When your love for reading is gone: Ways I beat a major reading slump

No matter how much of a readoholic you claim to be, we've all had times where we've had to overcome some kind of reading slump - kind of like writers' block but for readers. You know the feeling when the thought of getting your head in a book sounds exhausting? You tell yourself you're "too busy" to read? Where reading feels like a chore? Or you even start to feel guilty for turning your back on reading and joining the masses of people that don't care for books?  Yep, I'm sure we've all been there once or twice, maybe more times, in our lives.

Over the past year or so I've managed to tackle one of the biggest reading slumps I think I've ever experienced - one that eventually forced me to come up with ways to find that passion again and that love for books I previously had. So, given the fact that nearly a year down the line I'm well and truly immersed in all things books again, I thought I'd share some of the things I did to beat that dreaded reading slump... because let's be honest, sometimes waiting it out just doesn't work.

1. One of my biggest tips is to ease yourself back into reading with a non-fiction book - in my case, I picked up an autobiography. Even if non-fiction isn't really your thing, it was undoubtedly one of the main things that got me out of my reading slump. Do you have a fave celebrity? Interested in a particular topic like fashion, sport or music? Because you've already established that the book you'll pick up with be about a topic you're interested in or passionate about, you've already got a head start - it truly feels like much less work.

2. If picking up something entirely new still feels a bit too much, try digging out an old favourite again. It can be a great reminder as to why you love reading in the first place and might just do the trick for getting you passionate about books again.

3. Listen to an audiobook. Whether you exclusively listen or listen as you read the physical book, listening to the story can give a book a whole new lease of life. It also allows you to 'read' in more places that you wouldn't necessarily be able to whip out a full on book in.

4. Take the plunge into book communities online. Don't worry, I don't mean become a content creator yourself, but watching book YouTubers or following some book accounts on Instagram can really get you excited about reading again, especially since you are watching someone else talking about what they've read. It kind of gave me a weird sense of FOMO that urged me to pick out something to read, and gave me some pretty good recommendations too!

5. Finally, head on over to Netflix. No, really... I'm not joking. Sometimes watching a movie adaption of a book can inspire to you read the book the movie was based on - especially since it's always intriguing to see which fared better... the movie or the book (more often than not it's the book - just sayin').


So, those are the best ways I personally found helped me tackle my reading slump. Feel free to share your own in the comments!

- Chloe