The Writing Life

The Reading Blahs

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by
Louisa Bacio
on July 7th, 2010 at 05:20 AM (528 Views)
It’s not them, it’s me.

Usually, even when busy, I can pour through a couple of books per week. On a long weekend, I can read a book a day. On a flight from Los Angeles to New York, I can easily polish off a novel. Lately, though, I just don’t feel like it. I don’t want to read.

Well, let me rephrase that: I want the desire to read once again.

It’s not that I haven’t been perusing the pages. It’s a habit. Over the past month, I’ve finished:
  • Stephenie Meyer’s “The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner”
  • Tessa Dare’s “Twice Tempted by a Rogue”
  • Charlene Sand’s “Million-Dollar Marriage Merger”

I’ve also started Wendy Toliver’s YA “Lifted” and the classic steampunk novel “Soulless” by Gail Carriger.

Like that cliché break-up line: Seriously, it’s not them, it’s me. I’ve read Toliver’s first two novels, “The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren” and “Miss Match,” and she’s absolutely clever and engaging. Dare spins a historical romance that’s steamy and borderline addicting (the third book in the series, “Three Nights with a Scoundrel” comes out July 27).

And just because I haven’t felt like reading, doesn’t mean that I’m not writing. The opposite is true. Time late at night that might be spent reading is spent typing away. But, the mind needs some downtime, right?

I keep thinking that just one book will bump me over the edge and back into the reading game. The task though is giving time to find that challenging and engaging title.

So tell me: Am I alone in my reading rut? Have you experienced this syndrome before? And, finally, any reading suggestion cures?

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Comments

  1. Faith M. Boughan - July 7th, 2010 08:44 PM
    Faith M. Boughan's Avatar
    I've been in a book funk plenty of times before! What I'll do is just not read for a few days... crazy suggestion, I know... and then sooner or later the desire to read a specific book will catapult me back into the TBR pile. Just ride it out, don't force yourself to read something if you're not feeling it, or else the funk will just last longer!
  2. Louisa Bacio - July 8th, 2010 03:33 AM
    Louisa Bacio's Avatar
    Thanks Faith! Sounds like some good advice: step away from the books and NOT feel guilty ;-) My mom said that she's gone through a few "book funks," too.
  3. Danica Avet - July 8th, 2010 02:12 PM
    Danica Avet's Avatar
    I've been in that place several times! I read...um voraciously. Okay, even that doesn't explain it. Let me put it this way...I bought a Kindle and will have had it for exactly two weeks this Saturday...and I've read over 30 short stories and two novels on it. *wince* When I do get in the reading funk though, I revisit old favorites. The books that I will never, ever, ever get rid of and will have to reorder a new copy because they're that thumbed through. Usually when I sink into my favorite stories by my absolute favorite authors, I catch the bug again.
  4. Louisa Bacio - July 9th, 2010 06:37 AM
    Louisa Bacio's Avatar
    Danica,

    Believe it or not, I've been thinking about your comment since this morning ;-) I can't really think of books that I've re-read ... on purpose (let's not talk about those re-issued Dean Koontz paperbacks). I've certainly read a "text" more than once for college, and I re-visit sections for pleasure, but not all the way through. I'll have to think if there's a special something out there that will pull me back. Don't get me wrong -- I have books that I absolutely LOVE; I just usually move onto something else. (Same thing with movies ...)
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