How to get out of a reading slump (the only tried and tested method that actually works)
You were on a roll, hitting your monthly targets, inching closer to completing that Goodreads goal. It was book after book, back-to-back, cover-to-cover, smashes. Literally knocking it out of the park. And then you feel it like that subtle shift in the air that tells you a storm is coming on a summer's day… The Dreaded Reading Slump.
First things first: Don't panic.
There are ways you can claw your way back out, no matter how impossible it feels at the moment.
If you've been reading like an absolute machine (bravo you) then perhaps first consider if you've got a touch of bookish burnout. Give yourself a few days, even a couple of weeks, to rest that part of your brain. Investing yourself in characters and storylines night after night can be intense and emotionally draining. So take a minute to do something else and don't worry about what you should be reading.
If you are a mood reader, like me and so many others, then you're up against a slightly tougher obstacle: Your own illogical reasoning. Sometimes even the most hyped and tantalising books can't even tempt you. You might have had a pre-order for months, only for it to arrive and it immediately turns you off reading altogether.
The cover looks weird today: can't read it. The texture feels different: can't read it. The font is wonky: can't read it. Yesterday vampires were EVERYTHING, today they're an ick: can't read it. It looked at me funny: defeinitely cannot read it.
If you can't force yourself to JUST READ (I wish, I seriously do, but the more I push muyself the worse it becomes) then I have the only tried and tested way that works… For me, at least.
There are two avenues to explore with this solution. Let me try and explain:
If I haven't read a KU book for a while, then that's my first port of call. Something quick and trashy. It often is all I need to get me back on the reading bus. I've got a whole series on my 2024 KU experience.
If KU is the problem (and really, god love it but when isn't it the problem?) then we instead pivot towards “short”.
We're talking novellas, short stories, and my favourite go-to: graphic novels and manga.
I used to feel guilty about listing manga titles on my Goodreads because I can read one volume in under an hour. But really, who says how long a book has to be before it's considered “worthy”. I spent the same amount of cash on it. I invested the same amount of emotion and attention towards the characters and storyline. And who cares? At the end of the day, who actually cares?
Reading is reading. And as long as you're reading (if you want to be reading, if you're relationship with books is evolving, that's a different conversation) then that has to be a good thing.
So yeah, that's my tried and tested method.
Other ways I know others find useful include:
Signing up to a reading challenge (Goodreads, themed, seasonal, reddit, etc.) Sophie recently did a post on one!
Using a TBR jar
Going to the bookstore and picking out something new
Buddy reading a book
Pruning your bookshelves and rediscovering what you already own
Joining a book club
Waiting it out - another personal fave of mine. You can just play chicken with it. Because trust me… you will find your reading groove again. It will come back.
What do you find works?
Written by Sarah
