The Reading Slump That Will Not Die

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Sandy, may I send along my belated sympathies? (I would have responded sooner, but I was on a 10-day cruise with limited Internet access. Hey, that’s one way to overcome a reading slump–go on a cruise!) I felt the same way when I FINALLY finished “”The Fiery Cross”” (another item in the Outlander series that never seemed to end!). At any rate, I did what others have suggested; that is, read something completely different. In my case, it was an old Kat Martin novel (“”Heartless””) which contained just about every single cliche known to historical romance. In other words, it was bad, but fun!

MADENSKY SQUARE by Eva Ibbotson was magical for me.

SOULLESS’s author and I share the same agent. How about looking up some other of Kristin Nelson’s clients’ books? Have you tried PERFECT CHEMISTRY, for instance?

I hate slumps! They ruin perfectly good books. Books I have on my TBR list that I have been looking forward to and…ack………they all start to seem the same.

I have found that the only way out of a slump for me is reading non-fiction.

Have just finished Jeannette Walls memior “”The Glass Castle”” and that woke me right up out of my slump. Brutally honest, and couldn’t put it down.

Also enjoyed Christopher Buckleys book about his parents “”Loving Mum & Pup””.

Just know that there is a really good book out there waiting for you to read it and love it forever!

Sandy, be sure and let us know what you choose & if it helps! Good Luck!

Thanks again, everybody, for all the suggestions. I’m going to make a choice this weekend from all your wonderful recommendations and hope I get my reading mojo back. Soon!

Sandy, have you read “”Freedom & Necessity”” by Steven Brust & Emma Bull? It’s a Victorian set novel written in letters. One of my all-time favorite books. The blend of intrigue, adventure, and romance (it has a fabulous love story though it isn’t a genre romance) is somewhat similar to my books, I think. It’s definitely a book that inspired me as a writer.

I second the recommendation of C.S. Harris’s (Candice Proctor) Sebastian St. Cyr books. Also, I forget, have you read Laurie King’s Mary Russell series?

Hope you find something that grabs you soon!
Tracy

There are three things I try when I’m in a reading slump:

1. Walk away from the book pile and do something else for a while.
2. Read a different genre. If I’ve been OD-ing on romances, I’ll try mysteries, or thrillers, or even non-fiction. I’ve discovered some amazing stories this way.
3. Reexperience an old favorite as an audiobook. Our state library system has Overdrive, which means we can download audiobooks for free. Listening to someone else read my favorite book to me is a real treat.

Good luck!

The slump I’m in is exceptionally unpleasant because I live on the east coast and work on the west. I fly back and forth every week and it takes me 8 to 10 hours. 8 to 10 hours of heavenly reading time if I could only find a good book. On the day Linda Howard’s Burn came out, I had marked my calendar, I left work early, had to drive to another city to buy it, and even paid $28 for the hardback. $ was no object since I was going to get some quality time with my favorite author. I was so excited. After 40 pages I felt like crying. It is the only book I’ve ever returned for a refund. Put me in a slump. I think about the pure pleasure of reading the first few pages of a book and knowing you’ve got a winner. Think about how you felt when you first read Lord Of Scoundrels (Chase), MacKenzies Mountain (Howard), Midnight Man (Rice), The Velvet Promise (Deveraux) or Dream of Me(Litton). When I realized Burn was going to be yet another example of female characters “”talking the talk but not walking the walk””, I put it down. I care about female characters taking action … not sitting around talking about how tough they are. Take Jessica Trent for example. Now THAT is a character who will take action!

So, the thing that keeps me trying new books is the memory of that rainy, winter Friday evening, after a long week at work, curled up on the bed with a warm blanket and reading the first few pages of Midnight Man and knowing the next few hours were going to be phenominal! Hang in there.

Diana: And meanwhile watch too much HGTV.

Diana, one can never watch too much HGTV (LOL)!

When returning to old favorites fails, I go out of genre and look for something new. And meanwhile watch too much HGTV.

I pick out a very different type of book to read, such as a science or other nonfiction from the library.

I tried switching to audiobooks during my latest slump – that way I could be out walking while I was “”reading””, which put me in a more positive frame of mind. It worked! Listened to Anna Fields reading SEP’s Natural Born Charmer (my first SEP and the start of a glom, which ended the slump). So funny and sweet with such well-developed characters and multiple plots – it fixed me! I have Outlander downloaded and ready to go the next time I need to come out of another one.

Fay: 5) I love reading as an escape, but maybe if you’re too focused on reading, you need to “escape” from your reading for awhile and pursue another fun hobby.

Love this one, Fay. It makes a lot of sense.

Funny, this problem of “”reading slump”” sounds like the “”ennui”” that we romance readers are familiar with in many of our heroes!

Suggestions (depending on what is causing your slump):
1) Get back to only reading the BEST of the BEST. Use the AAR website’s list of 100 best romances and check off which you’ve read, read any you haven’t read. This will also expose you to other genres.
2)Other similiar option – search the AAR website for all books with “”A”” ratings – read the ones you haven’t read.
3) Try new authors in your favorite genre – use AAR’s “”Favorite Books by Favorite Author’s”” list, so you know you’re reading the book others have considered the author’s best.
4) Maybe you need more blood to the brain! Try an “”at home”” exercise routine. I’ve used the Debbie Siebler’s “”Slim in Six”” series and feel more energy for everything, even for reading concentration!
5) I love reading as an escape, but maybe if you’re too focused on reading, you need to “”escape”” from your reading for awhile and pursue another fun hobby (Hey, maybe there’s a book on hobbies I can read :) ha!ha!)
6) Maybe you’re being called away from a life of reading alone and into the type of life that writer’s write about and reader’s read about (pursue some volunteer work)…
7) If it’s really severe and you’ve lost interest in other things as well, could you have a clinical depression? – consider seeing your doctor.

I just listened to the first chapter of Souless on Gail Carriger’s website and ordered a copy from Amazon. I have high hopes that this book will be different from anything I’ve read lately and get me excited about books again. Thanks to Rosiesa for posting the link to the audio excerpt on the message board.

http://www.gailcarriger.com/

Fay, great idea! I’m hoping to get a Kindle for Christmas. While the intital set up might be high, it actually might wind up SAVING me money! LOL

Vol Fan: You know what happens to me that I hate?This scenario:I’m all excited for this new book to come out.Can’t wait & either pre-order it, or rush out right away & buy it.So, I’m in the middle of another book at the time and I have to finish it before starting this “To Die For Book”.Maybe something else, or maybe even life, intrudes and I can’t start the “To Die For” right away.By the time I can stop & read it, I don’t even want to anymore.It will sit on my TBR shelf and sometimes I have even traded it without reading it.It’s like I have this obession, compulsion, or addiction, but if it isn’t fed right away, it goes away.How crazy is that?It drives me nuts when I do this, because these “To Die For” books are always from a favorite author, favorite series, or something like that.
Am I alone in this craziness??LOL

Vol Fan, I had that same problem which I cured with my Kindle. I download a sample for free, so I feel like I have the book “”on hold””. I only pay for it if I go back and decide to buy it after reading the sample (often I never go back to it, thus saving money!)

Oh you poor honey. I’m soooooo glad I don’t have to finish every book I start. That would put me into a slump for sure. Sometimes I will pick up two or three or four (cringe) books in a row, that are so “”meh”” I just cannot force myself to finish. And I don’t. At that point, I reassure myself by going back to the ones I have loved – skimming to get to my favorite scenes, or else, like everyone else, go on to something different. Lois McMaster Bujold’s Sharing Knife series, or her stories about Miles Vorkosigan (strictly for the romantic/relationship end of things, start with Komarr)(I don’t think this woman is capable of writing a bad book) Judith Merkle Riley is another author I turn to in time of need. I particularly love her Margaret of Ashford trilogy.
Both women write complex, thoughtful, wonderful books; books that remind you why you love to read. Can’t hardly ask for more than that.

I wish reading people would talk more about slumps – I felt like quite a noob when I experienced one that lasted over a year. I was very active at AAR and thought maybe I was a fraud because I was reading maybe one romance book a month (about 4 years ago now). To get out of the slump I forced myself to finish every book I started no matter how painful – I had been reading maybe a few pages of a book and then putting it aside for another. I also kept a private journal so I could look at my progress and see what authors were and weren’t working for me.

2008 the slump came back hard. This year I opened with series books to get my reading numbers up so I wouldn’t be looking at how I was doing compared to other readers. It got me going for sure and then I started on those single title books I really, really wanted to read.

This summer I became addicted to online games and the Housewives. I wish I hadn’t but it happened and shaking them is so not working. Now I’m faced with several books I really, really want to read but I’m acting like it’s Sophie’s Choice so I turn back to my online game.

Good Luck!

Unfortunately, the problem of reading a particular genre for years is coping with slumps. I think it’s because you’ve seen it all, read it all, and your tolerance for mediocrity is very, very limited–or am I just speaking about myself?

I have done a few things to combat slumps. One, I look up the “”A”” books reviews here and get them. Two, I reread my favorites.Three, I read outside of the genre. I suggest you read “”Help”” by Kathryn Stockett. I guarantee you won’t be able to put it down. It’s funny, touching, suspenseful and just a terrific book. If you can read more than two pages and put it down, you’re a better woman that I. It’s about three women, about 1962, in the deep South, during the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. Two are black maids and the other is a white college graduate who is trying to adjust to a society where she just doesn’t fit. Another great book is Lisa See’s “”Snow Blossom and the Secret Fan”” about two young girls in China, about in the 1800’s. One comes from a noble family on its way down, and the other girl, because she has a perfect bound foot, is able to bring herself and her family up. It is a fascinating picture of life in old China. I also love Anne Perry because she writes great social history with entertaining mysteries that are not violent. Her “”Breach of Contract”” is one of her best. I guarantee you won’t figure out the mystery, and you will get a real taste of Victorian England of all classes.

I rarely hit reading slumps, but when I do I try to change genres or reread old favorites or clean out my filing cabinet — anything that can serve as a breath of fresh air. This year, for example, I’ve read almost as many mysteries as romances, and also read a fair amount of literary fiction. Like others, I adore the C.S. Harris St. Cyr series as well as Arianna Franklin and Jacqueline Winspear (although her latest was a bit of a disappointment).

Have to say I’m not a fan of Vince Flynn. A friend lent me some of his books but they were all DNF, as I found the politics a bit simplistic. But then I’m sure there’s lots of books I love that others scratch their heads over — we’re all entitled to our taste.