A Bookish Bind: The Dreaded Slump

After several starts and stops, I have finally diagnosed myself (to my utter disappointment) with a book slump. If you're an avid reader, you've probably experience the slump before and you know that it.is.the.worst. 

Slumps aren't restricted to books. Think about when you've finished a great TV show on Netflix and you have no idea what to watch next. Maybe you weave tapestries and you suddenly have absolutely no motivation or inspiration for new pieces. Maybe you like to take photographs but you feel like you've taken pictures of everything already. Or maybe you've had pizza one too many times this week. Slumps hit us in all aspects of life, but this blog is about books so, yeah, ya know.

If you're wondering whether you have or have experienced a book slump, here are the following symptoms:

• Lack of interest in any of the books you own and have wanted to read
• Inability to read past the first few pages 
• Countless hours (okay, maybe just some minutes) spent staring at your bookshelf with a heavy heart
• Reading like a zombie (getting through a book but feeling as though you read it in a haze and can't remember anything)

Guys, it sucks. It is my least favorite thing. It makes me feel like a bad reader, it scares me into thinking I may never enjoy reading again, it makes me wonder why I own any books at all...it leads to a serious bookworm identity crisis. 

I've had this happen a few times and I always bounce back. That's a good thing to remember: The slump does not last forever. It just feels that way. Looking back on it, I've started to notice some patterns that have ultimately led me in this crappy direction, and I think they might be the reason you feel this way sometimes, too.

• Binge-reading a series and getting completely engaged in that world, therefore feeling an inability to disconnect from those characters and/or connect to new characters
• Stubbornly pushing through a book instead of DNFing and ultimately wasting good time on something you didn't enjoy
• Reading too much of the same genre
• Reading a book that becomes emotionally taxing or has triggers for things that upset you (ex. sexual assault, domestic abuse, self-harm, etc.)

Do any of these things sound familiar to you? By looking at those common causes, I can think of 2 reasons right off the top of my head as to why I'm stuck in this space. The first one is because of my nearly 2 month engagement with the Shadowhunter world. It was hard to get into at first, but now that I've finished I miss it. Luckily, I can get back into it with some other new stories (like this, this, this, and the just-released first book in a new Shadowhunter trilogy, Lady Midnight) but I wanted to give some attention to my other books...and I did! I was doing great. And then I read Dangerous Girls...

I have anxiety and it, as you might understand, totally SUCKS. Books surrounding murder really upset me (whodathunk?). Though it was a different story than Dangerous Girls, I also got into a slump last year after reading Luckiest Girl Alive because it went to a place that upset me and I wasn't expecting it. I really enjoyed the book, and I think about it often, but it was still a rough experience for me and I found it hard to come back from that hangover. 

 So what can ya do about it? I have some suggestions.

Don't settle on one option.

 
Try a little bit of everything. Grab different books off of your shelves (or the shelves at the bookstore or the library) and read a page or two. If nothing stands out, you tried. But maybe you'll end up getting sucked into a book when you weren't even expecting it! (And if a book you've really been dying to read doesn't hook you, don't automatically assume you'll never enjoy it. You're just not ready yet!)

Keep it light.

A lot of bookstagrammers/bloggers/humans have a go-to genre for situations like these. For many, including myself, we gravitate towards romcom-esque contemporaries or light, easy reads (something you might think of as a "beach read"). An uncomplicated story will refresh your mind and put you in a good mood (don't we all need a predictable story every once in a while?).     

Embrace it.

Admitting defeat and stepping back from reading seems like a sucky thing to do, but it will ultimately benefit you. The worst thing you can do right now is pick up a book that you're trudging through just because it was the next thing on your TBR pile. Chances are, you won't fully engage and the book might not have the same impact on you as it would've with an open, slump-free mind. Do something else. Get one of those adult coloring books. Binge-watch Fuller House. Take a hike. Bake fresh bread. Just step away from the shelves.

Have you guys ever experienced a book slump? Do you have any tried and true tips for busting a slump? I'd love to hear your thoughts!