how to get out of a reading slump // guest post // ash ronnel

Hey, everyone!

I’m really excited to have a guest post today from our very own Ash Ronnel, a dear blogging friend of mine who is also part of The Diamond Village, our fantasy-themed, character-based blog that four of our other friends and us share!

So… this post was last opened in my drafts around… three months ago?? YES, I’M SORRY FOR PREVENTING YOU FROM READING THIS AMAZINGNESS. LIFE TOOK OVER. But here I am now, and please please please check out Ash’s blog and follow!! She’s brilliant and super fun to chat with 😉

Coincidentally, I’m in a reading slump right now 😭 and I will be 200% using these tips! I already did step 1, which, for me, was not reading for, like, three months O.o haha. But I miss books! And reading! So I’m going to start on some books at home this month!

I’m ALSO in a bit of a blogging slump right now, sadly, tell me any tips you have! 🙂

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Hello, everyone! I’m Ash: blogger, reader, writer, ultimate mango lover, and literature enthusiast. I blog over here about literature and more! 

I’m so honored to have the chance to be posting here on One in a Million. Even though I just “met” Aditi on the blogosphere, I’ve already learned that she’s such a wonderful person! Her blog is so wonderful too. If you’re not following her, go do it already — you won’t regret it! 😉 

Alright, time to get into the post… 

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It’s been days since you last picked up a book. Your TBR pile is sitting in a corner untouched, and you have no intention of wiping the dust off it. You’ve spent hours trying to get into your favorite book, but the words are just swimming on the page and you cannot focus.

If you’ve ever experienced any of these, chances are that you’re in a reading slump.

Nooooooo!! Bear | NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! | image tagged in nooooooooo,bear | made w/ Imgflip meme maker
(source)

You might be wondering: what exactly is a reading slump? Well, reading slumps occur when no books seem to interest you at all. You can sit and try to read a book for days, but nothing happens.

When I was in a reading slump, I found myself getting constantly distracted by all the things around me and forgetting the sentence I had just read… which has never happened to my bookworm brain before. 

Once you’ve found yourself in one of these slumps, it can be hard getting yourself back into reading again! Not being able to read is horrible. Trust me. Unfortunately, I was recently in a reading slump for weeks! But don’t worry: I was able to get out of it, and today I’m sharing the four simple steps that helped me learn to love books again. 

1: Take A Break

Even though you might think that a reading slump is awful and you need to get back into reading right away, that’s not always the case. While it is super hard for us book lovers to understand, sometimes we need a break from reading

I know, it’s horrifying to even imagine that I could ever say such a thing. But a reading slump could be your mind’s way of telling you that you need to take a break. 

So instead of trying to read during your slump and spending hours getting distracted or thinking about other things, take some time to do other things you love! You could write, play a sport, do art, learn something new, catch up on your favorite TV show…the possibilities are endless. 

You can take a break for as long as you think is necessary; I’d recommend doing it for a few days. Just remember to have fun!

 

2: Stalk Your Favorite Book Blogs

Strangely enough, looking through the archives of book blogs you love helps! The posts you read don’t even have to be book reviews! You can just read any kind of bookish posts. 

Doing this will not only help you find good books to try, but it also lets you fall back in love with reading. Reading posts about other’s adventures in the wonderful world of books just helps you remember why you enjoy reading so much

Once you start feeling your love of reading again, you’ll feel more excited to pick up a book than before. This will definitely help you get out of your reading slump!

 

3: Go On A Requesting Frenzy

Once you’re feeling adventurous and want to try delving into a book again, don’t hesitate! Jot down any books you discover that interest you. You can find these on those book blogs you were stalking, or places like Goodreads. You can also literally search up phrases like, “Good YA books to read,” or “Books to read if you liked ____” (fill in the blank with a book you really love). 

Once you’ve come up with at least 5 books you think you would be interested in, all that’s left to do is request them from your library! I prefer borrowing books rather than buying them because books can be pretty expensive at times! Plus, you don’t want to buy a book that you end up disliking.

So just log onto your local library’s online catalog and start a requesting frenzy. Don’t worry about not liking or liking the books. Just request as many as you can because some of them might not be available. Plus, if you request more books, the chance of liking at least one of them is pretty high.

 

4: Set The Mood

Now it’s finally time to try your hand at reading a book again! You have a pile of newly requested books sitting on your desk and you are pretty excited about reading them.

But before you get started reading, try to set the mood a little. Go over to your local library or bookstore and breathe in the scent of books. Just look around at the bookshelves and bookshelves full of beautiful novels waiting to be read.

You can even do this at home! Lighting a lovely-smelling candle or snuggling with your favorite fuzzy blanket on the couch can do wonders to your reading mood. But you don’t have to do anything fancy…just do things that make you feel warm, cozy and ready to read.

 

Is your reading slump gone yet?

After following these four steps, you should have found your love for reading again and maybe even discovered a new favorite book along the way!

If you still aren’t feeling into reading, remember that tackling a reading slump takes time. Sometimes, you may have to take a longer break or even try new strategies! Whatever works for you is best.

Tell me — Have you ever been in a bad reading slump? What are some things you do to get out of reading slumps? I’d love to know!

I had a lot of fun writing this post and I hope you found it to be helpful! Again, thank you so much to Aditi for letting me share this on her blog, and thank YOU for reading!

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Thank you so much for writing this for me, Ash! I urge all of you to go and check out her blog right now because she’s a gem of a person!

Talk to me- Are you in a reading slump? Do you use any of these tips to get out one if you are? What are some other ideas you have for getting out of a reading OR blogging slump?

Have a wonderful day!
xoxoadiforadi1

45 thoughts on “how to get out of a reading slump // guest post // ash ronnel

  1. Ahh… the dreaded reading slump. I fear the slump and when it hits, it hits!!!
    So it is great to have these tips for when that happens!!!
    I think taking a break is excellent advice because it means when you get back into reading it is refreshing and exciting. You certainly don’t want to force yourself.
    And reading book blogs helps as their enthusiasm rubs off on you and makes me want to pick up a book!!!
    This was a brilliant post and I think there are lots of great tips!!! ❤

    Also I think with blogging slump the best thing is to have a break or trying something completely different has helped me!! 😊

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I KNOW RIGHT. I’m smack dab in the middle of one and it’s sooo annoying 😦
      Thanks for commenting, Soph! I agree that Ash did such a wonderful job on this post ❤
      Ooh yes, that's a good idea! What do you mean by completely different, though?

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Aw.. I’m sending you best wishes for it!!
        Yes she really did!! ❤
        Oh sorry that was quite vague but for example if I am doing a lot of tags I will change to focus on discussions. Or if I'm done a lot of book posts I'll write about something different like films or blogging.
        Sometimes just changing how I write so maybe use a more excitable, informal voice. Or with reviews set it out different like things I liked vs things I didn't like. Maybe focus on a different aspect like making graphics.
        Or if I have a post I was always nervous to post, try to explore it.
        I like to do these things so it doesn't feel like I'm doing the same thing again and again. Some variety helps and I really hope I'm making sense here!! 😂

        Liked by 3 people

        1. Oohhh that makes sense! I agree, changing the focus is a great idea! It’s just… I’m writing NOTHING haha so it’ll be nice to change it to SOMETHING lmaoooo. This is a great idea! Thank you!!

          Liked by 2 people

  2. Reading slumps are the literally WORST. (So are blogging slumps 😂) I have opposite opinions on how to fix both though – for blogging slumps, a break is always the way to go, break & plan! But for reading slumps I find it most beneficial to read through it, go heavy on fluffy contemporaries!
    (Also – mangos are great, Ash, I agree 😂)

    Liked by 2 people

    1. YES THEY ARE. (YES THEY ALSO ARE.) Ooh that’s a great idea! I just take breaks for everything haha cuz I’m lazy like that 😉 but you’re right- I tend to pack on the fluff and comtemps unknowingly anyways! I’ll prolly take a lot of breaks (good for mental health but most importantly: procrastination mwahaha) and then read some fluff to get back into books! ❤

      Liked by 2 people

  3. aaa, this was so helpful! sadly, reading slumps are inevitable (and sooo sad!). i remember just seeing a bunch of people deeply invested in a novel and thinking “that used to be me” and sobbing in the inside *sniffles* BUT IT’S GONE NOW AND I’M SO HAPPY! next time, i’ll definitely come back to this post 😉

    Liked by 3 people

  4. Oh, I just realised I’m probably in a reading slump? I kind of got myself busy with other stuff and didn’t even realise I’m not reading much lately lol. Well, I need to catch up on my buddy read this weekend so let’s hope I’ll put up a fight! Thanks for the tips! ❤

    Liked by 2 people

  5. I keep falling into reading slumps and I’m pretty sure I know why – I put way too much pressure on myself to catch up on all my books and turned it into a chore. This year I’m hoping to read more, remember that I’m doing it because I love books, read whatever I feel like and hopefully just fall back in love with reading. I haven’t started yet as I have a headache that keeps returning /: but once it’s gone I can’t wait to get reading again as I’ve missed it loads. Wonderful post (: and great advice

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Yesss me toooo (sadly)! I just got put of a reallyy big one and I’m so happy! Yup, and ARCs just add to the pressure (but are sometimes useful to get out of a slump bc you HAVE to read them). That’s an amazing goal, Charlotte! I hope that all of us who get stressed about reading remember that we do it for our love for books 😀 Aw, I’m sorry! I hope your headache goes away soon! Thank you- it’s all Ash’s doing! And thanks for the comment ❤

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Yay I’m glad you managed to get out of it ❤️ I haven’t really had that issue yet (I only get them from one place atm and not too many either. Although when I was really I’ll and didn’t get them read on time I felt terrible). Thank you (: it hasn’t yet but I really hope it does soon. It keeps going for a bit then returning. Yes I saw that and it’s ok (: happy reading.

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Ahh, I can totally understand that!! :(( Exactly, a lot of times last year I was feeling pressured to meet my reading goal on Goodreads and that just took away the joy of reading…
      I’m so sorry about your headache, I hope it feels better and you can start reading again! And thank you so much 💕

      Liked by 2 people

  6. I’ve definitely taken a break from reading entire books. I’m also writing short stories instead of books now but it’s way moe fun. I’ve honestly been checking out more blogs and it’s pretty addicitive. I think I’ll get back to reading books but by that, I mean short story collections. I’m a bit of an Ambrose Bierce at heart. Haha. Great post!

    Liked by 2 people

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