Discussion: How to get over a reading slump.

It’s been a while since I’ve written a discussion post but the dreaded book slump is something we’ve all experience. I think I speak on behalf of most people when I say, it sucks. The question is; how do we get out of it? Do we just stumble along until it magically disappears, or can we take some steps to get us out of it sooner? Here are my 5 tips to get out of a reading slump.

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1. Re-reading an old favourite

This is my go-to method for conquering the slump. I find it comforting to turn to an old favourite. It’s like reuniting with an old friend; comfortable and familiar. Plus if you already know what happens you don’t have to put all of your energy in focusing on every single word in fear of missing something important. It’s an easy read, no pressure and you get to remember all the reasons why you loved the book in the first place.

My go to re-reads: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick | I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

2. Short Stories

The thought of reading a 300+ page book during a slump is horrifying. There’s no way we can possibly read all those pages and not lose focus. That’s why short stories are perfect for those of us trying to get over a slump. To start, the page count isn’t as daunting and usually these stories end up being lighthearted reads. On top of that there are a slew of anthologies available these days so there’s plenty to chose from.

Favourite anthology: My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

3. Audiobooks

Don’t want to read a book, try listening to one. Granted, I’ve not tried this method myself but if you’ve enjoyed audiobooks in the past then I think this would be a good one to go for. With audiobooks you have the freedom to complete other tasks whilst enjoying the story so you don’t feel like such a slug for lounging around all day trying and failing to pick up a book. Multi-tasking at its finest. 😉

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Any audiobook recommendations?

4. Buddy Read

In the summer I was hit by a slump. It was awful. Part of me wanted to read but I just didn’t know what book to go for and for that reason I ended up just not picking one up with the hopes that my mood will eventually drive me to one. However, it turns out that Summer @ XingSings and I had a similar tbr pile and we ended up buddy reading, which in turn helped me get my reading mojo back. How the buddy read helped? Well, you have the reactions. A stream of messages with play by play reactions to the book and someone to discuss them with you. Plus you can’t buddy read without doing the actual reading so that alone is motivation to pick up a book. 

5. Just power through it.

This has proven to be the most effective method. At the end of the day I simply cannot force myself to read if I don’t want to. So instead of throwing myself a pity party, I indulge in all the other activities that occupy my time in place of reading. So instead of spending the days reading, I’ll end up binge watching some new TV shows, baking and treating myself to an endless supply of tea. This way I can sit back, relax, get whatever it is that’s keeping me away from books out of my system in the hopes that one day I’ll wake up and find myself gravitating towards my old friends. It’s a process, one we all go through and instead of resenting the slump, the easiest way to get rid of it is to embrace it. 

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Those are my 5 tips to getting rid of a reading slump.
What methods do you use to get over one? What’s the longest slump you’ve had?

14 thoughts on “Discussion: How to get over a reading slump.”

  1. You know that slump I had after our The Wrath and the Dawn duology buddy read? I’m not sure if that was a reading slump or an extended book hangover. Probably both. XD And yes! Our buddy reads our so fab; I can’t wait for our next one!! (I can probably do one sometime in November if you’re free then too.)

    But, anyway, these are some useful tips! Personally, I like the rereading the old faves and short stories. I also find that reading guilty pleasure reads (for me that would be some good old vampire/paranormal stuff, haha) or manga is also great remedies as well. Doing the latter helped me with my most recent slump.

    And did you ever get to read the summer anthology edited by Stephanie Perkins? It was also really cute! 🙂

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    1. I feel like Crooked Kingdom will be giving me one heck of a hangover. Actually I’m 99.9% certain I’ll be reduced to a book coma. Thankfully I have a few days off now so I can finally read more of the book.

      I am most definitely free in November and definitely up for a buddy read. Now to think of a book.

      You can’t go wrong with the guilty pleasure reads and I think reading a book in a different format gives you a break from the heavy narratives.

      I’ve not read that one yet. It’s on the tbr list and I want to get it because I like the fact that Stephanie’s story is a continuation of the Winter one. 😀

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      1. Hehe, sounds good (not CK inducing you into a coma but us buddy reading-just to clarify, lol)!
        I’ll go on Goodreads at the end of the week and compare our books. (Because apparently there’s such function?? Which totally makes picking a book for a buddy read so much easier!) 😀
        Hope you continue to enjoy CK!

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        1. Crooked Kingdom has destroyed me! My heart is in tiny little pieces. I’m far too emotionally attached to these characters.

          You can compare book on goodreads? What is this devilry and why didn’t I know about this sooner.

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  3. I also love rereading old favourites like the trusty HP books for reading slumps. The other thing I love doing is looking through reviews for books I am looking forward to reading – for some reason watching other people rave about books or hauling books are always a surefire way for me to start reading again XD

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    1. I’ve never tried that method before. It could go either way; it could get me excited to read the books or it could just reinforce my frustration at the lack of reading I’ve done haha. I still need to get round to reading the HP books. One day.

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  5. I power through it for the most part, but usually after cutting myself some slack to take a reading break and work on other projects, whether it be a DIY home type thing, crafts, or a couple of day trips with a bestie. When I get back to books, I plow through, but change genres from what I have been most recently reading. Good discussion post.

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    1. It’s easier to power through it than try to force my mood to pick which book to read cause I end up getting frustrating with my lack of reading haha. Plus I think we all have moments where we need a break from all the books.

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