Now listen–I am a person who absolutely adores reading. This feels like deja vu.
In this day and age, depending on the people you talk to, they are either extremely shocked that you just “enjoy” reading or they are right there alongside you with the same interests in books. But, as a reader, one of the worst possible things that could happen to you is becoming trapped into a reading slump.
A reading slump is a period of time when you lose any interest in reading. You do not feel motivated to pick up a book and when you do, you get distracted by your phone or are just completely disinterested in the book’s story line. It can be very hard to get out of reading slumps, causing frustration and non-productivity to the reader.
Now let me tell you, I was so excited to read so many books over my winter break, with this extra month of time back in my home city, but halfway through I ended up catching the disease of a reading slump. NOOO!
But, I am here to tell my fellow readers that it is completely normal and completely okay to be in a reading slump. We all get it at some point, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling unmotivated here and there because of it. Do not loose all hope though, because there are lots of ways to get out of these slumps. Here are some of the things that I did going into this Spring Semester to help re-energize my love for reading.
Watch book Youtube videos
This is honestly one of the main things that helps me with my reading slumps! I love watching other people get excited about books and hearing about new books with really interesting plot lines that fit my overall taste. I also love seeing little challenges that they take on, like “wrapping my TBR reads.” This is when readers get cheap paper and wrap all of their books that need “to be read” and they number them in order. After that, they pick a number from a jar and that will be their next read! It is a fun way that can be motivating with the excitement of the unknown!
Some Book Youtuber’s I adore: Sara Carrolli, Jack Edwards and Haley Pham.
Try a reading challenge and Book apps
With the idea of challenges in mind, giving yourself an amount of books to read in a year is also a great motivator. Last year, my goal was to read 52 books in a year (roughly one book per week). This was my first time ever making a reading goal and surprisingly I ended up reaching 63 finished books by the end of 2022!
I decided to do the same goal this year and so far this motivation has been a great help and has been keeping me on track. But, do not think you need to make your reading goal as intimidating as mine! I have a lot of friends and family who put just five to ten books as their goal and if they surpass that, it is just a bonus.
I keep track of this through an app called Goodreads. You can make yearly reading goals, add books you have read, want to read, or are currently read and you can see what other people are reading with their own reviews on the books! It is a great way not only to keep track of books you read, but a way to motivate yourself among friends in that community as well!
Try an easier reading style
There is nothing bad about making reading easier for yourself, especially if you are feeling unmotivated. If you read smaller books that are no more then 200 pages, you can finish them a lot faster and feel more accomplished in doing so.
You can also try to read some more lighthearted and easier books like a cheesy romance, young adult literature, young adult fantasy or just any books that have bigger fonts on the pages, making it easier to digest. It is always great when you are less stressed due to an easier plot line.
Join a book club
I am currently in a book club through Her Campus at my college and I absolutely love it! It allows me to surround myself with people in person who have the same excitement for books as me, and it keeps us all motivated to finish one book, so we can talk about it together. We do this at the end of every month with delicious snacks, while we talk about the book and announce the book for the next month.
Re-Visit a favorite book
We all have at least that one favorite book that we can read over and over again, that makes us so comforted and extremely happy. During a reading slump, this is the best time to reach for that book again, to rekindle the excitement for that specific genre or to just to continue the series. All in all, motivating you to read once again.
Reading is something we should not feel rushed to indulge. It is something we should take our time with after years of hard work was made by so many authors to publish them. Do not beat yourself up over a break from reading, because me and so many others get into reading slumps more then just once. Take your time to get back into it and consider trying out these tips to give you a little boost!
Happy reading! I know you got this!
