Have you ever gone through a reading slump?
I don’t know how or why, but starting new books has been really hard for me these days. I did finish The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead, which was flawless *starry eyes*, but that’s an exception. I’ve been trying to pick up In The Afterlight about 1000x, but it has been impossible, which is rare for me. Maybe it’s the stress, maybe it’s fear that I’ll lose my favorite characters, but I don’t know. I do have lots to do for Uni and I don’t have much time for other things, but I always saved those special hours for books. (Usually Friday nights) Why is this happening? Maybe I don’t have as much time as I used to…
I’m trying to change up my game, though. One of my classmates told me that she listens to audiobooks on her way to Uni, so Im trying to do the same. Surprisingly, I do like this audiobook thing, even if it’s not the same as reading it myself. Right now I’m listening to Lola and the Boy Next Door. Lola‘s one of my favorite books. (I had read it before but it’s different now. It’s like she was telling me her story herself.) Maybe this will become a normal thing for me, even if I won’t give up on my physical/e-books. Those are sacred for me.
What do you do when you reach a reading slump? Do you wait for it to end, or do you do something about it? Why do you think they exist for? I want to know!
I usally can’t read when I’m very busy at work and suffering from long working days. After 10 – 11 hours a day on a project thats the natural way my brain says to me: “Stop! No more information right now!”. When I’m going through a more calmer kind of time I get back to reading books by myself. Often I plan some time for reading – getting some days off and spend those days for reading. And after finishing one book you automatically become keen on reading the next one 🙂
If you ask me for the reason of their existance… well, ’cause ‘Green Lantern’. Doesn’t make any sense, too. 😉
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Exactly! My brain is just exhausted from all the information. I wish I could plan days (in plural) off for reading. Sometimes it’s hard for me to stop procrastinating xD
I wish this made more sense. xD hahah
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My problem, besides being ancient, is that I don’t have the time to read like I used to. So at the end of the day, I’ll grab a book and try to read a chapter. But reading a few pages puts me out.
Now if I try to read in the middle of the day, my sub-brain goes “Oh, dude’s trying to sleep. Shut it all down!”
This will make things hard for me when The Winds of Winter come out. I’ll have to hook myself up to a coffee IV.
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Good luck with that, Pat!! xD When does it come out, finally? 😀
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I am still hoping that it will be sneakily released this year…
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*nods* I know the feeling!
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I really should be reading more, especially as I just started writing as much as I do and am actively submitting my stuff for publication. It would help to know what’s out there, or how certain things like memoirs are typically formatted. I’m honestly at a loss. The last time I read extensively was last year, and anything aside from that pertained to my job. So basically I was reading journal articles. Now it’s short stories (at least one or two a day) that I make time for, although it will be nice to broaden my attention span to once again read a good novel.
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Sometimes it’s hard to make up the time to read a novel (or just anything as long as it’s for pleasure), but it important to do it. Good luck with your writing! 😉
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I’m kind of in one, a little bit. I have so much to read for class that I’m slowly becoming less and less interested in reading much for pleasure, even though I have a jillion (ok, maybe 5-10) pleasure reading books checked out from the library.
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That’s exactly my situation, except for the library books thing 😂
I wish we both get out of the slump.
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I hate reading slumps and I’m terrified of them too! The last one I suffered was about four months long and oh god it left me traumatized haha
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They /are/ terrifying! Especially as there are so many books we have yet to read!
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I KNOW!
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Sometimes I get in reading slumps. I’ll usually get myself to read a little bit in the morning and before I go to bed. If I’m not feeling it, I don’t force it. If I’m not getting into it, I tell myself it’s just not the time and I’ll try again later. Then I stop reading for a while until I find myself missing it. I’ve found I can’t force it. Sometimes my brain just needs to shut down a while.
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This actually makes sense. It would also explain my situation…
Thanks for this insight. 🙂
(miss talking to you!)
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I miss talking to you, too! I think I’m starting to feel more like myself again. 🙂
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Well that’s amazing!! I’m so happy for you, hon.
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I was in a major reading slump when I started a master’s program. There was just too much going on to continue reading at my usual pace and when I did read, it just felt like a chore because I had to squeeze it into a certain time. I started reading graphic novels instead. They are a /much/ quicker read so I could fit them in whenever I had time and it gave my brain something different to process. It’s like a cross between reading a novel and watching TV, without having to dedicate a full hour to a show. Thankfully, my library system has a /major/ graphic novel collection with a healthy variety of genres. Sometimes I still get “bored” of reading all the time and I’ll pick up a crafting project or troll Pinterest for a new recipe to try out.
Another “quick fix” I discovered are short story podcasts. Escape Artists runs a few different short story podcasts: Escape Pod for Sci-Fi, PseudoPod for Horror, and PodCastle for Fantasy. The average length for the stories are about 40 min, though some can be an hour long. They’re perfect for a drive or to listen to on a walk, while cooking/cleaning, at the mall/gym whatever. When I want to shake things up I’ll listen to a comedy podcast (at the moment I’m enjoying Plumbing the Deathstar – a nerdcentric podcast by a bunch of hilarious Australians).
So basically, when your brain gets tired of reading you just have to give it a break by using it for something else. 🙂
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