I’m the midst of a reading slump at the moment. There’s no particular reason for it. I have an abundance of books I’m looking forward to reading sitting on my TBR shelves, yet I can’t seem to get into any of them.
I’ve been using the time I usually set aside for reading to increase my writing output. I’ve tentatively committed myself to Inkygirl’s 1000 Words a Day Challenge. Yeah, I realize “tentatively committed” is an oxymoron. Basically, it’s what I hope to achieve six days per week.
If you get a chance, check out Inkygirl’s site. She has some cool comic strips and tips for writers.
What do you do if you find yourself in a reading slump?
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Grab a favorite off the keeper shelf and do a reread. But there are my go to authors for reading slumps. Mary Jo Putney’s historicals or Amanda Quick’s regencies. Or better yet, read a mystery. Works for me. Hope you get out of it soon. Take care.
@Keishon: Thanks, Keishon! I’m waiting impatiently for my Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt books to arrive. Maybe they’ll pull me out of my slump.
Whenever I’m in a reading slump, I either do a favorite reread as Keishon suggested, or pick up a chick lit book. A fast, fun read usually shakes me out of the slump. If that doesn’t work for some reason, I just give myself a few days rest.
Hope you come out of the slump soon!
I know how you feel. I had my reading slump a couple of weeks ago, usually happens when I read too many books in the same genre. So I used the time to play with my blog and read books in a completely different genre like historical/gothic romance. Then I was cured!
Yep, same here. Pick up and old standby or a fast, easy swallow. Both have worked for me recently. I re-read SILENT ON THE MOOR and then I picked up those Julie James bibliocrack books. Thank goodness for those.
Hope your slump dies an ignominious death very soon.
I write. Pretty soon, I’m dying to read again.
Usually I switch genres or subgenres. If I’ve been reading a lot of historicals, I’ll try a contemp. Or if I’ve been pigging out on paranormals, I’ll switch to historicals.
Or I might get really crazy and read something out of the SciFi/Fantasy section.
I’m not much of a re-reader, but I do have a couple of faves and that can work too.
I’m not sure this qualifies as a slump, but I’m trying to read through my TBR pile (which, as I don’t stop buying books, never seems to shrink!) and I alternate contemporaries with historicals. As I won’t often “unselect” a book once I’ve picked it up, and as I only read one book at a time, I will sometimes hit a wall — a book I am just not loving.
Happened to me the other day — so I jumped ahead. My reasoning is this: if the book is great, I can go back and read the first 100 pages or so. And if it’s not, then I’m that much closer to finishing it!
And if all else fails, I have massive TBR piles of magazines.
I sometimes hit a slump after I’ve finished a really good book. Whatever I read next seems to underwhelm me, though I can usually read my way back out of a slump with something escapist. Right now I’m in a whirlwind of reading, which has to be factored around my obsession with watching the Australian Open Tennis from Melbourne – recording it all night, watching it way too much all day…
Oh I just had a killer of a slump! It went on FOREVER!
I have no helpful advice… I just whined… A LOT!
I am not a re-reader so I am generally up the creek. There are a couple of fave authors I can read when in a slump, but they tend not to break a slump. (As they raise my expectations and if next book doesn’t meet them immediately I am back in slumpland)
Though that said one thing that broke the recent killer slump, I had a big break (which was needed I think) was picking up something different, this time it was Ava Gray, which was just different enough to grab me in, and since that awoke the reading bug a bit, went on a glom of the Moira Rogers backlist, I had read and enjoyed her others, so that was a fairly safe bet.
Usually when I’m in a reading slump, I just change up genres in my non-review reading. At any one time, I have at least two books going – my review book and my non-review book. After a run of frustrating category reads, I’ve been on a little suspense and chick lit kick lately.
Thank you all for your comments, and apologies for not responding sooner. My reading slump corresponded with a blogging slump, so I haven’t been on for a couple of days. I’m hoping to get back to my regular blogging schedule as of next week.
Whine about it on my blog.