Hello and welcome back to my blog where I say I’m going to post on Mondays and then post on Tuesdays instead because I refuse to do any kind of work over the weekend.
I haven’t been reading quite as much as I usually do. Instead, I’ve been spending my time staring at walls and contemplating my place in the universe. I’m currently slogging my way through White Fang, and I should have a review up of both White Fang and The Call of the Wild next week. Hopefully that two-fer makes up for the ramshackle post I’m giving you today.
Since I’m going through a period where I just don’t feel like reading, I figured I would share my tips for getting back into the habit of reading every day with you guys. I think everyone who reads frequently can relate to having dry spells where books just aren’t doing it for you, so here’s some ways to get the ball rolling.
- Switch up your genres
This is the first thing I try when I’ve been in a slump. Sometimes I become too preoccupied with a certain genre and the repetitiveness makes a book, which might otherwise be a good book, seem banal and uninteresting. If you’re a big lover of fantasy, but the ample description and tedious verbiage are dragging you down, maybe it’s time to switch it up to something more lighthearted like a cozy crime novel. After I finish White Fang, I’m going to give poetry a go because I haven’t read good poetry in forever. I’m already getting excited about it. - Create a habit
This one is pretty obvious. If you have a book you want to read but you just haven’t gotten around to it, create a set time each morning/afternoon/evening to read. Thirty minutes is a good starting goal, but if you can commit to an hour, you’ll quickly get back into the swing of things. If you’re having trouble committing to thirty minutes, try fifteen. Any amount of time spent reading is a good amount of time spent reading. - Pick a short book
Sometimes a good way to flex your reading muscles is to read a novella or really short novel. I’m talking less than a hundred pages here. A few recommendations from me: The Mist by Stephen King, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, and Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. Some of those might not be under a hundred pages, but they’re pretty close. - Reread one of your favorite books
Rereading one of your favorite books is an excellent way to get back into reading. Sometimes we just need to remember how enjoyable reading can be. If you know you already like a book, then there’s no trepidation going into it. This tip might not work for everyone because a familiar book may seem too predictable, but it’s worth a try. - Ask a friend for a recommendation
It was an old friend who recommended The Nevernight Chronicles to me and those are now some of my favorite novels. There are so many different books and so many ways to find new ones. A recommendation, particularly one of a style/author/genre you wouldn’t normally consider reading, might be “out there” enough to reignite your interest in books. - Give nonfiction a go
I find it very hard to read fiction when I’m really focused on a writing project. This doesn’t happen all the time, but sometimes I’m so absorbed in my own craft that I feel like reading another person’s fiction is going to pull me out of it. Of course, I don’t want to avoid reading entirely, so I’ll usually switch over to nonfiction for a while instead. If you’re a person who reads a lot of fiction, a nonfiction novel may act as a good palate cleanser. This is also a good tip if you’ve just read a fantastic work of fiction and everything else now seems subpar. - Try an audiobook
I know. I’m not the hugest fan of audiobooks either, but it’s something different, you know? If you’re really struggling to read, pick a short one and give it a shot. There are free audiobooks of older novels on Spotify, and of course Audible does a free trial if you’re interested in that route. - Make a reading list
When you haven’t read in a while, choosing the next book can feel overwhelming. This is especially true if you already have a long reading list. To make the task less daunting, pick five books and put them in an ordered list. This gives you a goal of books to read, and gives you a physical thing to check off after you’ve completed your task.
The biggest thing to remember here is: don’t stress it. Stressing about how much you’re not reading is unlikely to have any positive effect. Instead, keep in mind that people go through all kinds of slumps. It’s natural and it’s extremely changeable. Hopefully these tips help you out and get you back on track.
The Lit Wiz