Nothing’s more irritating to me than a reading slump, but unfortunately, they’re a common occurrence. I try to pick up my next read but won’t manage to make it past the first chapter without closing it. These slumps can last for as short as a day or as long as an entire year, and, as a lover of books, it’s downright frustrating when my brain refuses to focus on even a page of text.
Reading slumps have left me feeling hopeless and lost, but right when I’m ready to give up, there’s always been an amazing book to pull me from my slothful depths. Here are five of these novels that have helped me out of slumps.
- The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
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For months, I had DNF-ed book after book before I decided to finally pick up The Poppy War. It had been on my bookshelf for years, but I never gave it a chance because so many of the fantasy novels I read before it had failed to fulfill my expectations. In an eager attempt to redeem my lack of progress in that year’s reading goal, I finally picked up the first book in Kuang’s acclaimed historical fantasy trilogy. I heard nothing but praise for The Poppy War, so I was hoping it would be the key to getting my groove back, and thankfully it was.
The Poppy War perfectly combines the dark history of the Second Sino-Japanese War with a mystical magic system. Added to that is a cast of amazing characters (specifically the novel’s main character, Rin) and beautiful writing. I was at the edge of my seat with each page and had the next two books in the series already ordered before I reached the book’s climax.
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
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For the most part, I only ever read books that branched off from the sci-fi or fantasy genres. I found historical fiction boring, romance too corny, and general fiction too realistic to use as a literary escape. But, with BookTok on the rise, I saw more readers recommending Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life than I could count. It was described as everything I would normally avoid; a slow, dramatic character study of four college friends. But I had opted out of reading ten books at the time, so I was getting desperate. It took me a second to get into the book (mainly because I was fighting the urge to scroll through my phone), but I was hooked once I made it past the first few pages. The novel was just as emotional as TikTok suggested it was. It was dark and riddled with triggering scenes, but I loved every word. As someone who never shows my emotions while reading, I use the fact that I was absolutely bawling by the time I had finished it as my go-to selling point.
- Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
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I had trusted Taylor Jenkins Reid long before I got to read Daisy Jones & The Six. One of my all-time favorite books is her novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. When I was on a Thanksgiving cruise (pre-COVID, of course), I brought three books with me but couldn’t bring myself to read one. While strolling through one of the ship’s floors, I found out there was a library located on the boat. With nothing to do on the sea, I searched through the shelves and found Daisy Jones & The Six staring back at me. I’d been wanting to read it for months already, so I decided to give it a chance. I’m so grateful I did. The book follows a similar interview-esque structure that explores the history of a popular classic rock band. It was the push I needed to finally read the books I packed, and by the end of the cruise, I finished all four.
- Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
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Similar to my situation with Yanagihara’s A Little Life, I was wary of picking up Clap When You Land. I had read and enjoyed Elizabeth Acevedo’s novel, With the Fire on High, but Clap When You Land promised a completely unique experience as it used poetry to tell its story about two half-sisters united after the death of their father. I’d never been the biggest fan of poetry, so I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. In contrast to my beliefs, however, I had more fun reading it than I thought I would. The writing style was beautiful and the story was moving.
- The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
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You can never go wrong with nostalgia. When the news that Disney+ was adapting Rich Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series to television, I suddenly gained the motivation to get back into reading. It’d been my favorite book series since I first read it in elementary school, and I’d re-read it plenty of times before then, but I wanted to return to Camp Half-Blood and pick up the series once again. Reuniting with Percy, Annabeth, and Grover reminded me again of my love for reading. I read all five books in less than a week and caught up with my Goodreads Reading Challenge by the next week.
I’m no stranger to reading slumps. While they completely rid me of my motivation, all it takes is one great novel to remind me why I became such an avid reader in the first place. Hopefully, some of these books can help you overcome your own reading slump.