Reading Slump /ˈrēdiNG/sləmp/ (noun) – not being able to pick up a book and read because you just can’t, you just can’t read right now.
For the last half of February this year, I was in a book rut. Yes, even your friendly neighborhood booksellers get reading slumps! It’s a very frustrating place to be when my job is to be able to recommend books to the lovely customers that come into Lemuria. I’d like to offer some advice on 1) how to recognize when you’re in a slump of your own, and 2) how to snap out of it and get back to reading.
How did I recognize that I was in a book slump? Well, for one, I noticed that I was going days at a time without picking up a book. Binge watching Queer Eye was a lot more interesting than finishing my February classic (see my blog from January about my journey into loving the classics).
Laying in bed and eating potato chips was more enthralling than reading my book club book. I finally realized that what was putting me in a slump was the obligation of reading. I didn’t want to read what I was supposed to be reading, and the thought of reading anything else left me feeling guilty about not picking up my book club books. So, what did I do? I didn’t read anything. At least a week passed by where I didn’t pick up a book except to move it out of the way to place my coffee down. I was itching to read, but I still had my classic novel in the back of my head making me sweat bullets.
How did I get out of my book slump? First, I decided that the awesome women in my book club weren’t going to run me out of town if I didn’t read our February pick. So, I let that one go. Then I lifted my rigid classics deadline. So what if I don’t finish Northanger Abbey by the end of February? Once I took these harsh restrictions off of myself, I felt like a load had been taken off my shoulder. Next, I decided to stick my toes back into reading. I had a cozy mystery on my shelf that I hadn’t read yet, so I decided that was perfect book to get my eyes and brain adjusted back to reading. Boy, was it! I was sucked into this mystery, not wanting to put it down. I forgot all about my laptop and Netflix and Candy Crush. When I finished that one, I was ready to finish Northanger Abbey. And you know what? I finished it before the end of February. Now I’m fully aboard the Reading Express out of Slumptown with three books grabbing my attention. I’m currently reading an Agatha Christie whodunnit, American Marriage by Tayari Jones, and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, which is my March classic pick. I know this sounds like a lot, but once I remembered that I actually like to read, I wanted to read everything I could get my hands on. Sometimes, it takes laying on the couch and letting Hulu play six Law & Order: SVU episodes in a row to make you come to the realization that you’re in a rut.
Are you in a reading slump? The booksellers at Lemuria would love to help you out of it!
Comments are closed.