Throughout the past year, you might have found yourself struggling to find ways to keep your mind entertained while stuck in quarantine. Some of us have returned to our love for baking or cooking, video games, and if you’re like me, reading. My family always strongly encouraged my twin brother and I to read as much as we could. They also taught us that reading did not have to be a chore. So, of course I began reading for fun at an early age. One key thing they forgot to tell me is that when I began reading all the time without stopping, that I would become tired of reading. I would become bored essentially. Something I loved more than anything would become what I ended up hating the most. Sometimes, I would just love the energy and motivation to read anything for months at a time. If this is you, that is completely okay. I have had my fair share of reading slumps, so I’m here to offer some possible solutions to dig you out of that hole.
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We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
This book is an extremely quick read. I started it maybe two days ago, and I only have roughly twenty pages remaining. This book has been popping up all over TikTok, Youtube, and even some of the people I follow on Twitter have been discussing this book again. The chapters are short and easy to fly through. There is also a twist at the end that shocks everyone, so you can always look forward to that.
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Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
This is a young adult thriller, or mystery depending on how you look at it. While this book takes a little bit of time to get the gears running smoothly, it will have you gripping onto your seat with every page you turn, I promise. Plus, there are already two more books already published if you end up enjoying it and need more of the story.
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Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
I feel like this is the go to book everyone suggests when someone says they are in a reading slump, and I understand why. I picked this book up solely because I wanted to be excited to read again. Little did I know this book, and the entire world and series, would become my favorite obsession of all time. I’m serious. A huge plus is that there is a Netflix series coming out based on the characters and world Leigh Bardugo has created. If I could recommend one book until the rest of my days, it would in fact be this one.
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A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Taherah Mafi
Short and sweet. That is what this book is. I remember purchasing it while here in Mankato on “vacation” because I was bored. I picked the book up, and I never set the book down until hours later when I had finished it. I will admit, the book could be hard for some to digest. There is nothing graphic written in the novel, but the book follows a high school girl after 9/11 and how her and her family’s life was forever changed.
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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
This is for all the people who love romance. This is a trilogy that anyone can easily fly through in a matter of days. I’m serious. Jenny Han knew what she was doing when she wrote this series. She made each book short, sweet, and to the point. There is no fluffing the book up with specific details or setting the scene. Instead, she cuts straight to the point which makes each book a fast read. Plus, the chapters are relatively short, so you won’t grow tired of counting how many pages are left until you’re done with the chapter.
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Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
I will admit that I was a little obsessed with this book when I found it at a random bookstore. This book is the lovechild of Harry Potter and The Shadowhunters series. There is fighting, action, romance, magic, and so much more packed into this longer than my typical read. Yes, this book is roughly 500 pages, but don’t let that scare you off from reading it. My friend and I were both able to read my copy of this book within one week. I’m so serious. The chapters can sometimes be as long as two sentences maximum before a new chapter begins written from another character’s perspective. If you loved Harry Potter or love anything magical in general, this is the book for you.
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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Another Leigh Bardugo novel. Can you tell who my favorite author is yet? Anyways, yes, another book by this genius of a woman. This book takes place in the same world as Shadow and Bone. However, this one follows a different group of people with a completely different backstory and end goal. Do you need to read Shadow and Bone in order to read this? Absolutely not. Even though they are set in the same world, they are completely different stories as a whole. I will say this is a slow moving book until you reach about halfway through the book. That’s when it starts to pick up and you will struggle to put it down.
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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
I loved this book because of how easy it was to move through it. What makes this book different from any other books on this list is that this book is written entirely in verse. Poetry. While the book has some hard to swallow moments, the poetry is written so beautifully that you wouldn’t even notice that at first glance.
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Warcross by Marie Lu
If you loved The Hunger Games or Ready Player One, you will love this. That’s really all I have to say. It only took me two days to finish this book and an additional two days to reread it after I finished it the first time. This book is the epitome of addicting. This is set in the future in an apocalyptic world almost, but the author doesn’t tell you that much. You follow the main character on her journey into accidentally entering this game and learning how she is going to navigate her time there. Along the way, you discover secrets and lies that she should not have been told.
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Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford
Based on the title alone you should know this could be a difficult book to read. With a heavy title, you would expect the book to have a heavy nature as well. Wrong. This book is written from the perspective of a teenage boy with a sarcastic sense of humor who believes he should not be in the hospital. This book is essentially his diary that he keeps while he is in treatment. The author hints at why exactly Jeff, the main character, is in a treatment program, but you won’t piece the puzzle together until the very end. If you do, I owe you one. This book has short chapters and is easy to follow, but once again, the topic can be hard to swallow.
Hopefully I provided you with some new reads to hopefully pull you out of that slump. I know I recommended all young adult novels, but they are incredibly easy to fly through. Plus, the story can sometimes be more whimsical in a young adult novel than an adult one. With that, I hope you have a good time reading or trying to get out of that slump you are in. Remember to take breaks and give yourself time to relax during this pandemic.