I am not entirely sure if this is a reading slump, but lately I have not been able to read any books properly. I do enjoy fantasy, crime, drama, emotional and comic stories. But somehow, I cannot seem to read any book till the end. The ones I have read till the end lately, have felt like a chore.
This is probably my millennial mind talking, but I cannot seem to find the same magic I found in books like Twilight, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games or Divergent, etc….
The fantasy books nowadays do have good storytelling, but I cannot read through them..😅😅
Is this just me or do you guys also experience this?
PS: book recs are also welcome! 😄😄
by humblebee1321
8 Comments
Latching on to your millennial list, have you tried The Hawthorne Legacy? You might also enjoy The Ninth House.
Reading slumps happen! Sometimes it takes awhile to find that new book that reignites the drive.
I had the same problem! I am using the book club in r/fantasyromance to challenge myself. I’ve also taken to highlighting interesting passages and making notes in the margins as I read; I’m not sure why that works, but it’s increased my interest in what I’m reading. I’ve already ordered the sequel to a book I wouldn’t have picked up otherwise!
I have no specific recommendations book-wise, but it’s worth a shot!
Has this just started recently, or is this more of an ongoing issue? If it’s new, maybe it’s time to take a break from reading and do something else? Taking time away for a bit can sometimes help and respark a later interest in reading when you’re ready.
When I worked to build a reading habit, I set aside a short period of time each day where I’d just read — 15 minutes at first. For that time, no phones, no screens, just a few books on a shelf. If I didn’t like a book, I’d try another. Eventually, I found myself reading more and more, often well longer than the 15 minutes I’d planned.
I think you might be burned out on what’s mainstream and popular. They do a lot of chasing what was trendy last year.
Try looking for innovation in web serials and indie niches! If you enjoy fantasy, try r/progressionfantasy, and for sci-fi, try r/hfy
Have you tried audiobooks or short stories/novellas? I found that listening to books while cleaning/on the train/and so on has been a huge help as well as the accomplishment on finishing a short story. It definitely helped motivate me when in a reading slump.
Or you could try rereading old favourites.
If that doesn‘t help maybe you‘re just burnt out and need a break from reading for a bit.
Have you tried fourth wing yet? I actually don’t really like fantasy as a genre and I’m usually a thriller reader, but I loved all the series you mentioned and it’s giving me the same vibes.
Also you might prefer audiobooks and that’s ok!
Perhaps you are just doing too much about it. Too many reviews, setting up times or locations to read, looking things up, talking about reading more than doing it… It could also feel like a chore if it either has a lot of setup or if it plays such a big role overall. You could just pick up a book instead of all that.
You could simplify it. Go to a bookstore or some online store, whatever you prefer, don’t look up anything beforehand and just pick a book and start it. Hell, start it in the bus on your way home out of all the places, don’t look up anything until you are done, no opinions, no external factors, just you and a book and that is it.
For me, the enjoyment of it comes from how we can all connect through reading but by having differing opinions. The more I know about a book beforehand, the more chore-like it gets for me.
I had a reading slump for a few years. I actually got back into reading by trying something completely new. I randomly picked up a memoir and then read like another 15 memoirs. I don’t know that I’d read a single memoir before that.
Maybe you just need to try something completely different.