Every month I write a Monthly Reads blog post in which I talk about books I read the previous month and books that I plan to read in the current month. Last month, March, I hit a way--the biggest reading slump I've been in all year. I couldn't even finish a single book. Read more on this post to see how I plan to get out of the slump.
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How to get out of a reading slump
Reread something you love
This one is an easy one. The reason that you typically are in a reading slump is because you just can't get into the book you're trying to read or you just got done reading a book that you didn't really enjoy. One of the fastest ways to get back into reading is to somehow get sucked into a good book. Once you've got that one book, then you'll be set to read a few more after that.
Rereading a book is a sure win to know you've got one that you like. Pick your favorite book and fly through it again from start to finish. You end up closing the book happy and content and ready to pick up another amazing book right away.
Find an exciting book
This one is a little more difficult because sometimes you just don't know what's going to be exciting to you. An action and adventure book might be labeled as exciting, but maybe its not really your thing. I think that in order to really utilize this reading slump strategy you have to know a lot about your reading style.
For example, I'm stuck in this reading slump regarding the Red Rising Trilogy. While this action book might be labeled by some as exciting, unfortunately it is just not so exciting for me (at least right now). The book is a little out of my comfort zone, and I know that. I'm not always big on novels set in different places or different time period. I know that I'm a contemporary book type of girl, so in order to get out of this slump I know that that's what I need to focus on.
Create time to read during the day
For me, if I don't make time to do something I want then sometimes it just gets pushed aside by the things I think I need to do first. My goal for this month is going to make time in the evening and the weekends. The weekends are my normal time to get A LOT of reading done, but lately I've been putting the TV on instead. This is something I need to stop doing.
Set reasonable goals
You can't get your reading done properly if you aren't being realistic about how much you can actually read. This was my struggle last month, I put too much pressure on myself to read a book that I new I might not really enjoy. Putting this much pressure on myself basically forced me to shut down, I didn't want to read at all, and I didn't get anything accomplish for my reading goals.
If you don't know what's reasonable for you then try a month of setting no goals. Focus on reading for you, and see how much you can get done. Then next month you have a baseline to use as your goals for your "To Be Read" list.
April TBR
This month I am mostly going to focus on getting myself out of this reading slump. I don't want to set too many hard goals, but I'm going to be starting out in a specific direction.
One book that I think I am going to start with this month is a newly purchased one, Andrew's Brain, by E.L. Doctorow. I picked this book up last week hoping that it would be the reading slump push that I needed. I got it at the Dollar General for only $1! Based on the description of this book, it's set in the mind of a man named Andrew as he continues his day, puzzles through his thoughts, and tries to make sense of the world around him. This book fits in the strategy of "Finding an exciting book" for me because it's an intriguing, psychological, contemporary novel (aka my favorite types of books).
I think after this book is done, I might find myself flipping through a few others. But I also don't want to give up on the Red Rising Trilogy. I'm a little ways in to the first book, and it's not that I don't like it, but rather that I'm not sucked in yet. I think it needs a little more time and a few more chapters and I'll be hooked. We'll see where this month ends up reading wise, but I'm just going to keep reading for me.
Please leave a comment down below letting me know what books you are planning to read this month. You can also find me on Goodreads if you are interested in checking in on what I am currently reading and my progress on my books.
