Retro Reads discussion

I have been in a horrible reading slump for awhile now. Do you have any tips on how to re-energize your appetite for reading?

CindySR wrote: "I have been in a horrible reading slump for awhile now. Do you have any tips on how to re-energize your appetite for reading?"

That is a hard one!

What works for me is using the 'want-to-read' shelf on Goodreads, so I know what I want to get read in the next month.

I'd also have Goodreads ratings in my head. I start every read expecting the book to be at least 3★. If it becomes clear that the book is falling below that & there isn't a good reason for continuing -like I finally got hold of the only Heyer I hadn't read Pastel. It wasn't a good read but I had been searching for it for so long!- then I make it a dnf.

Sometimes I do the opposite and regress to books I loved (and read many times) as a child. Sometimes they are too expensive, these books I used to own and thought nothing of giving away, but now & then I get them on abe for a reasonable amount.

You have to remember WHY you love reading.

And honestly, sometimes I just take a break from reading and do something else I love to do. Usually I miss reading and come back to it re-energized.

I have never not read, it is my way of relaxing and I read every day, more than once a day.
If I’m struggling with a book, for whatever reason, sometimes tiredness or just disinterest, I put it away and read a book I have read and loved previously. I find I can then usually go back to the first book and finish it. On rare occasions I don’t finish it.
I think try a book you’ve enjoyed before and see if it reminds you of why you used to read. Good luck!!

It seems to happen every summer with me, it started much earlier this year, so hopefully my slump will end earlier than usual. I am lazy by nature, and easily distracted by internet stuff. Thanks for the tips!

I tend to turn to audio books; ones that I know and love. For me, this would typically be Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse or Agatha Christie, all of which can be found free online via Librivox, Internet Archive or Youtube. I don't have to wait for them, I don't have to concentrate, (I already know how things will turn out), I can just sink into the world they have created and enjoy it.

I love that, Tania, I do that too - I sometimes concentrate because the dialog is so awesome (Wodehouse, Georgette Heyer) but don't like audio books for fiction I don't already know well UNLESS it is a super easy book (beach read!) and there is nothing wrong with that.

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "CindySR wrote: "I have been in a horrible reading slump for awhile now. Do you have any tips on how to re-energize your appetite for reading?"

That is a hard one!

What works for me is using the '..."
Same here - what’s coming up with groups that sounds appealing? And if a book is less than 3 stars, be ruthless about marking it DNF and moving on! I also fall back on lighthearted old favorites for a reread, just to be entertained and keep reading!

Jackie wrote: "Sometimes I do the opposite and regress to books I loved (and read many times) as a child. Sometimes they are too expensive, these books I used to own and thought nothing of giving away, but now & ..."

Wise, wise woman - I will keep that in mind!

Tania wrote: "I tend to turn to audio books; ones that I know and love. For me, this would typically be Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse or Agatha Christie, all of which ca..."

Oh, yes, another great tip I have used over the last few years - audiobooks!

I have to admit that I don't like to fall into a reading slump - it unsettles me strangely enough.

I firstly attempt the old tried and true books from the past - comfort reads i.e Mary Stewart, John LeCarre authors of that ilk.

If that fails then I just try to ride it out - visit my USB store to touch and smell the familiar.

Or revert to knitting, tapestry etc

For comfort reads, I recently re-read most of the books by Edward Eager. My favorite as a child was Half Magic which is still very good, but at 63 I think my very favorite might be Magic or Not?

I pick up a children’s classic I didn’t have time to read when my kids were in school. They will always have a book recommendation for me. It seems to reset my own reading and I’m back on track. Another help for me is to randomly pick a review book I didn’t read and it also brings my NetGalley percentage up. Win/win.

Darlene wrote: "I pick up a children’s classic..."

This might work for me except I would also go for a graphic novel, which I can read in an hour or less!

Cphe wrote: "I have to admit that I don't like to fall into a reading slump - it unsettles me strangely enough.

I firstly attempt the old tried and true books from the past - comfort reads i.e Mary Stewart, Jo..."

I get edgy when I’m in a slump, nothing seems to hold my interest…but I do try knitting or rereading old favorites.