Reading Life #11: The reading slump

Tips for getting the spark back

This is Reading Life, a monthly series featuring a short essay on reading reflections, tips, and the bookish life. Start finding book recommendations you love by upgrading to paid today!

Whenever I read a streak of great books, there is always a tiny kernel of anxiety in the back of my mind because I just know that a reading slump is on the horizon. I can't read five-star book after five-star book forever. That is the dream, right? But we are humans with emotions and moods and are ever-changing.

I hit a reading slump a few weeks ago. I read a few books back to back that I loved and then found myself stuck in the middle of one I felt "meh" about. I avoided it for a few days. I put it down. I picked up other books. Nothing was capturing my attention. 

We often see reading slumps as a problem to be solved, but why? I think it goes back to the word "should." As you might recall, removing the word "should" from my reading life is one of my goals this year. We think we "should" be reading a certain book because everyone else is reading it. We believe we "should" be reading more because it's good for us. The list goes on and on.

So, when a reading slump hits, the phrase I often find popping into my mind is "Well, I should be reading more!". And when you stop and think about it, this is such a silly thought! Do we do that with other hobbies? I don't often think, "I should be knitting more," or similar thoughts about other hobbies I have. I enjoy the hobby while doing it and wait for an inkling to pick it back up again. It's okay to let our interest wax and wane. 

We should have the same approach to our reading. Instead of a problem to be solved, perhaps it's like an emotion to ride out.