Everyone has reading slumps, periods of time where life catches up and you don't have time to read, or the motivation to pick up a book vanishes.It's frustrating, particularly when you read on a regular basis and books are usually your outlet for escaping life.
I've been going through a reading slump recently (you may have been tipped off by the lack of posts going up on here!) where real life has reared its ugly head and I just haven't had the energy to pick up a book and escape for a while. So below I'm listing three tips for getting out of a reading slump.
1. Re-Visiting Old Favourites
Sometimes I look at my to read pile and no matter how much I want to read the books in there I cannot muster the motivation to pick up something there. Instead all I want to do is re-visit some of my favourite books: Harry Potter, The Scorpio Races, Julia Quinn, Deanna Raybourn. All favourite that I know inside and out and can provide a sense of comfort when I pick them up again. Sometimes spending some time with a book I know and love can be all the nudging I need to get me back in a reading frame of mind and back to my pile of books waiting to be read.
When I'm not reading I love watching TV shows. I have a whole host of favourites that I love watching, and sometimes my brain needs a break from reading so I turn to TV. Sometimes taking a step back and doing something else, allowing my brain to recharge and stop thinking about books for a while is all I need to nudge me back again. Find the other things that you love to do when you're not reading and bring them to the fore for a while. Give your brain a break from books and soon enough you'll find yourself itching to get back to your to read pile.
3. Decide to take a step back
This particularly applies to book bloggers, because often the wanting to read is all tied up with the feeling like we need to blog. So when I'm struggling to read and review, instead of making myself feel guilty for not doing it I deliberately take a step back and decide to take a few days off. That lifting of pressure, even if it only lasts a few days is usually enough to get me wanting to read and review again and even if I've given myself a few weeks away I'm usually back and reading/reviewing in a couple of days.
There you have my top three tips, now I would love to hear from you guys! What do you do to get out of reading or blogging slumps? Do you have things that you do or try to avoid doing? Or any books you pick up to try and get you back in the reading mood? Let me know in the comments below.
I find it helpful to listen to radio dramatisations or audiobooks. Sometimes you find a really good cast/narrator that makes your really excited again - sometimes I just look for the big names and let them find the books for me. My latest one is Life & Fate by Vasily Grossman with Kenneth Branagh & co. It turns out the actual book is a huge tomb but I enjoyed it so much I can't wait to read it :-) I hope you get over your reading slump soon! (The Sherlock books are great btw if you haven't read them yet. Parade's End is also amazing w/ BC in)
ReplyDeleteI love audiobooks, although I am stupidly picky about my narrators. Even when I can't seem to read anything I still come back to old favourites through their audiobooks. I'm terrible at actually picking up new books in audiobook format though, definitely something I need to do more of! I love the Sherlock Holmes stories, and Parades End is so gorgeous (both book and adaptation) - very good recs! Thanks so much for reading and for the advice. :)
DeleteRevisiting old favourites is definitely one way I get out of a reading slump (usually Jane Austen's Persuasion just because of length, but other titles come to mind too). I also like to read short stories and novellas when I'm in a slump; I know short stories aren't for everyone but there's something about their length and immediacy in storytelling that's a nice change of pace :) Great post!
ReplyDeleteI never seem to pick up short stories/novellas, definitely something I need to work on. I think I've picked up one short story collection in the last couple of years... I hadn't considered them as a way out of a slump, but definitely something I'm going to try now. Thanks for the idea! :)
DeleteIt's really hard to take a step back when you're guilting yourself that you should be reading/blogging, but it really does help to re-motivate! Thanks so much for reading!
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