Bookish Goodies / Life Tips

Reading Slumps, The Bane of Any Bookworm’s Miserable Existence | 7 Foolproof Ways To (Sort Of) Drag Yourself Out Of Them

Aside hannah @ peanutbutter&books52 Comments

What exactly is a reading slump, you ask? Allow me to enlighten you.

reading slump (n)

  • the devil incarnate.
  • a specter that haunts a reader’s worst nightmares.
  • not being able to read a book because you can’t. you just CAN’T.

To give you a better picture of the monstrosity that is a READING SLUMP, allow me to present an actual, real-life scenario, starring yours truly and inspired by Urban Dictionary. Because obviously we all know that Urban Dictionary is such a trusted and legitimate source of factual information.

me: *enters room dramatically*

me: *breathing heavily*

innocent sibling: “what’s wrong?”

me: “I CAN’T READ, NO BOOK IS GOOD ENOUGH, LEAVE ME ALONE”

innocent sibling: *slowly backs away*

Capture

Anyhow,

I also like to think of reading slumps as dark, forbidding shadow demons that creep out every time you so much as put down a book for more than an hour. Or maybe dragons that you have to slay every once in a while. But not the cute little dragons, the terrifying ones that eat human body parts for breakfast.

Regardless of what your Reading Slump Demon looks like, planning what to do in case of an attack is a must. Because it’s going to happen, guys. You might be just minding your own business, la-di-da-di-doo, and you decide to go on a walk, then come back home and pick up your book, only to find: BOOM reading slump.

Walk to the fridge to get a snack? BOOM reading slump.

Bookmark falls out and you’re too lazy to find the page number again? BOOM BOOM reading slump.

Lucky for you, I have some sage words of advice that will most definitely help you! Pinkie promise.

Strategy #1: Devote some time to self-care.

Cry. Nap. Drink boba. Take a shower. Whatever.

Maybe you’re too strung-out; maybe you’re sleep-deprived; maybe you need another dose (or three) of caffeine. Bottom line is, don’t pressure yourself– you might not particularly feel like reading at the moment, and that’s perfectly fine!

Regardless of how much you love books, not EVERYONE can read 24/7. We’re not all book-reading robots. *glances at people who’ve completed their 3520340-book challenge on Goodreads 5 months in advance* Most of us, anyways.

Strategy #2: Read what you actually want to read!

This seems obvious, but it’s actually so easy to forget, especially to those of us who have a very intimidating stack of ARCs looming down at us. (My Netgalley account is currently burning a hole into my laptop. I CAN FEEL THE ARCS GLARING AT ME.)

Basically: Though it’s certainly important to get all your reviews in on time, there’s no point trying to tackle new books until you actually feel like reading again. 

Sometimes, when I’m stuck in a particularly bad slump, I like to gaze at my bookshelf, just pondering my next meal, contemplating life, reflecting over my latest attempt to take over the world– you know, just normal, everyday things– and then I randomly take out whichever book I feel like reading at the moment.

Most often, it’s a book that I’ve read before and enjoyed, such as Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows– which I unashamedly admit I’ve probably reread gazillions of times by now. But, you know, no one’s going to judge if you for some reason decide to blaze through the entire Geronimo Stilton series.

(I actually did that at one point last year. I know. It was a sad day. But hey, no judgement here, right? RIGHT??)

Strategy #3: Creep on the bookish side of the interwebs and get “inspired” aka cry over how pretty the bookstagrams look and how many books the Booktubers receive.

Scroll through Bookstagram! Watch your favorite Booktubers! Browse through Goodreads and stalk– I mean check out– the latest reviews! Let all those pretty books spark within you a sudden inexplicable desire to get out there and read until you keel over!!!

There’s TONS of great content out there that’ll really inspire you to get reading. I mean, when you watch/read about people gush on and on about books, you have a tendency to want to buy those books immediately. Which obviously isn’t too easy on the wallet, but oh well, desperate times call for desperate measures.

To be real, though, I’m currently spending more time online writing about books, than actually reading books. Oh, the irony.

Strategy #4: Ask your friends to go yell at you.

Did I say yell? I meant “provide gentle yet firm encouragement”. Because obviously that’s what they’re here for.

Certainly not for BRANDISHING V.E. SCHWAB’S BOOKS IN YOUR FACE AND FORCING YOU AT FORKPOINT TO READ THEM. *side eyes so-called friend*

I’m probably a terrible person for saying this, and I’m all for spreading positivity, but ranting can be cathartic. Chances are, your book buddies are tackling reading slumps too, so if you can’t read, at least you can go happily wallow together in mutual salt. Or at least go bother them with your negative vibes.

Goodreads is perfect for this! A few of my IRL friends– GASP I HAVE ACTUAL FRIENDS I KNOW I SURPRISE EVEN MYSELF SOMETIMES– read, so I’m a very lucky little girl, but I know a bunch of people don’t. So it’s nice to have people to relate to!

Strategy #5: Weep in the corner of the room** until the reading slump slinks away in shame.

Crying always feels better. Trust me. Bonus points if you pound your fists on your chest and wail.

What does crying have to do with reading slumps? Oh, I don’t know… EVERYTHING!!! Reading slumps make me want to cry.

**Or you can weep on your bed, Disney princess style! Weeping style is completely up to you

Image result for disney princess crying gif

Strategy #6: Still stuck in that horrid reading slump? Burn all other distractions so that you have nothing to do left except for read.**

Before you all think I’m insane, let me clear something up.

Paper is extremely flammable, so you have to be careful. Make sure to lug all of your bookshelves to a safe, dry area. THEN you can light it all on fire.

This strategy ALWAYS works. I’ve done it several times before. When your house is crumbling to ashes, and the sirens are blaring, and you’re getting charged with arson, you always somehow end up with your nose in a book.

I KNOW, right? I’m telling you, it’s magic.

**Just kidding. Please don’t. Please.

Strategy #7: Blog about reading slumps in an attempt to get out of a reading slump.

And then proceed to ramble on about things completely unrelated to reading slumps while simultaneously encouraging arson and possibly landing yourself in jail.

Image result for i'm so sorry gif

Capture

I hope you found this post very informational and very, very helpful. I know I certainly did. Not. 🙂

Please don’t burn anything. Also please don’t hold me accountable for any last-minute posts that I type up at 2 in the morning. Which is TOTALLY not this post.

Who?? What, me?? Procrastinating? Never….

good luck,

Screen Shot 2017-08-27 at 5.18.21 PM

52 thoughts on “Reading Slumps, The Bane of Any Bookworm’s Miserable Existence | 7 Foolproof Ways To (Sort Of) Drag Yourself Out Of Them”

  4. “INNOCENT SIBLINGS” What is this sorcery?

    “I also like to think of reading slumps as dark, forbidding shadow demons” –> ME
    “Or maybe dragons that you have to slay every once in a while. But not the cute little dragons, the terrifying ones that eat human body parts for breakfast.” –> MEEE AS WELL

    I think I AM a reading slump myself. I mean you just described me perfectly. *gives ice cream*
    ALSO, CAN I FANGIRL THAT YOU MENTION. Geronimo Silton. THOSE BOOKS WERE MY CHILDHOOD. They bring back all the memories *wipes tears*

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    • poor innocent siblings :’) and reading slumps are the ABSOLUTE WORST. we can cry about them together over tea and ice cream, which is a strange but surprisingly satisfying combination of comfort foods. :”’)

      OH MY GOODNESS I have found a fellow Geronimo stilton fangirl. THOUSANDS OF HEARTS TO THAT ADORABLE LITTLE MOUSE AND HIS ADORABLE LITTLE ADVENTURES. looking back on it, the concept of a mouse world is sortaaaa disturbing but STILL. my childhood. ❤

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  6. Ha, I love this post! 🙂 I’m actually in a reading slump right now, so this inspired me to GET UP and REEEEAD. I’ll be saving this post to my phones reading list so I can refer back to it. Thanks for the advice (minus the part about burning down my belongings😂)!

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    • ahhh, thank youu so much, I’m glad it helped!! ❤ and same, girl. LET US WEEP OVER OUR SHARED MISERY and drag each other out of the ENDLESS BLACK HOLE that is a reading slump.

      and what do you mean?? burning down everything always helps, I can strongly attest to this from firsthand experience 😉

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  7. PAHAHA INNOCENT SIBLINGS, THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE. MY SIBLING DESERVES ALL MY BOOK WHINING.
    OKAY ALL OF THIS IS ME. And omg yes, when I have a load of books to read I feel so much pressure to read and then. . . BAM SLUMP. AND I FEEL THEM GLARING AT ME AND JUDGING ME! And then. . . SLUMPPPPPPP. I really wish that “Strategy #5: Weep in the corner of the room** until the reading slump slinks away in shame.” would work more because then I WOULD GET THROUGH SO MANY BOOKS.

    Great post, SO FUNNY I LOVED IT.

    Luuuuuuu

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  8. LOL, this is perfect. Great advice! i was hit with a MASSIVE reading slump towards the beginning of this year while I was still in college. The stress was getting to me and I just didn’t have the heart to read, blog, or even go through Goodreads. I just didn’t want to be reminded of how much time I DIDN’T have to myself to do all those things haha. It was the most miserable experience of my life. But the two things that helped were allowing myself to have some down-time and just RELX and the second thing was reading a book I was really looking forward to reading. So, Crown of Midnight and Caraval helped bring me out of my slump. Rereads also help, too! ACOMAF, Lady Midnight, The Host, and Six of Crows are my go-tos 😀 All the things you mentioned are hella helpful. You never know when those slumps will hit, but it’s good to be prepared!

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    • HEHE, thank you!! this post may not make much sense, but it was super fun to write XD

      Oh dear, that sounds HORRID. but I can soooo relate to you, because I think that’s happening to me right now?? I’m just super stressed about school, and that’s definitely being reflected in my reading habits because I feel like I have no energy whatsoever. ;-;

      I LOVE those super entertaining books that can drag you out of reading slumps– Six of Crows is always a good one to go back to!! LET US FIGHT READING SLUMPS TOGETHER.

      (and yes, burning your house down is always a good last resort… it always works, tbh ;))

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      • It’ll pass, don’t worry! Just heed your own advice and you should come out of that slump in no time! Don’t let school get ya down 😉 And if anything, SoC will save the day! It just has to because, my god, that book is perfection….

        LOL XD

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  10. Hehe, this is such a cute little post!! I DID NOT know the secret to a giggly post was to type it up at 2am!! I NOW KNOW!! ❤

    I feel like when I'm in a reading slump I just DO SOMETHING ELSE! I feel like a distraction can help take my mind off whatever funk its in and I may just fall back into reading very naturally.

    I also LIMIT how much I read. I KNOW THE HORRORS but I can't read as much as some so when I do get to read I normally feel like reading… for the most part?! When I have a particularly busy day I leave an hour or so to read and normally I feel like reading because that is the ONLY TIME I GAVE MYSELF, lol.

    I do love your suggestions like reading what you WANT and RE-READING! Both great ideas I'll have to remember for the next time I'm hit with the dreaded blues!! ❤

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    • Thank youuu!! XD and HAHA, giggly is one way to put it. I was thinking more along the lines of “ridiculous” and “what-were-you-even-thinking-Hannah-arson-is-not-cool” :’)

      Everyone has different ways of approaching reading slumps, but we can all agree that they’re absolutely HORRID. Finding another distraction is definitely another great way to drag yourself out of them. I also like to set goals/limits, and will usually allocate around 30 mins-1 hr to read before I go to sleep. I don’t like to force myself to read; I’m a total mood reader so if I don’t feel like reading, I stay away from my bookshelves.

      Yayyy, I’m glad my suggestions (somehow) helped!! ❤

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  11. Hahaha coincidentally I was in a horrible slump (mine was under the form of.. oh, MY SHADOW because it would never leaaaaave and also YES a dark, forbidding demon) a few days ago and so I just decided to pick up Six of Crows and CK because I LOVE THEM and my slump (evil shadow demon) was actually a lot more manageable! YAY. (HAhaha don’t worry, no one’s judging you for Geronimo Stilton. I actually remember reading the Thea Stilton ones a while ago?? Hahaha.) So I approve of said strategy. *nods* Unlike other strategies… of the ARSON variety. o.O Ahem. (Tsk tsk Hannah, setting such a horrible example!!) LOVED this post!

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    • eeeek, thank you so much!! 😀

      OH NO. shadow-slumps are the worst. they just never leave, no matter how hard you try. ;__;

      and YES, the SoC duology is definitely the way to go!!! we need to praise Leigh bardugo for having the writing power to banish all of our evil slumps.

      and yay!!! a fellow Geronimo Stilton lover!! (and OMG the Thea Stilton series was just as amazing, maybe even better. ah, the beginnings of my childhood feminism. :’))

      yep, I’m basically the best role model ever. burn your house down, kids!!! *laughs nervously* hah…hahaha…haAA

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  13. THIS IS SO RELATABLE AND HILARIOUS. i’m currently (and unfortunately) in a reading slump, and my top method for trying to dispel the slump has definitely been to blog about books. aaand weep in the corner of my room because that’s really a good solution for anything tbh. usually while i’m in a slump i’ll also read an old favorite (aka anything by rick riordan) and hope that does the trick!

    this was such a cute post! ❤

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    • awww, thank you so much, Madeline!! ❤ you are the sweetest!!

      Oh, I can relate– I'm in the worst reading slump ever, and I'm STILL spending more time talking about/blogging about books than actually reading books. :')

      Yes, weeping is a quick fix for anything, really. and same, Rick Riordan's books were MY CHILDHOOD. the nostalgiaaaaa

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  14. The reading slump? Idk her. It’s not like I’ve been in one since *counts on fingers* May. Ahem. It isn’t going so well.
    At this point burning something sounds more appealing than ever. Is it therapeutic? THANKS FOR THE INSTRUCTIONS!!!!

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  15. Ugh, yes. I know all about reading slumps. I was thinking about that recently: How since I started a blog, I read A LOT less of the books I want to. Which seems crazy, because I’m reading so much. But I read ARCs and books sent to me by authors and so on. So I know exactly what you mean about ARCs burning a hole in your laptop. Oh, how I know.

    When I’m in a bad reading slump, I just stay away from my books for a day or two. I watch a movie (which I do very rarely, since I spend most of my free time reading!), bake something, go on a walk, take a long shower. And then when I come back the next day, it’s very likely that I feel refreshed and ready to go again. Most of my recent reading slumps haven’t lasted longer than a day or so.

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    • WAIT, YES, this is so accurate. ARCs take up SO MUCH of your time, and even though you technically only request ARCs that you *want* to read, your TBR list grows hella long. and whenever I pick up another much-anticipated book to read, I can literally *feel* the ARCs just side-eyeing me from Netgalley.

      That’s actually so inspiring!! My reading slumps stay for the longest time EVER, which completely sucks. But that’s a super helpful tip; I’ll be sure to keep it in mind! ❤

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  16. Reading slumps are the worst! Especially when they’re brought on by having read several books you didn’t like in a row, and then you’re just convinced there are no good books left in the world and art is dead. (If we’re talking about being overly dramatic…) Rereading something I know I like is good for me in those cases.

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  17. This post is the best. I’m so sorry you’re struggling with a reading slump (and perhaps insomnia? Unclear)! They can certainly be the worst. I completely agree with you about the above, too. Numbers 1 and 2 work the best for me to be re-inspired. Sometimes I just need to let go and do something else for a while. Yoga, drinking tea, eating a whole chocolate ake by myself– you know, the usual. 😀 But when in doubt, read a favorite book.

    I also find that a variation on 4 helps a lot too. There’s something really great about commiserating with friends, yes. But sometimes listening to my friends rave about their favorite books will really get me out of the slump too. I Want to read ALL THE BOOKS once I’m done listening to everyone tell me about their newest and favoritest books.

    Speaking of– other than Six of Crows, what is your newest and favoritest book?

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    • Nah, *YOU’RE* the best!! ❤ and I'm sorry for myself, too. :') and nope, not insomnia, judging from how many extensive naps I take over the weekend, HAHA. and that's so true–sometimes, the best way to rebound from a reading slump is to do something other than reading. drinking boba, for example. :') AND YES eating an entire delish chocolate cake also works, too. XD

      "I want to read ALL THE BOOKS" is my attitude all the time, tbh. though it's never fun when your reading slump refuses to cooperate. and I totally feel like excitement is contagious!! I usually always end up reading whatever book my friends are raving about.

      and oh my, I actually recently finished reading "White Chrysanthemum", a Korean story set in WWII that comes out later this year, I believe?? it was so difficult to read emotionally, and I still don't know how I feel about it, but the story really stayed with me for a long time. How about you? Is there any book you really enjoyed reading recently?

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      • Yeah, I might or might not have eaten a whole chocolate cake a few weekends ago as an attempt to get out of a slump. I kid you not! It was a smaller round cake, only like 8″. 😉

        HAHAHA. I just imagine you running around and people asking you questions or trying to start conversation, but you just respond with “I want to read ALL THE BOOKS” instead. It’s perfect. Excitement is DEFINITELY contagious. That’s why I add so many books to my TBR after reading blog posts. I just get the excitement from my blogger friends and BAM: my TBR is suddenly close to 2,000 books.

        !! Well, I just checked out the Goodreads page for White Chrysanthemum and it sounds amazing. I don’t know if I could read it, though. Like you said, it sounds so challenging to get through… I might just cry forever.

        I just finished my first Ruta Sepetys book, Between Shades of Gray. It definitely made my ugly cry, but I love it. ALSO a WWII book, this one focuses on the deportation of Lithuanians (and Latvians, Estonians, and Fins) by the Soviets to Serbian labor camps. It’s ugly and horrific and a brilliantly told tale. I love it.

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      • Oooh, chocolate cake! Now I’m craving some.
        I actually finished reading White Crhysanthemum, and it was honestly quite graphic. I cried—a lot. 😥 And I LOVE RUTA SEPETYS. Between Shades of Gray was also the first book I read from her, and I think I’ve reread it so many times, I can’t even count. Lina’s strength was so inspirational. ❤

        (also, I went on an unplanned three-month-long hiatus, which explains my extremely late response xD)

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  18. Oh my gosh this post cracked me up so much! 😀 I wish I had read this earlier because I REALLY needed it. I just got out of a horrible reading slump, I kept telling myself not to pick up a book until I finish my ARCs but that ended up making me not want to read anything. Your advice is great [especially that setting your house on fire thing, very sound and rational advice, best I’ve ever heard 🙂 ].

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  19. OmG, reading slumps are the absolute WORST! Ack! Also, no judgement on Geronimo Stilton. Although I do have to say, I preferred his sister Thea. She and her gang were AWESOME.
    Also, I LOVED this post. Absolutely fantastic, work of art, don’t you love 2 am ideas? In any case, just wanted to let you know it was fabulous. 🙂

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  20. You had me laughing (and then slapping my hand over my mouth praying I didn’t wake my FINALLY sleeping 18 month old) a few times here! Loved this post 🙂 And #2 was what got me into so much trouble the last time I blogged (before my break and subsequent switch from Blogger to WordPress). I was uber guilty of signing up for SO MANY books that I then felt like I only got to read books I had to, not books I wanted to (even though, when I signed up for them, I definitely wanted to). Hence, reading slump and blogging break. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a hard time with signing up for book tours and review books. I really can’t help it. There are just so many books! And I want to read them all! Baby steps. At least there hasn’t been a reading slump yet lol!

    Again, great post 🙂 And I am a new follower!

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    • Aw, thank you so much~! ❤ (I hope your sleeping baby xD) And yes, I'm also an incredibly greedy book reader—unfortunately, I get way too ahead of myself when requesting books and I never have time to read the ones I actually want. I went on a blogging break too!! (hence my 4-month late reply, HAHA). I really can't help myself, though—I want to read all the books!! There's not enough time in the world, I'm telling you TT^TT

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