My Big, Bad Book Slump

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

I love reading. The smell of book pages and the feel of a worn-in paperback never gets old. But there are times when finishing a book seems impossible. Each page seems ten times longer, and you’re falling asleep with a book in hand. How does someone who “loves reading” fall into such a big, bad book slump? And how do you get out of it? There isn’t one simple solution, but there is an explanation. As an English major stuck in her first scary book slump, here are my thoughts.

Reading can feel like a lot. Books can go from being fun to being emotional, and the feeling isn’t always noticeable. It can gradually sneak up on you, which can be intimidating for avid readers. The first step to making it seem less scary and realizing it isn’t that new is to notice when it’s happening.

It started when college did. My world got so much bigger, and reading started feeling so much smaller. I would get home from class, and the book on my nightstand wasn’t exciting. I’d pick it and quickly set it down when my roommate shouted my name from the living room. Something that I thought would be a one-time thing quickly became a pattern. I was getting distracted from reading time after time. Life was filled with classes, friends, jobs, and various events. All of it seemed more important than that one book I couldn’t seem to finish. 

That’s how it starts: you make that behavior consistent, and you’ll be stuck in it. The longer you’re stuck in it, the harder it is to get out. That little slump will only seem to get worse.

TODAY Show’s host and founder of the show’s book club, “Read With Jenna,” Jenna Bush Hager, shared why she fell into her own slump. In an article by the TODAY Show, Hager said, “March and April of 2020 were very hard reading months for me, not only because I was anxious but also (because) I didn’t have that much time. I had three kids, and I was doing the show from home.” In other words, her life got stressful. When that happens, it’s easy to push aside a small reading hobby. Your other responsibilities and commitments are so time-consuming and take over your reading time.

Book slumps can be an unfortunate result of burnout. Burnout traditionally has a negative connotation, but it doesn’t always stem from negative things. Big life changes or large schedule shifts can make you exhausted and burnt out. When your life is more exciting and overwhelming than your books, you may find yourself stuck in another book slump. Here are some things to try to get out of it.

Something I’ve learned, and others may have experienced, is that the easiest way to get out of a book slump is to read through it. Pull out that brick of a book you’ve been afraid of and block out a couple of hours. As soon as you force yourself to get into the story, you’ll be upset that you didn’t do it earlier.

Reading isn’t just homework for me. It is an outlet, a way to escape life for a couple of hours. My phone goes on silent, and my brain goes on high alert. Homework can be stressful, but reading is always relaxing, so it should be prioritized, especially in my hectic routine.

Hagar demonstrated this by choosing the August 2020 book club picks despite being in a book slump, creating a habit of reading consistently. Make sure it’s something you’re dedicating time to, view it as a way to wind down your body, and gear up your brain. That one mind trick will make each book feel less heavy. The lighter a book feels, the easier it’s going to be to get back in your favorite habit of reading.

Another trick to overcome that slump is to try a new genre. Maybe you’re just reading too many thrillers, or the romcoms you’re used to are getting repetitive. Check out a famous classic or a celebrated contemporary fiction. Try something different and see if that’s adding to the stress, or if the problem is reading in general. Once you establish that, moving forward with other solutions will be significantly easier.

You might need a new, fresh book. Research local book stores and take yourself on a bookstore tour. Get excited about a new book instead of forcing yourself to read one you’re no longer interested in. Sometimes you need to step away from your reading goal for a day and bring the joy back to what you’ve always loved to do.

Book slumps are normal and frustrating. I’ve been stuck in mine since I started college two years ago. I love what I do in my classes, and I want to get back to loving what I do in my free time. Understanding why you’re in a book slump and strategies to avoid one will help you combat your current or future big bad book slump in a new and productive way.