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Reading Slump! :(
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message 101:
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Jacqueline
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Jan 27, 2023 09:12PM
Thanks guys. Slowly feeling better. Yesterday I had to go out to go to the Chemist and today I’m stuffed but tomorrow I’ll go out for a walk again. It’s around 35C outside at the moment so walking outside probably isn’t a good idea anyway. That’s 95 in the old money. Too hot for me when I’m feeling off. Hopefully tomorrow is cooler. Yesterday it was around 22C and rather pleasant. 71F to those of you who haven’t caught up with the rest of us yet 🤪😘
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Glad you’re improving. Yeah, that’s too hot to do much of anything let alone if you are not yet healed.
yeah, this is beyond a slump, Jacqueline... best wishes for a smooth & speedy recovery!Meanwhile, for the rest of us, non-fiction is a good break. Newer science books have lots of new ideas!
I plan my reading on an Excel Spreadsheet. My plan starts with 26 books in a year. I put the books in the six categories I enjoy reading: 10 Fantasy, 8 SF, 2 History, 2 Mystery, 2 Writing, and 2 Classics. After I started my Goodreads account and entered all the books that I knew I had read, I came up with a plan. On 07-14-16, I began recording the dates I started reading a book and when I finished reading each book. I read 22 books in 2016, 27 in 2017, 28 in 2018, 30 in 2019, 29 in 2020, 33 in 2021, and 29 in 2022. Before Goodreads, I didn’t plan, and I read very little. Seeing the plan helps me continue. The plan has been working for me, and I am able to read interesting books in each category each year since 2016.
I’ve been in a pretty big reading slump anyway Cheryl. Maybe 6 books in the last 6 months last year. I was on track for a couple a week and then stopped. At one point (2018 maybe) I read 9 normal novels in a week. The last couple of years I have hardly hit 30. If that. My husband has been reading more than me and he reads for half an hour before bed. Non fiction doesn’t do it for me. My best thing for me is usually some sort of really good Middle grade or young adult book. Last time I was able to bring myself out of one successfully I read a few of my middle sons Artemis Fowl books. I found them when I was cleaning out a bedroom at my childhood house I used for storage when the old box they were in broke.
Doesn’t matter. I’ll get back to it properly soon. Until I get back to reading I shall continue with my other bookish passion. Collecting all the books. It’s not hoarding if it’s books.
We’ll, Jacqueline, have a look at my updates recently, I’ve been reading the finalists in the Middle Grade Speculative Fiction division of an award (Cybils). I have enjoyed all of them. Maybe one of them will catch your fancy once you’re healthy enough to even read.
Yes, children's books help a lot, too, for those of us who enjoy them. At least the ones that are shorter and more plot driven. Some books marketed to 'tweens are long, and subtle, and require more concentration than books for adults!I'm glad that you're finding your way through all this.
When I was in my biggest reading slump (25 year long reading slump nearly) the only books I'd read were the books the kids had to read for school or the ones they were interested in. That way I knew what they were reading. We never stopped them from reading anything but we did want to read the books just in case they had questions. I read all of the Tamora Pierce books, Emily Rodda, some of the Redwall books and Harry Potter of course. So many wonderful kids books. My husband had read Artemis Fowl. He also read Lemony Snicket with our daughter. By the time she was interested in Twilight her older brother read it at the same time. He was in Yr 12 at the time lol I suppose it wasn't really a slump since I was reading more books than most people probably do (even some on here) but there were hardly any adult books in the mix at all. Anyhoo I had a bit of a go at Legends and Lattes earlier this afternoon. 20% in.
If anyone is in a reading slump that is a parent, just started a book group for parents. 😁
At the risk of making this thread "about" my multiple-times-yearly book slumps, I've just come off another. This time, I know the exact cause. We recently adopted a cat who ended up needing a major surgery, and most of my mental energy for a couple of months was spent worrying about him.I couldn't eye-read at all for those two months, which was incredibly discouraging. Two things that "worked" were comics (manga specifically), and the fluffiest of fluff reading in audio. For example, I tried to listen to Treasure Island and I couldn't get anywhere with it because the adults were so nasty to Jim. That's how delicate my feelings were at this time. A short "Audible originals" romance, and a couple of stories with adventurous female leads, worked well.
My cat's made a good recovery, and I can eye-read again, which is a huge relief. My first eye-read since late February was the first Monk and Robot novella, which I tried to read during the rough patch and got maybe two chapters into. (Yes, I couldn't finish a 150-page novella with large-ish print.) At times I felt like I'd be stuck in a semi-traumatized funk reading comics and listening to the most unchallenging material possible, for the rest of my life, but it seems like my reading is back to its rather languid normal.
Worry and stress really impact my reading as well. I didn't read a single thing in all of 2017 because of it. It was pretty rough. You have my sympathy, Beth, and I'm glad that your new furry family member is on the mend and you can read again. :)
Thanks, Becky. :) Wow, a whole year. I almost feel like I got off easily.
Yeah, it was not great. Again, or at all. LOL
I'm so glad that your cat is better, Beth! When one of mine is doing poorly I can't concentrate on reading, either.
Glad to hear your kitty is on the mend. and that you’re coming out of that slump.
Mod
You know I'm a hundred million percent behind you and your very good boy, Beth <3
Good for reading slumps and for stress & worry is exercise, certainly. We all know that making time for a daily walk, outside if possible,* at least, is incredibly important.I feel so much better about everything & in every way now that I've made that part of my life.
*Or equivalent if you have special challenges, of course.
Yeah I've been in a slump. Again. Or is it still? Finally finished my 1st book for the year. A reread of A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine so I can get into A Desolation Called Peace. I tried to read it last year but didn't know who the hell everyone was in it (the names were confusing) so decided a reread was in order. I started in at the beginning of the year and finished it 2 nights ago. I've probably started 20 books over that time and haven't finished any of them. Problem is that I hardly read anything at the end of last year either so it's probably been nearly 12 months since I've read more than a short story. The reason? No idea. Might have something to do with a lower body lift in January and I've been tired ever since. Especially of an evening. I was nearly recovered from that and went and had my tits lifted and my flappy arms fixed. I'm now 6 weeks post op from that. I've lost 55kg (121lb) since my weight loss surgery and had lots of excess skin. Anyhoo I'll get back to it eventually.
Yoo-hoo for the weight loss, Jacqueline, but boo on the reading slump.
The Monk and Robot books are my go-to comfort reads (nearly all my readings is via audiobook), along with This is How You Lose the Time War. Occasionally I'll go to childhood favorites, like Anne of Green Gables, or the Chronicles of Narnia. Comfort Reads are where I go when I feel like I'm in a slump, too. I think it helps that they're short, so I can tell myself that I'll get through them quickly and be able to get out of the slump. Because I always feel like repeating a book is wasting time that I could be reading a new (to me) book! There are so many books already in the world that I would enjoy, that I won't be able to read all of them before I die - so reading these shorter books isn't as much of a commitment. And they feel like a cozy comfy hug! ugh I love them SO MUCH. And if they don't work to get me wanting to read a new book, then I just might re-read the same one again until I do!
Abbie wrote: "The Monk and Robot books are my go-to comfort reads (nearly all my readings is via audiobook), along with This is How You Lose the Time War. Occasionally I'll go to childhood favorites, like Anne o..."Have you read The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday? It gave me the same feels as Monk and Robot. I just got a library copy of the 2nd book in the series, Kundo Wakes Up.
Cheryl wrote: "Good for reading slumps and for stress & worry is exercise, certainly. We all know that making time for a daily walk, outside if possible,* at least, is incredibly important.I feel so much better about everything & in every way now that I've made that part of my life."
I completely agree with this. Either a walk or a bike ride, or both, every day for me. I discovered last year that I really enjoy walking outside in the late evening, and when I can't I feel all out of sorts. It's drastically improved my mental wellbeing.
Nadine, thank you so much for this rec! no I have not read it, but I am going to! it looks great :)
Oh, it turns out that The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday is currently only 99¢ for Kindle, and the sequel is only $3.99! -which is great because my library doesn't have either for audio nor ebook.
Abbie wrote: "Oh, it turns out that The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday is currently only 99¢ for Kindle, and the sequel is only $3.99! -which is great because my library doesn't have either for audio nor ebook."Now that's what I call fate. I discovered this author through his first book, Escape from Baghdad!. It isn't comfort-type fantasy but it is a hoot and a half :) I didn't like his second book, Djinn City as much, but only because it followed two character/storylines and I liked one MUCH better than the other.
DivaDiane wrote: "Yoo-hoo for the weight loss, Jacqueline, but boo on the reading slump."Thanks DD. It's been a crazy journey.
Abbie wrote: "The Monk and Robot books are my go-to comfort reads (nearly all my readings is via audiobook), along with This is How You Lose the Time War. Occasionally I'll go to childhood favorites, like Anne o..."
I randomly bought This is How You Lose the Time War yesterday at one of our local bookshops. I'd gone to the other one which is out of the way and you've got to make a special effort to go to it to pick up Translation State by Ann Leckie and I wasn't going to go anywhere near the other one but I had to go to the Supermarket and it's beside it in the shopping centre so I thought why not and I saw it and it came home with me. I've bought way too many books this month. As I keep saying "it's not hoarding if it's books".
oh I hope you love Time War, Jacqueline!
Well, honestly when I saw this thread before I could not relate because I was reading through books pretty easily. But with the stresses around my parents' health I've pretty much been in a slump as well. It's probably some normal, explainable psychological phenomenon. It doesn't help that my current book is sleep inducing. I can't get through 2 or 3 pages without nodding off. But it is probably some function of my stress level.
Sorry to hear that Bobby! I don't know what the situation is, but I am sending positive vibes your and their way. :) I get slumpy pretty easily, and I find that re-reading a book I know that I like helps a lot. If you're not a re-reader, then maybe a book by an author you know you like?
Bobby wrote: "It's probably some normal, explainable psychological phenomenon."I'd go beyond "probably" and say "definitely"! Family stresses can really throw someone off-kilter. I've had some over and above what was mentioned in message 111, and then there was construction in my apartment, which I suspect wouldn't have caused stress on its own, but it made me feel unmoored and helpless with the other stuff going on too.
Fluffy, unchallenging books worked for me in my tough times, but different brains work differently. The most important thing is to try to take it easy on yourself.
Sorry to hear this, Bobby. Also sending good vibes to you and your parents. As for the slump, yes, be kind to yourself. Maybe set the soporific one aside for the time being and pick up something more exciting or easy.
Thanks everyone. My parents are just having end of life type issues and I am trying to help them. A nurse just told me to give myself a lot of grace and that I am doing all I can do. I am considering your suggestions about more fun/easy things to read. Probably smart at this time.
Things are going better and I'm slowing picking up my reading. Somehow I got bogged down in The Dispossessed despite finding the earlier novels in the same collection very engaging. But I'm picking up the pace. I'm not likely to make my year end goal of 48 books but that doesn't matter. I've read a lot of different stuff this year.
Stuck on page 4 of The Fifth Season. More challenges with my parents. Mom passed away Friday. Trying to sell my parents house while Dad is still alive. Two more weeks. I'm distracted but it was great finishing the Heinlein book. I have been listening to music more than reading the past few days. Might be good way to relax. My daughter has the entire Broken Earth trilogy and all three won Hugos so I thought I would work on those if I like them. Have to get off page 4 of the first book to find out!
Sorry to hear about your mother, Bobby. It's completely understandable to go through a reading slump in these circumstances.
Oh no, Bobby, I'm sorry to hear about your mom. That's a lot to deal with all at one time, so just be patient with yourself. Sending virtual hugs your way.
I am very sorry to hear about your mother. Be kind to yourself. Hugs...
Bobby wrote: "Stuck on page 4 of The Fifth Season. More challenges with my parents. Mom passed away Friday. Trying to sell my parents house while Dad is still alive. Two more weeks. I'm distracted but it was gre..."Oh no! I'm so sorry!
I’m so sorry to hear about your mom, Bobby. Sending thoughts and strength your way.
Mod
I rarely get in a reading slump. But when I do my go tos are space opera or romantic comedy. Something light.
Thanks everyone. It's been a rough 3 months but I appreciate this group.
My heart goes out to you, Bobby. It’s completely understandable that you have trouble with reading at a time like this. Take your time. We will be here. I hope you get past page 4. But if not, that’s also ok.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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)
