This week’s prompt: How do you deal with reading slumps or moments when you can’t get into a book?
This is always a conundrum. I suppose there are a couple of options when you’re in a reading slump. Either shrug and give up, or push yourself through to keep reading. I’ve tried both, and I’ve found that trying to force myself to read doesn’t usually work. I think the concern always used to be, “what if I never read another book again???” Over the past few years, I’ve begun to notice trends in my reading. Usually I’ll have a few months out of the year where I do little or no reading. It’s often during the winter, which I don’t think is a coincidence – there’s school for my kid, which means early mornings, more social engagements, homework, chores and just overall less time and energy. It’s also the time of year when it’s getting darker and wetter, and that always makes me want to slow down and take things slower because I have less energy when it’s dark, as a lot of us do. Then there’s the holiday season for those of us who celebrate at this time of year, and that’s always full of stressful things like present shopping, figuring out what plans are going to be, decorating, cooking, finding little things to do or make for neighbours, and finally all the present wrapping. It’s always a whirlwind, and though I love the vibe of this time of year – lights are wonderful – it always leaves me feeling like I’ve been hit by some kind of glittery tornado and I’m more tired at the end than the beginning. I often don’t recover until about March, hence my reading slumps often lasting into the new year.
I’m in a reading slump now, not sure exactly why it hit early this year, but it’s been going on for over a month now. Probably something to do with stress – my husband started a new job and that has impacted all of us tremendously. He’s super busy and very stressed (though he’s handling it admirably), and he’s traveling, so my kid and I are adjusting to those absences and I’m doing everything I can to try and help take some of the load when I can – mostly by driving which is its own special kind of hell. Change is always hard, even when it’s good and necessary, so though nothing is bad, it is still challenging right now. So, in short, not much time or energy left for reading, and I’m just rolling with it. I’m catching up on TV shows I haven’t watched all summer, I’m spending time with my family when we are all together, and I’m enjoying just taking things a little slower between the busy. We’ll adjust, and I’ll get back to reading when things feel a bit more settled! Luckily my never-ending TBR isn’t going anywhere.
What about you guys? Do you have reading slumps often? Have you noticed a seasonal or life-event pattern to when they happen? How do you deal with them when they do occur? Any strategies or types of books that help you get out of them?
The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly blog link-up that gives participants a different book-related question to ponder each week, and allows them to share their thoughts, find new blogs to follow and connect with new readers. The Hop was originally created by Jennifer at Crazy for Books and is now hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. To see a list of upcoming prompts go here.
