Welcome to my new feature, Tea and a Chat! Where I share with you my (mostly) book-related thoughts, and what kind of tea I’m drinking!
Riddle’s Tea Shoppe Wonderland Elixir Tea with my Friends color-changing mug.
Do you ever get to the point where you just don’t want to pick up a book? You finish a good one and just have no motivation to find another… Or maybe you’re reading a book and it’s just…not…good. So, you aren’t doing much reading because the thought of having to pick that book up again just sounds lame.
I’ll admit it–I’m a mood reader. It actually takes a lot of discipline to sit down and read a book that I don’t necessarily want to read at the moment. I tend to want to read things that “call” to me.
I know all about not knowing what to read and just not feeling it. So…
Read a Different Genre
Easy enough, right? Sometimes I go through spurts of picking a genre and just sticking with it. Which is fine, given my previous admission to being a mood reader. But, there usually comes a point when I just can’t anymore. If I’ve been reading a lot of YA, for instance, I can find myself needing a solid break. So, I usually pick a chick-lit. It helps when the genre is pretty opposite of whatever it is that I was reading. This is a tried-and-true way for me to get out of my rut.
Watch Some TV
Sometimes just putting down all the books and focusing on TV–or another hobby or interest– is key. It’s almost like a resetting of your mind. It makes picking up a book super-fresh and exciting again. I do that with TV. I’ll pick a new–or old favorite–TV show to watch and stick with that for a few days. And then I miss books so much, I’m eager to pick anything up!
Read an Old Favorite
This is probably my favorite solution. Almost more than finding a new book or author that I love, I enjoy reading old favorites. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read the Anne of Green Gables series, or Colleen Houck’s Tiger Saga, or Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Lux novels. They’re all books that I look forward to revisiting often. So, when I find myself in a rut, an easy way to get out of it is with an old, trusty friend. 🙂
DNF, Just Do It
You tried the book. You gave it your best shot. But you just can’t get into it. There comes a point where you just have to give up. I feel like there are just too many books and too few minutes to read something that you don’t enjoy. I typically read a book about 20% of the way through and if it’s just not good–I give it up.
It’s okay to quit a book! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! 😉
So, what do you do when you’re in a book rut?! Let me know in the comments!
I guess, because I don’t push through, and just switch books, when one isn’t working, I have been able to avoid the rut. I am just not optimistic enough to believe it will get better. I was reading something the other day, that I just wasn’t in the mood for, so I switched to my goto for a good time, and it worked. Always does.
Sam@wlabb recently posted…Sundays with Sam – The Sunday Post
That’s an excellent way to avoid the rut! 🙂 I think maybe that’s been my problem in the past–I just keep going even when I’m having to make myself… And then I just end up dreading reading. 🙂
Have a great weekend, Sam!
This was good to read right now because I just kind of got into a rut. I think I need to try #1. That usually works for me and I have just the book. Thanks!
Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse recently posted…Mini Reviews: Parental Guidance, Throw Like a Girl, You’d Be Mine, & Pike
Thanks for commenting!