Why does fantasy now baffle & fail to draw me in?

[Mairéad]

Ok fellow Fantasy and Sci-Fi fans I need your help!

I don't know what it is but try as I might, I just can't seem to really "get into" any of the books I begin to read.

I've always been an avid reader of the fantasy genre and was a total bookworm as a kid and early teen but then I guess school and life put my extreme reading on hold for a few years. Anyway without turning this into my life story, now that I've finished school I'm trying to unleash that bookworm again but it's not really working! :(

I'm currently on my summer holidays from school and I'm starting university in September and I really want to use this time to catch up on lost time.....I've picked up all these books that interest me and read the 1st page or 2 and thought GREAT! but I just don't understand....they're not really capturing my attention or making me NOT want to put the book down!

I have several books on the go at the moment from different genres. I used to be able to get immersed into any decent book but now it seems like a struggle.
I want to spend the entire day reading again, to stay up late to finish chapter after chapter, to wish I lived in the world of the book that I am reading!

I love fantasy books but when I open them up all these elven names, magical creatures etc. have me in a muddle, it seems I can't keep up. It all wrecks my head after a while, but it used to not. Fantasy books that I have gotten really into in recent years, I just haven't finished because I just don't have the mental stamina it seems, even though I want to keep reading. I have particularly experienced this with the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and the later Harry Potter books!

Could all of this be because I had to do so much study this year for my final exams? Should I just give it a while and then I will return to my old bookworm self?

Does anybody else sometimes feel overwhelmed by the sheer length of a book or series and cannot finish a book even though you are enjoying it?

Any tips would be GREATLY appreciated! (:

[♥Meagan♥]

I went through the same thing around the same time. I spent my first two years of college barely reading for pleasure. Then, this past winter I got a Kindle, and joined a group here on goodreads called "Seasonal Reading Challenge" and became hooked on reading again. Check out the group, it might help a little :)

Otherwise, I can only say that it will pass in time. I think that it will definitely get better, it did for me.

[Andrea]

People go through reading phases all the time. Some switch genres entirely for a time, some take a break, some write, some read graphic novels, some browse the web or watch movies. Just do whichever works for you.

Or, if you need a reading suggestion, try Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley. Stand-alone, not too long, lovely.

[Valerie]

I went through this last year - tried picking up a bunch of books, couldn't stay interested in any of 'em. I finally broke out of it by switching gears entirely and reading a few non-fiction books before going back to my usual genres. :) Also, have you considered trying out stand-alone books instead of series? Less pressure that way. :D Or you could try YA books if you don't want something as massive.

[Dennis]

I must admit that I can enjoy fantasy, but usually only as a metaphor for 'real life' philosophy and because the child that still remains in me just loves the magical powers which will win the day for the favoured characters.

My real love is SF because it is usually based on scientific possibilities - possible even if somewhat unlikely in some cases.
SF allows for almost any standard fiction or philosophy to become good SF simply by moving it forward in time and giving it futuristic accoutrements,science,or philosophy.

A good SF writer can describe the science, philosophy and quantum physics of how things function within the storyline.
They may be imaginary, yet have enough plausibility that the explanation of how things work, i.e. what theory they are based on, can be explained, without being laboured.
A hand-held hard-sound directional generator is much more plausible to disable an adversary, than a gesture accompanied by a 'spell' recited perfectly.

Sometime a reader's mind moves away from the 'fairy stories' of childhood even when given more adult themes. The mind wishes to be challenged by a different but possible new reality, where the villian may drive a skycar powered by a magna drive, rather than be the 'troll' who lives under the "ricketty racketty bridge"
This is not to say that the most erudite SF fan will not still like to visit that enviroment of pure child-like entertainment and the reassurance of the 'good guys' overcoming evil through magic or 'godly intervention'.

[Bill]

Dennis wrote: "I must admit that I can enjoy fantasy, but usually only as a metaphor for 'real life' philosophy and because the child that still remains in me just loves the magical powers which will win the day..."

I can definitely get genre burnout if I read too much of one. Fortunately I like multiple genres, including mainstream lit. I typically avoid this by alternating genres and periods, e.g. going from SF to F, golden age to modern, etc. If I really get into a muddle, I'll re-read one of my comfort books or watch a comfort TV/movie DVD.

[Becky]

I agree with Kernos. I get burnt out on too much of one thing as well. I used to actually plan my reading out so that any book following the one I was reading at the time would be as different a genre as possible.

So for instance, I would go from Fantasy to a classic, then contemporary YA, to horror, to a sci-fi to historical fiction... and so on.

I don't plan it out so much anymore, and just read what I'm in the mood for. But I still at least try to keep a varied "diet" of books on my upcoming to read list. ;)

[Peggy]

I like both fantasy and science fiction, and have discovered that historical fiction scratches many of the same itches - escapism, different world, etc. I love getting a glimpse into a way of life I'd otherwise never see. Maybe give that a try?

[Sharon]

When I was a kid, all I read were biographies. In high school, I moved over to history, and then after college, I was introduced to RA Salvatore. I do get genre burnout if a series is too similar to the last one I read. Normally, I'll read a book in a series, and then something entirely different and then back to that series. Keeps me from getting bored. I'd say just move to another genre for a bit. Maybe it'll entice you!

[stormhawk]

Try standalones rather than epic series.

And absolutely avoid the pile of "My Boyfriend is a Vampire" novels. They ain't fantasy, and they ain't worth reading. Although they could help you better define what you do like in a book.

Or try mysteries. There's a lot more to get your head around in a mystery, sometimes. Active rather than passive reading.

[Stuart]

Changing genres is the perfect cure when I have this kind of burnout. There are so many wonderful books out there that it's easy to find something worthwhile. Then when I'm ready, I come back to the SF/F genres which I love the best.

[Katy]

Changing genres is a great way to get over book-burnout.

Another is to use audio books. I love these when I need to do something mindless -- the treadmill -- the housework -- long drives.

[Jensownzoo]

A different way to handle this is to switch to short story anthologies. While I was in school, my classes required such intense concentration and sustained effort, that I read almost nothing but short stories. Both because of time constraints, but also because I needed to read something that entertained me but also didn't have to consume large chunks of my attention.

So, yes, school may have had something to do with it. Life demands may contribute as well. You can also consider some societal "training" as a possible culprit -- people's attention span as a whole have decreased dramatically over the years.

[Mairéad]

Jensownzoo wrote: "A different way to handle this is to switch to short story anthologies. While I was in school, my classes required such intense concentration and sustained effort, that I read almost nothing but s..."

That is very true Jensownzoo! I'm still astonished though that some of my friends and and peers could find the time to read so much while we were at school, even in our final year, with exams looming! But then again, these people usually stayed at home a lot and in at the weekends!

[Jensownzoo]

After I graduated, getting a full-time job felt like a vacation compared to school! I had been postponing so many novels until I finished that I had a hard time figuring out what to start with.

[Kerry]

Or non-fiction. There are some really good, easy to read non-fiction books out there. When my brain needs a break, I go looking for that sort of thing.