Before a few weeks
ago, I didn't take reading slumps very seriously. I knew there were times in my
life when I didn't feel like reading very much or there were things I wanted to
do more than read. However, it never got this bad. I never felt this disinterested in books and reading. When I am typing this, I am
coming up on four weeks from the last time I finished a novel. Things are
getting ugly here at my house. The more I try to read the more frustrated I become!
At first I thought
I was reading too many books. I was. I had a pile as high as my nightstand
going all at once! So I reshelved some promising to return as soon as possible.
That didn't help.
Then I tried a
different book format. I picked up comics and graphic novels. I listened to
audiobooks and lectures rather than reading anything. Still, no desire to read
has reemerged.
This feeling is
different than my regular autumn slump too. Every autumn I start to slide into
a bit of a lazy period. The days are getting shorter, all the summer excitement
is over, and the weather is turning cold. At that time of year I tend to be a vegetable
on my couch every evening. This isn't that. This is just no desire for reading.
Did I break my
reading bone? The sad thing is I know
when I "hurt" myself too.
It wasn't even a
bad book that broke my reading desire.
It was all me reading too much in February. In February I felt like I
was reading faster and faster. If I was in a car I would have been pushing
pressing my accelerator to the floor. It was reading reading reading all month
and every second of it was glorious at the time. It was great then! Now I can
barely look at a book. My TBR shelf seems boring. The books I was excited to
read in April scare me and my anxiety over my reading goal grows every day. My
graphic novel and comics therapy isn't working any more either. I read
recklessly and now I'm paying for it.
Have you ever felt
this way? What did you do to fix it if you did? Should I just let this weird
slump run its course? Advice is welcome. Slump breaking books are also
appreciated.
I've totally been there. Ironically you were the one who got me out of my slump with your reviews of Six of Crows. I don't think I have been so obsessed with a book since Harry Potter to be honest! So thanks for that! I sometimes find that going back and rereading a favorite book of mine helps to get me back in the mood of reading, too. Or maybe just take a break from your books and binge-watch a TV show. After a while I start craving a book when I've allowed myself to take that break. Not sure if any of these things will work for you, but I hope you find a way to get back at it! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the advice! At this point I'm riding it out and doing other things. Avoiding reading and books to avoid the stress. Finally this morning I picked up my Kindle and started something! I feel like a new woman! :)
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