 |
| This is how I feel about my recent reads. |
I've finished quite a few books in the last several weeks and none of them seems like it was great. A few I was able to muster some enthusiasm for, but most of them just felt so drab. It is quite possible that it's just a string of bad luck picking dull books, but it is beginning to be a bit suspect that I would read so many books with such potential and feel very meh about all of them.
I don't know, maybe I'm just being whiny or picky or just plain annoying, but I need to pick up something that will blast everything else out of the water. You know? Remind me just how fabulous books can be today and restore my faith in the writing world. Give me something to obsess about. Is that asking too much?
Have you ever experienced this kind of reading slump? How did you get out of it? Any suggestions for books that will slap me out of the funk?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
Posts
Yes! I just posted about my own reading slump! (Maybe it's just that time of year?) It's awful. I finally "finished" one of the blah books (I skipped over A LOT) and then I decided to pick up something completely different: The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures. It was a lot of fun...I'm just bummed I read it so quickly.
ReplyDeleteI also recommend going back to an old favorite...that's helped me through slumps in the past!
Ugh, I hate slumps of all kinds - glad you were able to find something fun to read! I'm trying to figure out what old fave I need to pick up again.
DeleteI too recommend a favorite reread - one you haven't read for a while. I went through the same thing for several months (April to September) this year. I spent a lot of time rereading during those months. It reminded me why I love the reliability of a well-written book. When September rolled around it brought a spate of new and good books, and I've managed to move beyond the slump now.
ReplyDeleteI love to hear successful slump-overcoming stories (Apr-Sep is a long time)! I'm hoping I can decide what to reread before too much longer (maybe the real problem is indecision?) and get back into my reading groove again.
DeleteYou might not want to reread one of your favorite books when your having a slump. I'm not saying you shouldn't for sure, but when I was going through a slump and read one of my fav all time books, when I got done I saw all the flaws I had missed the first (few?) time I had read it, which made me depressed as I had loved the book SO much before.
DeleteOh, that does sound kind of sad. I'll have to make sure it is one I really loved before rereading it!
DeleteYes, I have experienced this before! I just stopped reading for awhile. I know it sounds like the worst advice ever but honestly it was the only way to get my mojo back.
ReplyDeleteNah, I don't think it's bad advice, Amused. I think sometimes you just have to stop to appreciate something. I might give it a rest for a while, we'll see.
DeleteI've been in this kind of slump before and as awful as it is I'd prefer it over the kind of slump I'm in. I can't manage to even pick up a book let alone like or dislike it. You'll find something amazing and it will bring you out of the slump. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm bummed your in any kind of slump, Jenny. I need more reviews from you! Thanks for your encouragement, though.
DeleteBack when I blogged about books, this happened when I started to get bogged down with books I felt like i "had" to read. Re-reading an old favorite or reading a book simply because I'd found it at the library and it looked interesting seemed to help. Good luck. I hate reading slumps.
ReplyDeleteI think that is part of why I'm slumping - so many books I "should" read. Thanks for the advice!
DeleteI can understand this as I too have suffered from it. My cure was a couple of good mysteries.
ReplyDeleteI probably wouldn't be cured by mysteries, since I'm not usually a fan, but I should find a few good fantasies or something I like to bring me out. Glad to hear you escaped the slump :)
DeleteOne I really liked recently was The Peculiar, by Stefan Bachmann--I think it might work for you! Good luck, in any event...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Charlotte. I actually read that one a little while ago and I did enjoy it, but I've kind of forgotten about it now. And I still haven't posted my review! Maybe I read too much too fast and then nothing sticks with me :(
DeleteI find I go in cycles. I'll read several books in a row that are awesome, then it seems like an endless stream of "blah." Hang in there, it sounds like you're due for a turnaround :)
ReplyDeleteIn a pinch, I always like to go back to an old favorite that I know to be awesome.
I hope I'm on the verge of a turnaround. It does seem like I read all the good ones at once and all the meh ones at once. :)
DeleteRe-read a Markus Zusak book this week! :)
ReplyDeleteI was going to give a list of suggestions, but they would just be all my favorites and you know them already!
I think I might need something a bit happier than Zusak right now, but I am really excited for your celebration. I love seeing your list of favorites, though, and I should check out several that I haven't yet :)
DeleteI completely understand! Back in June, I was reading 2 books that were super blah (AND super long)...after weeks of feeling so "eh" about reading them, I finally gave them up. I read through a bunch of reviews and ended up choosing some (short) recent releases that were continually getting amazing feedback. It did the trick!
ReplyDeleteI definitely feel that blah long books are the worst. I may just need to find something short and snappy! Thanks for the advice :)
DeleteSabriel. Seriously. If that book DOESN'T get you out of your slump, I don't know what will. (And the second book is even better.) It is NOT however, a light, fun read though there are definitively some funny moments.
ReplyDeleteIf you do want something fun to read, try Mercedes Lackey's 500 Kingdom's series. There are a FEW things as the series goes on that aren't AMAZING but over all her books are a solid five stars.
Ooh, I did love Sabriel! I might need to reread that series. I haven't ever read Mercedes Lackey at all before, so it might be worth a shot. thanks very much for the suggestions!
Delete