How to Get out of a Reading Slump: 2025 Mid-Year Wrap-Up
This article pains me to write. I fell into a reading slump and struggled to finish a story for the first half of this year. Maintaining focus for narrative felt impossible, and every book I picked up was lackluster, leaving me wildly unfulfilled. Eventually, I found some sense of readership and finished a handful of books in quarter two, but it took time. There are various causes for my slump. For one, reading went neglected because other tasks needed my attention this year; we’ll explore more below. In this blog post, I'm outlining the numerous reasons you may have fallen into a reading slump, and then I’m sharing some best practices to help you get out of it. After we discuss reading slumps, I'm giving my 2025 mid-year reading wrap-up. Read on!
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What is a reading slump?
A reading slump is when you can’t focus on the storyline; every book you pick up, you put right back down. The novel may feel boring or like a chore to read. Falling into a slump may feel never-ending, but it will cease. However, enduring one as an avid reader and book lover—they are *literally* painful, because we LOVE stories. Don’t fret. If you find yourself in this situation, there is hope! I’m sharing some tips to help you stay engaged with narrative despite the slump.
What can cause a reading slump?
Numerous factors cause reading slumps, and below is a short list comprised of a handful of reasons you could be enduring one:
You're burnt out.
You cannot find any *good* books.
Your time is consumed by other creative activities.
You're not emotionally aligned.
Now, it's time to reflect. Do any of these four suggestions align with how you’re feeling? If so, we have some guided tips to help you though the reading slump!
Five tips for how to get out of a reading slump
Read short stories.
DNF when you need to. (And don’t feel guilty about it.)
Read a NEW book by one of your favorite authors or comfort genres.
Find other activities that fuel your creative spirit.
Acknowledge your state of mind and current lifestyle.
Read short stories.
Here’s the truth: reading requires a lot of energy and time commitments. Diving into a narrative with characters in a new world takes focus—focus you may not have because you’re burned out. It's natural. Maybe you’re drained from life, work, kids, or other creative projects. It happens. This is my advice based on experience. Reading short stories helped me feel connected to books because every time I started a novel, I felt like a rusted cog that needed oil. I was drained. The mere length made me less inclined to jump in, so picking up short stories gives you the best of both worlds. You get to connect with characters, but the journey is shorter, keeping you engaged from start to finish.
If you can’t find many modern-day short stories, look to the lost generation writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald. All that to say, instead of forcing yourself to read an entire novel, engage with shorter works to nourish your love for narrative.
2. DNF when you need to. (And don’t feel guilty about it.)
If a book doesn’t resonate with you, put it down. It’s taken me time to stop feeling guilty when I DNF a novel, but frankly, I don’t have time to read bad books— stories that don’t hook or resonate with me. It’s apparent when you’re not enjoying something, so don’t force yourself to suffer. There are millions of books to get through in your lifetime.
3. Read a NEW book by one of your favorite authors or comfort genres.
When you find yourself hating every book that comes your way, pick one up by your favorite author(s), or a story within your comfort genre. It’s more helpful when it’s a book you haven’t read, but if that’s impossible, read something you truly enjoy. Turning back to a voice you find solace in will help pull you out of your slump because it reminds you that there are stories worth reading.
4. Find other activities that fuel your creative spirit.
Find activities or hobbies that keep you connected to your soul and creative spirit. Those pursuits may include watching movies, drawing, singing, journaling, etc. These outlets will bring you back into reading. Have you considered that maybe you’re in a reading slump because of burnout from reading — not creativity altogether? For example, outside of being an avid reader, I’m also a spiritual human, writer, book editor, film producer, writing coach, and business owner. I juggle a lot of different things. During my slump, I wrote nearly the entire first draft of a new book that I’m planning to publish. My point is— despite the lack of reading, my creativity thrived in other places. I also had client work. Take into consideration where your creative energy is going, and if it’s pulled in various directions, accept it.
5. Acknowledge your state of mind and current lifestyle.
Finally, embrace it. Maybe you’re in a reading slump because you have an internal emotional struggle. A habit I strengthened while in my slump was engaging in daily morning prayer journaling; it kept me emotionally aligned in my day-to-day life. Your heart, soul, and mind may be distracted by life's unexpected upheavals. Uncover what you may be unsettled about and journal it out… or talk it out. Doing this— more than anything— will help bring you back to reading.
The next time you find yourself in a reading slump, apply one or all five of these tips above and let us know in the comments which one worked for you!
How long do reading slumps last?
How long a reading slump lasts depends on the person; I know it's not the answer you want, but it’s the truth. However, reading slumps can last about three months—at least, that’s been the pattern in my life. I know this seems like forever, but it will dissipate. Be patient with yourself. Reflect and work through it. Give yourself a break. And finally— embrace it; you will return to reading with a deeper love and appreciation when the slump is over.
2025 mid-year reading wrap-up.
Quarter One Reading Wrap-Up:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Bernice Bobs Her Hair by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
The Seven-Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks
I know what you may be thinking… the list displays more than two books a month— how was that a slump? Here’s the truth: most of the books on the list were shelved. I successfully finished reading the first three, and they were short stories. The other five I dropped like a sack of potatoes. Why? Because they were wildly unfulfilling. Some books didn’t captivate me, while others were fueled with political jargon by the author that didn't serve the story. I don’t pick up a book to read propaganda. I choose stories that help me feel connected with a character who's enduring the human condition, or books that share meaningful truths about life, people, grief, and so many more powerful themes. Find out in the book reviews below why I put each of these books down.
Book reviews for quarter one in 2025.
★★★ | Kindle Edition, November 14, 2018, by E-BOOKARAMA
This book fascinated me. I watched the 2008 David Fincher film while reading this one, and I loved the side-by-side experience. The stories are extremely different. I personally loved the movie more than the book! (I said it!) The short story by Fitzgerald is “too short”. It never developed the character. It was all plot. I needed more.
The next two short stories I read from this anthology: 2017 edition for Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Inc. by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
★★★★★ | Kessinger Pub, June 17, 2004
I absolutely loved this story. It’s a book about a young woman conforming to society and cultural norms and then rejecting it because of its inauthenticity. Fitzgerald always wrote about his observations of society during the Jazz Age, and his conclusions are often heartbreaking, yet wildly insightful. I highly recommend this short story!
★★★★★ | Kessinger Pub, June 17, 2004
The best way to describe this story is that it’s a condensed version of The Great Gatsby. I enjoyed every moment spent with this piece.
Ballantine Books | May 30, 2023
Honestly, what I read from this book was pretty good. Sadly, the eBook version was snatched back into the Libby library before I could finish it. I read this with my in-person book club and based on the many spoilers mentioned at the meeting, it sounded like this book veered in a strange direction. I did enjoy what I had read so far, but I’m not sure I’ll pick it back up. Also, I'm omitting a rating as I don’t have a fully formed opinion of it.
★ DNF | Bloomsbury Publishing | May 3, 2016
Many ACOTAR fans are going to scream at this review. I couldn’t get through it. If you’ve read my 2024 wrap-up, you know that I gave the first installment a four-star rating because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Book two felt like a completely different world. The tone changed, the romance shifted, and everything built in book one was essentially thrown out of the window; it honestly disenchanted me. A Court of Mist and Fury’s plot meandered and most of it was exposition that never ended. I had to DNF.
★ DNF | Berkley, June 27, 2023
My favorite subgenre is magical realism, so I was so excited about this book, but it fell short. Frankly, this book is overhyped. I DNF’d it because I heard the author's voice in the book and their modern-day political slants. This book is a romance; I intend to follow a character embarking on a journey of change within love, and the moment propaganda infused the tone— I was out.
★ DNF | Brilliance Audio, August 27, 2018
I wanted to like this book more, and I got through a good chunk until the author felt the need to throw in some modern-day political views that took me out of the story and undermined his credibility, in my opinion. This is a book about storytelling, and it simply fell short.
★ DNF | Berkley May 3, 2022
This book helped me climb out of the reading slump because it’s a romance, which is one of my comfort genres. It’s a story about two people who live in the literary world, and they leave the big city for reprieve, only to find themselves pulled back toward each other. However, I DNF’d this book because the main character was too negative for my taste; I couldn’t root for her.
Let’s discuss how much better reading was during quarter two.
Quarter Two Reading Wrap-Up
Wired for Story by Lisa Cron
Orphan’s Song by Lauren Kate
Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah
A Trace of Something Stranger by Allison Giordano
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber
The Marigold Trail by Stefani Tanner
This quarter, reading picked up, and I enjoyed these stories. I did DNF a couple of books, but overall, I was finally able to finish an entire novel. I even found a new favorite for the first half of 2025! Along with my client work, I dove into stories with ease and pleasure this quarter. Here are my book reviews:
★★★★★ | Random House Audio, January 31, 2023
If you are a writer and you haven’t read Lisa Cron’s work— you need to. Wired for Story is the second novel of hers I’ve read, and it was just as insightful as the other. I cannot recommend her work enough. Lisa is a master of character creation and story structure. I admire how cohesively she teaches narrative, always keeping her audience engaged. She's truly an expert on the craft.
★★ DNF | Penguin Aduio, June 25, 2019
Sadly, I DNF’d this one. There are a couple of reasons I had to put this book down. For starters, I couldn’t connect with the characters. Second and finally, the audio version was far too complex. Lauren Kate sparked my love for reading when I was an adolescent with her Fallen saga, so I was quite disheartened to shelve this one. This book is an adult historical fiction novel, and while I enjoy the genre, something about the story— or the prose, simply didn’t click.
★★★ | Brilliance Audio, October 21, 2008
A story about two estranged sisters coming together and putting aside their differences and past pains. I enjoyed most of this book. I didn’t love it. The ending seemed contrived and after an emotional journey, I was quite disenchanted with the final act.
★★★ | Sungrazer Publishing, September 3, 2024
A fantasy book about shapeshifters, which is my first time reading a novel with that concept. Personally, having grown up hearing folklore about it from my southwestern upbringing—I don’t seek to bring negative entities into my subconscious. I almost put the book down because of the content. I had a similar feeling from another story involving more demonic and dark elements. All that aside, the author’s writing style hooked me in the first act, and I easily fell into the world. However, the overall plot and character development felt a bit rushed from the second act onward.
★★ DNF | One More Chapter/ HarperCollinsUK, June 2, 2023
This book had everything I love: magical realism, books, romance. However, this book was sadly all plot. I couldn’t connect with the characters, and I DNF’d it.
★★★| kindle Edition, February 13, 2025
A light-hearted story about time travel. I appreciated the author's tone and rom-com setup, however the plot was a bit confusing. Considering this book is about time travel, the parameters of what that meant within this story, weren’t clear. But I felt compelled to find out how and if our main character could get back home.
★★★★★ | MacMillan Audio, July 16, 2019
So far, this is my favorite read of the year! A good-hearted story about grief, forgiveness, and embracing change. In this novel, we follow multiple POVs, and I enjoyed every character! They each had quirks that made them lovable despite their sufferings. I recommend this book to everyone!
There you have it! That is my mid-year reading wrap-up and best practices for getting out of a reading slump. Tell me in the comments below about your year so far! Did you endure a slump?
