5 Types of Reading Slumps and How to Get Out of Them

If you’re reading this on the day this blog is posted, Happy National Book Lovers Day! To celebrate books, readers, and writers, I wanted to write about something that happens to many readers: the almighty reading slump. Sometimes, you can feel it coming on. Other times, it comes when you least expect it. Here are some reading slumps I’ve experienced, along with some remedies to get you back to reading as soon as possible.

1. The “Nothing Sounds Good” Reading Slump

You have an extensive TBR list. You are tuned in to your favorite BookTuber or BookToker who has scores of book recommendations for your viewing and note-taking pleasure. Somehow, nothing piques your interest enough to immediately get to the library or bookstore to borrow or buy that book.

One thing I’ve noticed among readers is that you can embody different phases as a reader. You may have an extensive TBR list, but you may be in the season of being a mood reader. You may have identified as a mood reader before, but now having three books on your to-be-read list gives you calm.

My solution for this particular reading slump is to find out if you’re in your list-reading era or your mood-reading era. If you’re a list reader, go through your TBR list again until you find the title that gives you that spark. You can even make it a fun event with your friend; the more, the merrier! If you are a mood reader, I have a quiz that can help you narrow down what genre you’re in the mood for.

2. The Boredom Reading Slump

You have multiple books in queue, but not one book is keeping your interest. The cycle goes on and on: you start a book and lose interest…and so on, and so forth. Don’t get me wrong, there are denser texts that deserve to be read slowly, savored even, but not every single reading experience needs to be like that.

My solution for this reading slump is to switch genres, read something light or more fun for you, or find a book with faster pacing. Reading is fundamental and educational, but it can also be fun, too. Indulge in a book or two that brings you joy, just because.

3. The Low-Attention Span Reading Slump

You have been reading the same sentence over and over. You’re even nodding off a bit because you’re reading the words with your eyes but not absorbing the context of the sentence with your brain. There’s a point where you may will yourself to focus, but you’re distracted enough to notice the surrounding sounds around you. Can you relate to any of this? Please tell me I’m not the only one.

My solution to this reading slump is offering you two options: listening to an audiobook or getting into immersive reading. Immersive reading is when you read a physical book or an ebook while listening to an audiobook at the same time. In my personal experience, it helps me focus, and some books are super entertaining to read immersively. Two years ago, audiobooks gave me the space to envision a story in my mind’s eye while crocheting or knitting. Years before, I had trouble focusing on physical books alone. Listening to audiobooks eventually helped me to rediscover my love for reading.

If you’re looking for audiobooks and would like to support your local indie bookshop at the same time, check out Libro FM.

4. The “Oops, I’m Reading the Wrong Book” Reading Slump

There’s a book you’ve been recommended and you can’t wait to read it. Now, as you’re reading it, you’re realizing that you can’t wait for it to be over (and not in a good way). Has this ever happened to you? A simple solution here would be to DNF the book and keep it moving, but I would like to dive deeper into this scenario.

My solution for this reading slump would be to set the book aside for now. If you know you have no intention of restarting the book, go ahead and DNF it. I’m saying this as someone who has serious trouble DNFing books. For the life of me, I can’t do it! However, if the book piques your interest even slightly, set it aside for now.

Your Honor, my case for this solution is the concept of comfort shows and comfort reading. If this is one of your favorite pastimes, I am appealing to you. The beauty of watching the same show or reading the same book multiple times is that while the show and book do not change, as time passes by, you do. Seldom are we the same people who watch and read our favorite TV shows and books. There’s something new to learn, a new perspective is unlocked, and we feel differently about a particular fictional character. This is why I say to set the book aside for now. Sometimes, we don’t find a book. Rather, a book finds us. It will be there on our bookshelf or TBR list waiting patiently until we are ready to read and fully understand it.

5. The Post-Great Book Hangover Reading Slump

You read one of the best books of the year or of this decade. In random moments of the day, you find yourself staring into space, just thinking about the book. There’s this mix of awe, feeling seen, feeling understood, and… almost sadness that the book is over. Also, nostalgia for the opportunity to read that book for the first time again. How will another book compare? Let me tell you that I understand this reading slump on a spiritual level.

My solution for this reading slump is acceptance. Accept that the book you read is one of one. Treasure and cherish all of the emotions you felt and the experience you had while reading that book for the first time. As much as you’ll want to, try your best not to chase what that book gave to you in other books. You now have the option to reread the book or to read something new with a clean slate, no expectations.

These are all the remedies I could come up with on how to get out of a reading slump! Sometimes, a reading slump is just a reading slump. Nothing you can do about it. In those moments, I switch to crochet or knitting (any other craft or activity of your choice works here, too). I hope you found this list useful. Have you ever been in a reading slump? What kind of reading slump from this list do you relate to the most?

Thank you for being here, I’ll chat with you in the next blog. Good day or good night!

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Hi, I’m Kerri Olivia, an author, fiber artist, and founder of Sparks Unlocked Co. At Sparks Unlocked Co., we help fellow readers and crafters find beauty, comfort, and meaning in slow living through occasional crochet and knitting tutorials, digital third places for crafters and readers, book recommendations, and storytelling. Join these conversations with me on Threads and Pinterest.

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