Stuck in a (non)Reading Rut

[[deleted user]]

I have a ton of books here that I want to get through, yet(due to RL stuff) I've lost all inclination or desire to do so.

I find myself picking up a book, flipping to the last page I had read in it(or the first page), reading maybe a paragraph, then putting the book back down again.

I have no idea how to fix this... Any suggestions on how to get back into the reading swing again?

[Candiss]

I suggest forgetting about trying to get in the mood to read. Just do the other things you want (and need) to do, and try to stop thinking about the books you "should" be reading. That way you aren't feeling like it's another commitment to keep or that this makes you some sort of "inconstant reader." (I've been where you're describing several times. I go through reading phases, movie-watching phases, video game phases, writing phases, intensive music-listening phases, and "hybrid" phases cyclically. I don't really know why, other than I have a lot of interests and like to focus intensely on basically one thing at a time...aka I'm an obsessive geek.)

In other words, put it out of your mind, and the desire to read will come back on its own. You'll be doing something else, and you'll get a hankering to read, and you'll get back in the saddle, so to speak.

Edit to add: If you aren't ready for such drastic measures, try reading outside your comfort zone. Pick up something in a genre you don't usually read, or by a new-to-you author, or something in translation that comes from a cultural perspective quite different from your own, or perhaps a non-fiction book on a subject you know little about. That sort of thing tends to help kick-start my own readerliness, by getting me out of a rut. (Or maybe try a different format, such as an audiobook...)

[Ubik]

Pick a new category. Thats what happens for me. I tend to get bored of the same subgenre after so many reads so I try and pick up something a little different. Ill usually dive into some non-fiction and after one or two of those, Im right back to craving SF.

Whats RL stuff?

[Samantha]

As an alternative, cuddle up with an old favorite. Sometimes settling down with a book you KNOW will enthrall you is very satisfying.

[Stacia (the 2010 club)]

I think that taking your mind off it (or just taking a break), choosing a new genre to read, or re-reading an old favorite are all good suggestions.

Is it possible that you're picking books to read back-to-back that are very heavy or that you have to really focus to process all of the material? Sometimes if I come off of a heavier read, the first thing I want to do is find something fast, fluffy, or humorous to read.

[Whitney]

I have this problem as well because i have so much other things to do but want to be reading and then when its time to read im really tired and my mind isnt focused. Its really annoying.

[Weenie]

I was in this kind of rut about 5-6 years ago - lots of unread books on my bookshelves, no real desire to read any, only managing 1 or 2 in a year. What kickstarted my reading again was, as suggested by some above, trying genres/authors that I'd never considered before - I don't know how but it worked and got me back into my reading habits. I also try to vary my reading now - still predominantly sci-fi/fantasy, but some easy 'trashy novels' in between, usually when I'm on my hols!

[Annika]

Maybe find a good short story anthology. That way you can read a little bit when you feel like it without feeling guilty about leaving a hefty novel unfinished.

[Evilynn]

The last time this happened to me I limited myself to reading a maximum of 30 books the following year. Reverse psychology worked surprisingly well, even if it was me doing it to myself. ;) I think I only broke it by 2-3 books too...

[stormhawk]

I should probably not reply to this thread, because it will be kind of like a still-drinking alcoholic telling someone who just stopped to pick up that damn shot glass and get that arm working.

I read all the time, never go anywhere without a book, and have three Kindles. I read over 100 books a year.

I would say the kindle is an awesome incentive to reading.

What you do like to read, usually, and what are you stalled on?

[Janny]

stormhawk wrote: "I should probably not reply to this thread, because it will be kind of like a still-drinking alcoholic telling someone who just stopped to pick up that damn shot glass and get that arm working.

I ..."

Best advice I ever had on boredom: seek more depth. It's a natural signal that you are looking for a new challenge.

[Stuart]

Ala wrote: "I have a ton of books here that I want to get through, yet(due to RL stuff) I've lost all inclination or desire to do so.

I find myself picking up a book, flipping to the last page I had read in..."

Are there books in your pile that you think you ought to read. Could it be that there is a book you are putting off reading as you think there are others you should read first. I have just bought myself a book I really want to read despite knowing there are at least a dozen books I ought to read before it. What I know is I will read the book I bought, the others I know I will put off. This may not solve your problem, but it is just a way of looking at things that might help.

[[deleted user]]

Woah, didn't think my late night post would get any replies :P

The RL stuff is just the usual, day-to-day stress and humdrummery. Nothing especially difficult, just seems to have piled up a bit.

The books I have are all ones I've wanted to read because the synopsis seemed interesting or the cover art just made me impulse buy it. None of them are books that I 'have' to read for any particular reason, but they are all books I 'want' to read. I just can't.

There's a lot of great suggestions here, and thank you to everyone who's posted something.

I think I'll give the "out of the norm" route and find something to read in a genre I don't normally do. Now I just need to find that genre :P

Normally I just read Sci-Fi/Fantasy, what would be a good non-SFF book to read? Any recommendations? Maybe something funny?

[Donna]

Earlier this year, I read Saving CeeCee Honeycutt because I need to read something easy, funny, and undemanding after finishing a long series and before starting another. It was a refreshing light read with lovable and amusing characters but also a heartwarming and thoughtful look at family and forgiveness. It was a nice change from my usual sword and sorcery fantasy :-)

Also, I wanted to add that I agree with the person that suggested trying an audiobook. I can't tell you how much it relaxes me after working all day to shut everything out and listen to an audiobook for an hour or two.

[Random]

The cause isn't always boredom or a need to read something different.

I'm in the same situation myself. Life has just pulled me in so many directions for almost a year now that I find it difficult to concentrate on any one thing for a length of time no matter how much I may enjoy it.

I found the best thing to do was to limit the amount of input available to me. I managed to take a week off this summer and I gave myself the following restrictions.

1) Only 1 hour of computer access a day split into 2 half hour sessions. Nothing kills an attention span faster than clicking through web pages digesting a lot of empty mental calories in tiny 2 minute bites.

2) No TV at all. I allowed myself to see 1 movie, and to do so I had to go to a theater.

3) Take time to do nothing. Go out, sit outside, take a walk. No gadgets, no devices, no distractions, no people, no demands. Allow yourself to just exist inside your own head for a time.

By the time my vacation was done, I had finished an entire book and my attention span had been markedly improved.

[Christine]

I go through this often and I find that, for me, picking up a quick and undemanding read usually is enough to get me back in the swing of things. Even when it is something I really want to read I find that if I can't simply get through it (and not because I hate it) that if I pick up a quick YA read or a particularly trashy (yet engrossing) paranormal romance I fly through it and am hungry for more afterwards. I'm pretty sure it is my brain's way of saying "Lay off the darn series for a bit and just read some junk food!"

But, there are just simply times when I don't want to read and my go-to solution doesn't help (and not for lack of material). When that happens I just let it ride. It usually passes as soon as I pick up another good book!

[Sue]

I went through a period (is it 40 years ago now?) when I was writing my PhD dissertation when I wanted nothing to do with reading. I worked jigsaw puzzles, which seemed to involve a different part of my brain from the verbal, analytical part.

[stormhawk]

Stuart wrote: "Normally I just read Sci-Fi/Fantasy, what would be a good non-SFF book to read? Any recommendations? Maybe something funny?




Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore

Actually, anything by him should do.

Funny, irreverant, and even more funny.

[[deleted user]]

First, wanted to say again, thank you for your ideas of how to get out of my rut. What finally worked for me was to completely ignore my stack of books for a while. I instead caught up on some television and gamed. A lot. There was much gaming done.

And then, when this month rolled around and the group picks popped up, I simply grabbed one and started reading without any trouble whatsoever.

Finished War for the Oaks last night(started it Friday) and am now halfway through another groups book, The Princess Bride, which will be finished tonight. Will start on The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress tomorrow and then, well... anything else that comes up.

It feels so good to be able to read again.

[Scribble]

yeah, know the feeling. i was going to suggest gaming, either electronic or board, or sudoku - something totally away from reading. glad to hear it worked for you. other than that, i usually go for a mega-indulgent mammoth weekend of watching dvds when books just aren't doing it for me and i want to chill out.