I am in a reading slump......HELP!!

19 years ago

Oh dear...I find myself in a big slump. I am really wanting to sit down and hunker into a really, really GOOD BOOK.

I have wandered back and forth from my TBR closet to my comfy chair never actually finding a book that grabs me.

I stopped reading THE THIRTEENTH TALE about 2/3rds of the way through it and decided I didn't care about the story at all!

What I'd like is a book that is mysterious, exciting and completely absorbing. I have tried finding my copy of GREEN DARKNESS to read again after 30 years and must have given it to a friend.

I'm sure in the shelves of books that I own there are lots of great choices. I just can't put my hand on THE book.

Is there hope for me?

How do I get over this??

Any book suggestions?

I know, I know....I am pitiful!

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Comments (6)

martin_z
19 years ago
Go back to your library and find a book that you loved and re-read it. Forget about reading something new - it sounds to me as if you need something old which you might see anew.

Is there anything you loved ten years ago and haven't read since?
eosskye
19 years ago
Are you interested in a good, fast moving, well written spy story? If so, try RESTLESS by William Boyd.
Thank you for reminding me of GREEN DARKNESS and Anya Seton. I hope I have the correct author here. It's been years since I've thought of it.
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cindydavid4
19 years ago
I go through that slump now and then. Usually its after reading what I call a masterpiece, something I can't stop thinking about, and no other book can possibly compete. It also happens during certain times of year where work is so busy I can't think straight. So I take these times to catch up on magazine or journal reads, or re-reading, as martin suggests. I have some tried and true books that I pull off the shelves when I just want to coast for a bit. The slump doesn't last long - and knowing that I always have found books that I love helps me see the light at the end of the tunnel!

BTW, my slump books: Good Omens, Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, any of the Discworld books, Once and Future King, Phantom Tollbooth and Door into Summer by Heinlein.
veronicae
19 years ago
I generally delve into some non-fiction at this point, as I know I will gain something from it, I am reading, I have a book to take places with me, and I don't expect that special magic of falling into the make believe world. And, if I choose to set it aside, it's easy enough to pick up again if another slump, or an episode of thinking I am intellectual, strikes.
carolyn_ky
19 years ago
Have you read The Nonsuch Lure by Mary Luke? Frieda agreed with me that it is a good read for people who like Green Darkness.

I'm afraid I can't help with reading slump-itis. I read when other parts of life are in a slump. Well, actually, I read all the time.
twobigdogs
19 years ago
Yvonne,
You are not pitiful. You are normal. After the holidays, we tend to get into reading slumps. We are so used to the hustle and bustle of the season that I think maybe we have difficulty just well, just relaxing and enjoying a book.

I am with Martin for re-reading an old favorite. After doing much of the same wandering you've been doing, I dove into The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It's been at least a dozen years since my last read. This is my first re-read of it and since I know the basics of the story, I can enjoy the puns, the words, the descriptions more than last time. It's even better the second time around.

Good luck and keep us posted.
PAM

I am in a reading slump......HELP!!

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martin_z

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