**My latest read rests not in my hands, but on my face. I was sitting on the sofa reading my book but I have been struggling through what may be a reading slump, so that leads me to where I am now – laying on the sofa, with my book over my face. I push myself up and grab some parchment and my quill. I have to get out of this slump, so I write all my best tips down to follow.**

Welcome or welcome back to bookishcore. The idea for this post came from a lot of thinking in the past week or so. I started to realize that I haven’t loved a book in a while, haven’t had a new favorite in such a long time. I haven’t really loved anything I’ve read this year, and it feels difficult to pick up a book which always terrifies me. I love reading, but just don’t feel like it, so I wanted to talk about getting back into reading, or out of a reading slump, and my experience and tips for reading again.

My Experience

I have been reading for as long as I remember. I have just always loved it and always have a book on hand. I have had my ups and downs with it just like everyone else. I was actually in a bit of a two year reading slump before covid hit. I was still reading, but it wasn’t nearly as much as I used to and I couldn’t really get into it. I only got back into it because of covid since everything slowed down and I had more time. In 2020, I read about 39 books, 73 in 2021, 64 in 2022, and 74 in 2023. So far in 2024, I have read 32. 2021 was a great reading year for me. I read so many books and liked a lot of the ones I read. Each year since, I feel like my love for the books I’m reading declines. Because of this, I can feel myself getting into a bit of a slump and it gets harder for me to pick up books. So let’s get into my tips.

Tip #1 – Don’t Force Yourself to Read

Forcing yourself to read, especially when you’re not in the reading mood, can push you deeper into your slump. I keep trying to push myself to read because I like to do it consistently, but what really made it worse was summer reading. My library does a summer reading program where you read books to fill out tickets for the chance to win a prize. After reading about 3 or 4 books a month for most of the year, I have now been reading much more just to fill out the tickets. And some of them aren’t books I even want to read. I was basically just looking for books short enough to read quickly to get in more tickets. I think it can be good to set goals, such as read for 30 minutes, or read 50 pages, but this works better if your issue is more time based. You can try it, but don’t force it. That leads me to my next tip.

Tip #2 – Read What You Want

A big cause of reading slumps, or not getting out of one, can be what you’re reading. In my last tip, I mentioned how I was reading short books even if they weren’t ones I necessarily wanted to read. It is very important to pick up books that you want to read. Don’t read a book just because it is popular. Don’t read one just because it’s short. Don’t read it just because it has been on your unread shelf for three years and you feel bad about it. Pick up the books you WANT to read. For myself, I have been reading a lot more adult books, even though I primarily read young adult. I keep reading them because they sound interesting, but it doesn’t work for me most of the time, which goes into #3.

Tip #3 – Read Books You THINK You Will Like, Not Just What Sounds Interesting

This one may not make sense to everyone, but for me, there are some books that really intrigue me. They have an interesting topic or aspect to them that sounds interesting, or maybe the plot is interesting, but I am pretty sure that they will only be about a 3/5 star rating, so something that’s just okay. I still read it though because there is an intriguing element. I find that a lot of adult books are like this for me. I usually don’t read them, but I have read a lot this year. I think this push out of my comfort zone is part of why I am in a bit of a slump, and why I am not enjoying the books I am reading.

Tip #4 – It’s NOT Bad to Read In Your Comfort Zone. AKA, Read What You’re Used to.

Some people want to read books out of their comfort zone to experiment with their reading. I also do this. I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but every so often, maybe one or two books a year, I will read one to try them out. But here’s the thing – pushing yourself out of your comfort zone doesn’t always work, especially if you’re in a slump. If you notice that you aren’t liking what you are reading, make a change. It’s a simple fix, but it should be said. It’s completely fine to read only one genre.

Tip #5 – Reread Books And Read From Favorite Authors

A great way to get out of a slump is to reread an old favorite or even just read a new book by your favorite author. I did a reread of The Unexpected Everything this year and had a great time. I also annotated it and picked up on new information and thoughts. I’m hoping to read The Ballad of Darcy and Russell by Morgan Matson and some of my unread Brigid Kemmerer books soon because I know that I love these authors. If anything, or anyone, will get me into reading again, it will probably be these two authors.

A Few Extra Tips

• Stop rating books
  • I started rating books in 2020 when I started a reading journal, and I recently noticed that it isn’t doing me any favors. Having a number attached to your reads may make you feel like you aren’t enjoying your books. I’m actually experimenting with this currently.

• Don’t think about your physical TBR
  • It doesn’t matter if you have 3 unread books or 300. Don’t think about the books you still have to read. Don’t let that pressure you into speeding through books. We read because it’s fun and relaxing, so enjoy your time reading.
• Buddy read
  • Reading a book with a friend may help you get back into reading because you can talk about your book with someone else and discuss your favorite parts of it. Get some snacks and make it fun.
• Ignore the numbers
  • It doesn’t matter how many books you read in a year. You can keep track, but don’t let it bother you if you’re not reading as much as you want. Quality>Quantity

That about wraps up my tips for getting back into reading or getting out of a slump. Not all of these will work for everyone, since we all have different things that will get us out of a reading slump. I’m hoping some of these tips help you in your reading journey, and I’m hoping to start following some of these myself. Let me know any of your own tips for trying to get back into reading. Until next time.

xoxo,

Just another reader.