Book bloggers have a tight schedule when it comes to reading. Sometimes we have more than 1 book on the go, some have to be reviewed by a certain date and others have been sent to us by authors or publishers requesting a review so it’s more than a slight inconvenience when we find ourselves in a reading slump. Even for those who aren’t book bloggers, it’s mildly frustrating when you can’t seem to find anything that’s catching your interesting or keeping your attention!

The reason for this post is because I’m in a reading slump at this very moment. I’ve read 2 books in the past few weeks, both of which I thought I’d love but I didn’t and I’m currently reading one now which I expected to be right up my street but it turns out it took the wrong turning and ended up down someone else’s. By the time this post gets published, I’ll probably have come out the other side (hopefully!) but for now I thought maybe talking about it might help me get out of it. We’ve all been there. We pick up book after book, get a few chapters in and are just uninterested and most of the time, it’s probably not the book that’s not drawing us in, rather our frame of mind at the time of reading it because I know in the past I’ve picked up a book and put it straight back down only to try it again a few months later and not be able to let it go. For people who love reading, being in a reading slump can be a right pain in the backside, especially when reading brings you so much pleasure and enjoyment so I thought I’d share with you some strategies to help bring you out of your reading slump.

Lose the expectations

I find the more expectations I have of a book, the more likely I am to not enjoy it as much. Of course there are a few exceptions but try to avoid reading lots of 5 star reviews of a book right before reading it so you go in with an open mind not wondering whether you’ll love the main character or cry as much as so-and-so did.

Stop reading

Probably the opposite piece of advice here but giving yourself a break from reading might be just the thing you need to bring you back. Book lovers have to have a book on the go at all times, so not having a book on the go for a few days should make you realise how much you enjoy and miss reading.

Try something new

I sometimes find I end up in book slumps after I read too much of the same thing so if nothing is interesting you, but everything you’re trying is the same genre/same writing style/same kind of story line, mix things up a bit and explore something new and totally different to what you’re used to. It might surprise you and become a new favourite genre and even if that’s the only book of that genre you ever read – at least it got you out of your reading slump!

Go back to what you know

A point made by Lindsey from Book Boodle although I just mentioned trying something new, it could be equally as helpful going back to one of your all-time favourites. That book that started your love for reading. For example, if you’re a huge Harry Potter fan, reading your favourite book in the series in the middle of your reading slump might help you remember how important reading actually is to you.

Have any of these tips worked for you in the past? Do you have your own way you get through a reading slump? Let me know!