tinasimms

I think the key is to not take reading slumps personally. Whenever I get into one, I fall into this guilty panic, like the unread books on my shelf are neglected friends and the longer they sit on that shelf the angrier they become.

       Yes, I think my books have feelings.

       Now clearly that mindset isn’t productive (or sane), so instead of feeling bad about myself, I make one of two choices: (A) I go to my Comfort Books. Comfort Books differ for everyone, but mine are usually books from my childhood that are so cozy and nostalgic to read that I can’t feel bad while reading them. (Examples of this are A Wrinkle in Time, the Harry Potter series, Anne of Green Gables, The Hobbit, the Magic Treehouse series, and Treasure Island.) From there, I look for books that give me that same feeling. I look for other children’s books or adventure stories.

        Another tact I take is a bit unorthodox, but it sometimes works: (B) switch genres. You’re backed up on piles of YA fiction? Check out a biography. Have a ton of cookbooks lining your walls? Try a mystery to pique your interest. Have too many political science tomes? Pick up a coffee-table travel book. Sometimes a change of atmosphere is all you need to trigger your reading habit.

        Reading is supposed to be fun, so don’t put yourself down. You will find a book you love, a book so good that it overwhelms your curiosity, and before you know it, you’ll be three books in. To get this feeling, that means you will have to book other (innocent, perfectly nice) books on hold. Repeat this mantra: you will get to them eventually. They’re not going anywhere.