How-to love books again

Most of the time, reading is something that comes very naturally for us book nerds. We can’t wait to get to the next page, next chapter, next book— which is why it is especially frustrating when we fall into what is known as a “reading slump”. Here are my tips to gain back that momentum and love reading again!

1. Read something familiar

There are many different reasons for them, but at their core "reading slumps" are a time when a reader is simply not interested in books. Every book you pick up feels bland and you lose motivation before you even flip through the pages. An easy way to solve that problem is to read something you already love!

I’ve mentioned this before, but my favorite book to reread is “Normal People” by Sally Rooney. I don’t even need to read it in order, I just turn to a random page, and experience something new each time. Reading this way is freeing because you aren’t putting pressure on yourself to

complete something, which turns a hobby into a chore.

Ultimately, reading something I already enjoy reminds me why I get so excited about books in the first place.

2. Read something dumb

One summer I made a goal to read all the classics I’d been wanting to read before the following semester, and spoiler alert, I didn’t read very many of them.

Again, when I start to think of reading as a list that needs to get checked off, it becomes unfun. And putting the “classic novel” criteria on my reading list, made it feel less attainable. I LOVE the classics, but I wasn’t reading them because I wanted their stories, I was reading them because I wanted to feel smart.

me reading "something dumb"

Sometimes, it’s okay to pick up something a little juvenile, like a young adult murder mystery, just to get you turning the pages.

3. Don’t read at all

Don't read at all?! Heather, that doesn’t make any sense!

Well, when you already don’t want to read, forcing yourself to do so is just going to make the hobby feel more and more undesirable. Try watching a movie, or writing, or playing tabletop role play games. These kind of activities are going to feed the same part of your brain that loves reading, until you are ready to pick up another book.

Sometimes we let reading become such a staple of our identity, that it becomes who we are, rather than something we love. Remember to have fun with books and comment down below how you get out of a reading slump?