Flights of Fantasy discussion

I AM SO SLUMPED.

It's getting ridiculous. Seriously. I've only read one new book in the last two weeks. And it was a short non-fic/auto-bio.

Before that I finished up 3 novellas and two books - and nothing since.

And this has been a pattern most of the year. A couple new things here and there followed by massive amounts of re-reading only.

Am I alone? How can I get out of this?

I've been working on a "short" book (Cold Counsel) since the first of the month. I'm a few pages short of halfway.

I. Just. Don't. Care

I have probably read less than 15 books in the last year. Since I stopped reviewing on Goodreads, it's been bad. :(((((((

I'm really missing it and I think that I will start reviewing again... maybe in the new year. I dunno... I miss the way GR was, where reviewing and interacting was easy and fun. Now they made it sucky.

MrsJoseph wrote: "I AM SO SLUMPED.

It's getting ridiculous. Seriously. I've only read one new book in the last two weeks. And it was a short non-fic/auto-bio.

Before that I finished up 3 novellas and two books - a..."

I'm right there with you!

I feel better that I'm not alone...but this still sucks ass.

:-(

I have a list of things I do for me in this situation, when it's too serious for quick fixes like rereads. Something might apply to you, possibly:

Don't be afraid to put a book down, in quest of a better, more engaging one. (But by engaging, I don't mean thriller or adventure, of course!)

Read older books - those that have stood the test of time, instead of the latest shiny ones that you've picked up because of marketing and free samples.

Get rid of the TV, netflix, etc. - visual stories have a certain flashy appeal and set up your expectations for how a story should be told, whereas text stories may be very differently told.

Try a different genre. Maybe children's. Maybe science. Maybe a play, or poetry, or a collection of essays.

Get fresh air and exercise. Together. Exercise in a gym is not enough, nor is sitting out on the patio or strolling the neighborhood. Get out to where you can't hear the traffic noise or see buildings (at least, unless you try) and go for a real walk, either hiking briskly or exploring leaves and pebbles like a child would (or both).

Spend time with children, play a board game, do something that has nothing to do with stories, something fresh.

Sometimes I think I do better in a slump when I just acknowledge it and go do some Netflix or something. It's when I try to force read that I really feel the slump.

Chris wrote: "Sometimes I think I do better in a slump when I just acknowledge it and go do some Netflix or something. It's when I try to force read that I really feel the slump."

This!

Chris wrote: "Sometimes I think I do better in a slump when I just acknowledge it and go do some Netflix or something. It's when I try to force read that I really feel the slump."

Same thing for me. Usually goes away after a few days of vegging.

Chris wrote: "Sometimes I think I do better in a slump when I just acknowledge it and go do some Netflix or something. It's when I try to force read that I really feel the slump."

Same here...

Either that or sometimes picking up a few old faves gets me over it.

But if the slump is resistant to the easy fixes, the kinds of exercises for morale that I suggest do help. I added some, too, as the list has only been in my mind and this is the first time I've tried to record it.

I do agree that switching up genres can help with a reading slump. Sometimes you just get tired of the same old, same old.

Older books and me don't have a good track record, though.

Cheryl wrote: "Don't be afraid to put a book down, in quest of a better, more engaging one. (But by engaging, I don't mean thriller or adventure, of course!)

This is no longer a problem, lol. I've DNF'd so many books lately.

Read older books - those that have stood the test of time, instead of the latest shiny ones that you've picked up because of marketing and free samples.

I'm typically an older book reader by nature - Andre Norton being my favorite. My go-to during slumps has been re-read 4 times this 2017. :-(

Get rid of the TV, netflix, etc. - visual stories have a certain flashy appeal and set up your expectations for how a story should be told, whereas text stories may be very differently told.

Not a big TV watcher and not a big fan of movies.

Try a different genre. Maybe children's. Maybe science. Maybe a play, or poetry, or a collection of essays.

This I should work on. I've felt I've become more rigid and less adventuresome a reader as I've aged.

Get fresh air and exercise. Together. Exercise in a gym is not enough, nor is sitting out on the patio or strolling the neighborhood. Get out to where you can't hear the traffic noise or see buildings (at least, unless you try) and go for a real walk, either hiking briskly or exploring leaves and pebbles like a child would (or both).

I'm a personal trainer - there's no way I can fit in more exercise at this current moment.

Spend time with children, play a board game, do something that has nothing to do with stories, something fresh"

Children make me nervous. But I should try something fresh and new and not dealing with work or reading.



Gosh. This makes me feel a little more depressed. :-(

Chris wrote: "Sometimes I think I do better in a slump when I just acknowledge it and go do some Netflix or something. It's when I try to force read that I really feel the slump."

Maybe I should try this. I have a shitton of video games that I haven't play (or not played in a while).

I also just watched someone finish Destiny 2 - which I really enjoyed. I should go back and watch him finish up Fall Out. I stopped in the beginning of that one...

I think that my reading slump really is just to do with the fact that my stupid stupid brain isn't getting the endorphin "reward" rush from Goodreads anymore. I don't interact here, I don't review, and therefore, reading anything outside of my bookclub has just... stopped.

It's not Netflix, or genre, or new books vs old favorites... it's just... change.

Becky wrote: "I think that my reading slump really is just to do with the fact that my stupid stupid brain isn't getting the endorphin "reward" rush from Goodreads anymore. I don't interact here, I don't review,..."


That's a good point, too. When I do post reviews (now), i hardly get any feedback. I used to get comments and discussions.

Becky wrote: "I think that my reading slump really is just to do with the fact that my stupid stupid brain isn't getting the endorphin "reward" rush from Goodreads anymore. I don't interact here, I don't review,..."

What did you do pre-Goodreads? Did you read as much?

I've always been a spotty reviewer, even when I've challenged myself to write reviews for every book. While it's nice to get comments and likes, its not enough of an incentive for me to review. I do miss some of the interaction through the home page though. I feel like I miss a lot now...like books my friends are reading, recommendations, etc. Buddy reads and group book discussions help me to still stay engaged in the community though.

I read all the time pre-goodreads, but I tended to cycle through the same books over and over and over... My reading habits changed a lot when I joined GR. The community and social aspect totally worked for me, and now it sucks. I don't like the spammy-ness of the homepage, with the book blurb in every post. I don't like the UNHIDEABLE comments on every review, I don't like the ads EVERYWHERE, and the group discussions page buried away out of sight... It just took all of the things that I loved about Goodreads, and which made it fun for me the read and interact here, and warped them into something that is more trouble than they are worth if I want to try to continue using them the way I always had.

I don't really mean the likes or comments even are the issue. I do miss the discussion, but for me, it was the CYCLE of reading that I got into with GR.

Dude, I started The Gunslinger after seeing the movie and haven't made it out of the first section. So sometimes, old favorites just feel...old

I feel bad saying that on Stephen King's birthday too....

Oh yeah, happy birthday, Becky...♥

Thanks Chris!

Today is your birthday??!?!


Happy Birthday!!!

I agree about the not guilt-tripping yourself. It makes it a chore to read if you're only reading something because you "have" to or you're "supposed" to.

**

Happy birthday, Becky. :>

Happy Birthday, Becky!!

LOL thanks everyone.

Nicki, thank you for the tips, especially the guilt-tripping. I'm so sorry you have those challenges and I wish you well.

Can't speak for anyone else, but I go through natural periods of reading voraciously and then having a bit of a literary desert, interrupted only by the odd oasis.

Taking a break isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, you should read because you want to read not because you feel you ought to.

A few weeks without triple chocolate chip cookies makes me appreciate them all the more. Actually, that's a stupid comparison. I'd eat those every day if it weren't so horrendously unhealthy.