Has there ever been a time when you felt that you’re betraying the book gods—that is, when you just can’t get yourself to read or finish any book for some peculiar reason? When no matter how much you push yourself to read and read and read this or like and like and like that, nothing's just appealing to you? I have experienced those, and it’s really hard to get over READING SLUMPS.

Being on a reading slump is sooo frustrating. You’d typically force yourself to finish a particular book, but you just can’t. No book is just good enough. It wastes a lot of time, trying to get through a book instead of doing more productive stuff. Or, for us bloggers, it delays our reviewing because we barely have anything to do just that. Also, it affects our mood when reading. If you push yourself too much and struggle to finish something for the sake of just getting things done, you may not enjoy the book as much as you would have if you weren’t on that state.

So for our second Selkie Shares post, I decided to give some tips, based on my own experiences, to you, our dear readers, on how to get past these slumps.

Tip #1: Rest. Perhaps that’s all you need—a break. Maybe a day, two days, or three. Do something else. You might be reading too many books on such a high rate, and your mind needs to just sort things out. And if you do not read for some amount of time, you’ll definitely miss it and be more eager to read your next book. 

Tip #2: Reread a favourite. Don’t get too irritated with not liking a story while on a reading slump. Instead, pick up your most favourite book in the world (a.k.a. the one you’ll bring even to the grave) and reread it. That way, you’ll start to enjoy yourself again and have a more positive outlook on the next book you’d be reading. 

Tip #3: Don’t stray from the familiar. If you’re more of a fantasy guy, then don’t try to read a contemporary while on the slump. Read something from your favourite genre. If you particularly like New Adult, don’t go picking up a dystopian novel. If you’ll acquaint yourself with what is familiar to you, your normal pace will return and you can go back to the happy world of reading. 

Tip #4: Read the book you’ve been wanting to for years. Drop whatever you’re currently reading and just read the one you’ve been anticipating for ages. Read the one that’s so hyped about, the one everybody’s talking about, the one your friends are raving on. Don’t think of the pressure of not liking it, but rather be excited about it.

Reading slumps could be totally annoying, but don’t put the blame on yourself. It happens. And if reading really is your passion, you’ll always come back to it and it will always welcome you no matter what.

Have you ever been on a reading slump before? Was it hard? How did you deal with it? Share your experiences, and give us some tips!