Well hello there! Quite recently, I was in a huge reading slump for a couple of months. Before that, I was in a minor reading slump for the entire beginning of the year. And I’ve just finally pulled myself out of it. So I figured, why not share that experience with you guys? In an extremely rambly, most incoherent how-to guide, of course. Let’s get to it, shall we?
How to Get Out of a Reading Slump
1) Watch a lot (some might say too much) of TV
For a few days, all I did was watch TV. I mean, try not to let it get too out of hand, but I think it’s good to immerse yourself and be interested in some kind of story. And it’s less work than reading. My particular weapon of choice happened to be Royal Pains, which my mom showed me and now I am obsessed with. (Watch it. It’s on Netflix. It’s amazing.)
2) Read ALL THE FREE STUFF ONLINE
I have NO IDEA why this worked, but it really set the ball rolling for me. It started when I saw a tweet from someone on Twitter (obviously) asking people to read her book for free on Swoon Reads to help it get published. Well I DONE DID THAT. I quite enjoyed What Happens Now and I wish Hazel all the best! After that, I got into the whole Swoon Reads thing, but I wanted the reading I was doing to count towards my Goodreads goal (heavens knows I need it), so I started in on a couple of 2019 releases- The Finding of Secrets by Dee Garretson (which I am over halfway through and still enjoying) and Scratch That by Tiana Smith (which I’ve hardly begun at all).
At the same time, I started reading The Starkillers Cycle by Sarah J. Maas and Susan Dennard, and attempted to get into some serial fiction from Serial Box (although I failed at that one).
3) Read some short stories (or better yet, a collection of them!)
I just so happened to have A Tyranny of Petticoats checked out from the library, and this was the perfect time for me to pick it up! A Tyranny of Petticoats is a historical fiction anthology written by 15 different popular authors, all about strong women in history. And let me tell you, it was. AMAZING. I would read a story, go do something else for a bit, read another story, and so on and so forth. It was extremely helpful for getting me back into reading ACTUAL THINGS.
4) Do a buddy read with someone!!!
Tiana (@ The Book Raven) and I had talked previously about doing a buddy read for The Enemy Within, because we’d both been approached by the author for a review request. Tiana and I are fairly good blogging friends and we always have a fun time talking, so of course the buddy read went extremely well and I had a fantastic time! I definitely think I got more out of the book than if I’d read it by myself, and if this opportunity hadn’t come up, who knows when I would’ve gotten around to reading this!
5) Only read the books on your TBR that you’re MOST excited about!
Maybe this is a given, but it’s definitely important! I started a list (I believe while I was on vacation or in the hospital) of books I desperately wanted to read when I got home. I add to it when I see/remember a book I really want. Like now. And then when it comes time to order some new books or pick the next one out that I want to read, I have my list in hand! I’m calling it my “Top TBR”, and I literally just created it in my notes app on my phone. I highly recommend it!
6) READ ALL OF THE THINGS.
I’ve read four books in as many days. (The first three had the word every in them.) I’m halfway through a fifth. Coincidence? I think not. My reading slump is GONE and I’m SO HAPPY. And ready for ALL THE READATHONS. (Cough 24 in 48 and Bibib cough) And another one in August which you will be hearing about VERY SHORTLY and I am EXTREMELY EXCITED about. Although I’M SURE YOU CAN’T TELL.
What did you all think of my little how-to guide? I definitely recommend trying some of these methods if you’re in a reading slump; they certainly worked for me! But then again, not everything works for everyone. Let me know what your methods for getting out of a slump are, or what you’ve recently read! I’d love to hear from you all. 🙂
Yep! You’ve hit the nail on the head. This is the best way to get out of a reading slump in my opinion! (Of course, in my case the TV thing went for about four weeks because I needed to review four shows, four night a week for Tell-Tale TV!)
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Yay, I’m glad you think so! Hahaha mine went for a while too, don’t worry. 😂
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I’ve been struggling with a sort of reading slump this past school year as well. I did read, but not as much as I liked and there were lots of time that I COULD’ve read, but then I’d look at my bookshelves and just said ‘nah’ to everything I could read. Having free time is definitely helping though, and I’ve been reading lots of good books so that’s definitely a plus!
I had no idea SwoonReads worked like that! I’ve read a few of their published books, so I thought they were a regular publishing house haha. That’s so cool though! I’m definitely going to check them out. Great tips! 🙂
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I totally understand the feeling! My slump was exactly like that. I’m glad to hear it! 🙂
Me either! I think it’s just now really taking off and they’re taking more genres other than romance. 🙂 You definitely should, its awesome! Thanks! XD
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Awesome suggestions. I usually just play video games for a while until I find something I like.
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That’s a good one too! I didn’t do that a lot this time because my brother lent out our PS4 controllers to my cousin who apparently doesn’t know where they are 🙄 but that’s definitely a good one!
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