 pages I can ..."
You get an at-a-boy just for that excellent musical reference ;)
I have several things that I enjoy doing sort of prepped and ready to do when I'm in the mood during my free time. So, I have books I want to read handy, my fountain pens and paper nearby, and Minecraft pulled up on my computer ready to start. It's kind of nice to be able to change directions easily. If I get tired of reading I just put the book down and do something else fun.Joining Goodreads and this book club has helped give me more books to have available and external motivation to read more. But I don't mind if my interest in reading ebbs and flows a bit because I have other fun things to do.
Michelle wrote: "Becky wrote: ""You can't have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!"So true. Usually I will try to at least start those books, if only so that when I ditch them 2 weeks later after having read ..."
I second that atta-boy, Becky :)
Lately the reading slump is the normal thing and actually reading is the exception. Again. I was going so well last year but then slumped again. This year I have good intentions but I just can’t concentrate on reading. I had a major operation last week and that should have been the perfect time to read but I can’t focus. I listened to a podcast and couldn’t remember a thing they said so decided listening to an audiobook was out as well. I focused long enough to read maybe 10 pages of Memory Called Empire yesterday. My eyes are all wonky and everything is blurry. Anaesthetic hits me every time for weeks and weeks. But I will say that being in a reading slump never means I’m in a book slump. I always have at least one beside me as well as my iPad that I only use for ebooks. I actually brought 4 with me down here to the apartment I’ve rented for a couple of weeks while I recover (I live nearly 2 states away from my surgeon) hoping that I’d surprise myself and actually be able to do something while I sat in my bed doing nothing. But no. Haven’t touched the colouring or the sewing my husband insisted I bring just in case either. Anyhoo….no way out of this slump until I recover from the anaesthetic fog.
Aww man, that sounds rough Jacqueline. Hope you feel more yourself soon, and wishing a speedy recovery!
I went through a few years after college where I just stopped reading books -- maybe I'd done too much of it at university so I needed the break? I sometimes find that if I'm stuck on a book I don't like all that much I find it tough to get myself to read it and the result is a book slump -- I've tried to be good about just DNF'ing to move on to the next thing, but if that next book isn't great (or suited to the mood I'm in, sometimes it is all about timing) the slump could continue. But then eventually I'll find something good enough to keep me up late at night to finish it so I know that will happen again at some point. There are just so many books out there. Maybe switching up genre/style of book could help? Or try something nonfiction even. Or going for a novella just for the sense of accomplishment for having finished something? Partly for both the so many books out there reason & also the risk of DNf reason I have been more reluctant to pick up gigantic tomes than I had been when I was younger. I read "The Stand" in high school, but not sure I'd start a ~1000 page book nowadays (although I did give it 5 stars, hopefully not due to Stockholm syndrome). Lastly, a thing I do when I'm not as into reading is just try to read any amount each day. Even 1 page a day would eventually finish the book & is better than 0, one foot in front of the other type thing.
I only suffer reading slump when faced with "another one of those" I read before. Worse still when you find a phrase that new and maybe experienced writers repeat again and again 'her/his/my limbs protested with pain/tiredness/fatigue...'. When you get to a certain age (sigh, I feel like a whiny old codger) and you have read so many books, they do seem tired or repetitive. And hence I get the reading malaise/slump. So I try to finish those books I know I should read and enjoy. But now and then, I find one that completely surprises and grips me and makes me remember why I love reading. In the modern world (for the few of us old codgers anyhow) I think the repetition is just too dull. I feel the same about movies. It's not them but me. Originality, however, still grips me. Those books bring me out of my reading slump. Read for enjoyment and not for duty.
Alex: What you said is me all the way, including the old codger comment. I came out of the reading slump when I began to seriously include science fiction and fantasy books into my reading experience.
Nicci wrote: "Alex: What you said is me all the way, including the old codger comment. I came out of the reading slump when I began to seriously include science fiction and fantasy books into my reading experience."SFF, particularly fantasy, is my favorite reading, so is most likely to be what I'm reading when a slump comes on. Everybody's different! Non-fiction is a great suggestion for me. The repetitiveness Alex mentioned can put a pall over all fiction sometimes.
Wishing you all the best and a quick recovery, Jacqueline. I can’t imagine being stuck in bed/the couch and not being able to read. The only thing left is TV. Well, and music, but if your eyes are wonky getting both those things going might be difficult! Maybe your body is just telling you you need to close your eyes and sleep or doze or whatever to recuperate.
Thanks DD. The TV is out unfortunately as I can’t actually sit on the couch. It’s too low to get into and out of so the bed it is. And there’s no TV in the bedroom. I watch some stuff on my computer but mostly only stuff I’ve seen before. In hospital I was watching Harry Potter on Netflix because it didn’t matter if I slept through it. I started watching a couple of new episodes of things and new things the other night but I quickly lose focus and interest in everything. Except reels on my phone for some reason. So yeah basically it’s been a week by myself of just mindlessly watching old reels on Insta or Facebook. Still got 5 days to go before I have to go back to the Doctor again and then I can go home. That’s a 5 1/2 hour drive so that’s going to be interesting after major abdominal surgery but not much else I can do. I’m going to attempt to read some more today.
Jacqueline wrote: "Lately the reading slump is the normal thing and actually reading is the exception. Again. I was going so well last year but then slumped again. This year I have good intentions but I just can’t co..."I'm so sorry, Jacqueline!
Jacqueline wrote: "Thanks DD. The TV is out unfortunately as I can’t actually sit on the couch. It’s too low to get into and out of so the bed it is. And there’s no TV in the bedroom. I watch some stuff on my compute..."Hoping for a speedy recovery!
Jacqueline wrote: "Thanks DD. The TV is out unfortunately as I can’t actually sit on the couch. It’s too low to get into and out of so the bed it is. And there’s no TV in the bedroom. I watch some stuff on my compute..."My best wishes for a quick return to good health!
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Books mentioned in this topic
Djinn City (other topics)Escape from Baghdad! (other topics)
The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday (other topics)
Kundo Wakes Up (other topics)
A Memory Called Empire (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Arkady Martine (other topics)Jon Steinhagen (other topics)
My reading tastes have modified over the years, and it's possible that's one of the problems you were having (or you just needed a change for now.) There are many books I refuse to reread because I don't want to spoil the memory of enjoying them when I was a teen or c. 20 because I don't care for that sort of novel any more for one reason or another. I have ruined some reading memories that way already.