In the open Whatcha Reading? thread last weekend, many of you said you were in a reading slump – which sucks. I hate when that happens.
Bryn emailed me and asked:
Reading today’s postings made me think: wouldn’t it be nice to have a list of books from my fellow readers that helped them break out of their reading slump?
If you are ever so inclined I’d love to see the titles that helped my fellow Bitches get their swing back.
Oh, hell, yeah. Of course!
If I'm in a reading slump, I do one of two things. I either go back and re-read something I know I loved and know I'll really enjoy reading again, like the Alpha & Omega series by Patricia Briggs, starting with Cry Wolf ( A | BN | K | S | iB ). Or, I'll read a little bit of a whole slew of things until I find something that grabs me. Sometimes I take a break and read nonfiction, and when I come back to the fiction, my brain is ready for more.
I don't know if there's a book I could name that's a reading slump destroyer, aside from my most favorite comfort re-reads. What about you? What books have helped you break out of your reading slump? What book do you recommend to someone who is in a slump?
When I’m in a slump I’ll change genres completely (because I tend to binge read genres + themes within them) or go watch a movie. Usually helps! Or I’ll pick up and old JAFF fav… Mr. Darcy cures all my slumps! lol
@Tam I love “Silver Shark” too.
In fact, I nodded at a LOT of the favourites listed here.
I’d add Barbara Hambly’s “Bride of the Rat God”, almost anything by Terry Pratchett, pulling out my old beloved copies of ancient Harlequins/Mills&Boon;, Kristen Ashley is a new addition to my re-read go-to shelf, Jayne Ann Krentz, Dick Francis (shifting genres), or something new from a favourite cosy mystery author like Margaret Maron.
Reading non-fiction helps.
I usually choose an old favorite like Outlander or Discworld or find something silly and funny like a Georgette Heyer.
Switching genres or rereading old favorites generally does the trick.
If I’m in a reading slump, I will crochet instead of read or troll about 30 samples on my Kindle in a row. If all the samples make me want to BLAR, I’ll go crochet something harder. Eventually…once I’m doing tiny thread crochet that is killing my fingers…I’ll wish I was reading instead of crocheting. Slump over!
When I’m in a slump, I re-read favorites. I can read Dorothy Sayers, Lois McMaster Bujold, and of course Jane Austen again and again without ever tiring of them, and Louisa May Alcott, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and LM Montgomery work almost as well for me. I’ll also sometimes grab a fantasy favorite like His Majesty’s Dragon or anything from the Kushiel series. Oh, and if I’m really stuck, cookbooks and travel guides to places I plan to visit someday never fail to beguile.
How would I know if I’m in a reading slump? So far *knock on wood* I don’t think I really experienced a reading slump (have to read and review numerous books)
If I hit a slump, I take a look at what I’ve been reading. If I’ve just plowed through three YA fantasies, I deliberately seek out contemporary fiction or a non-paranormal romance novel. If I just finished a footnote-heavy work of nonfiction, I grab one of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. And if I’ve been reading Serious Books With Adult Themes and Ambiguous Endings (Jodi Picoult, I am looking at you), I snatch up J.D. Robb or Julia Quinn for snappy banter and a HEA.
For some reason, PBS always saves me when I am in a reading slump. I will see an author interview or a special and then get the book and I’m off to the races. Sometimes it is Great Performances or American Experience. NPR is another slump buster.
For me, the slump usually means that I have been in one genre/author/time period too long and need some fresh scenery. Sometimes it isn’t a good thing. I went looking for prohibition-era romances and found nothing that suited me. But it was a fun search and I got my reading mojo back!
No specific recommendation, but when I’m in a reading slump I head back to a favourite series, in any genre – often the Julia Quinn Bridgerton books, or Mercedes Lackey Arrows books, or Seanan McGuire. The trick is that it has to be a series – one always leads me to the next, and by the time I’m done I’m a book devourer again.
My slump buster is a classic: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I’ve read that book so many times I can give you a synopsis so detailed you could use it to ace a book report. If the slump keeps on slumpin’, I’ll catch up on TV shows that everyone insists I need to watch (currently making my way through Spooks, a Brit spy TV show with the one and only Richard Armitage) or troll review blogs until something catches my fancy.
If all else fails, I’ll skim through one of the many Nora Roberts books on my shelves.
I am pretty much a compulsive reader, so there is very (very) rarely a time when I don’t feel like reading.
When I am mentally exhausted I always go for an old favorite with a high fun factor. E.G. Jennifer Crusie, Elizabeth Peters, Carrie Vaughn.
When I am tired of my old favorites (it happens!) I usually go to my Amazon recommendations and see if they are pushing anything that sounds likely. John Scalzi’s “Big Idea” posts on The Whatever are also a good new source.
I also have a couple of collections on my Kindle, stuff like the complete Tarzan stories, many of which I have never read or haven’t read for 20+ years so they are “like new” but I still am confident of enjoyment. If you are just bored with life, there is nothing like a Tarzan story.
I have a book allowance each pay period and often don’t spend it all, so I generally have some “extra credit” to indulge when I just really, really want a new book. 🙂
I go back for comfort reads.
Dreaming of You usually works well, or something from the Mediator or 1800 Where R You series by Meg Cabot usually works too.
I just re-read Cherly St. John’s His Secondhand Wife and it was just lovely, totally got me in the mood to read read again.
When everything else fails, I pick up Harry Potter. At my worst reading slump so far, I made it through Goblet of Fire before the slump was broken, but it totally worked