I’ve been in something of a reading slump for… honestly over a decade at this point, and I’m trying to get out of it. When I was younger, like, high school and earlier, I used to absolutely disappear into whatever I was reading to the point where my mom would often have to employ physical touch to bring me back down to earth cause I couldn't hear her calling my name. And even though I was never as fast of a reader as some of my peers, I often went through books faster cause I was insatiable and would read the way you might've drank a cold lemonade on a warm summer day while on a break from playing outside with friends. I miss reading like that, and maybe it's college or social media or mental illness but it's been extremely rare for me to experience that ever since I graduated (about 17 years ago). Every once in a while, something breaks through, so I know the love is still there. Books/series that have done that for me during the slump:
• Pet Sematary by Stephen King
• The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (with the exception of Ghost Story, that one was harder for me to get through)
• A Court of Thorns and Roses / Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (currently reading TOG and flying through it)
• The Fault in our Stars – John Green
Books I enjoyed but didn’t NEED to read in the same way:
• The Lies of Locke Lamora – Scott Lynch (I am interested in the rest of the series but haven't pursued that interest yet. I also felt that way after the first two TOG books so that doesn't mean it won't suck me in more thoroughly down the line.)
• Wicked – Gregory Maguire (I also read Son of a Witch, which was a bit of a sludge, and I started "A Lion Among Men" but haven't finished it.
• Jenny Lawson’s books, I don't typically read non fiction but these were very funny and I enjoyed them, they just by nature didn't have the plot tension to pull me in.
• One for the Money – Janet Evanovich (didn't feel compelled to read any more of the series)
• The Aeronaut's Windlass – Jim Butcher (I loved it and I have the second book waiting but it did not suck me in the way the Dresden Files does)
• An Abundance of Katherines – John Green (I enjoyed it but didn't find it super memorable, it's certainly possible that I just wasn't the intended audience as it was firmly YA)
Pre-slump, I loved fantasy (Harry Potter, Abarat) and historical fiction (American Girl, Royal Diaries) and mild horror/thrillers (Dean Koontz, Lois Duncan). What I’m looking for now is a book (or series) that give me that sense of urgency again, like I HAVE to keep reading!
Vibe-wise, I tend to gravitate toward:
• Adventure + mystery-driven plots (even if not strictly those genres)
• Darker tone / horror elements are a big plus
• Morally gray characters
• Enemies-to-lovers (toxic is fine, even preferred tbh), but not as the main plot!
• “Who did this to you?”/"Touch [them] you die" moments
• Strong platonic bonds, found family, grumpy/sunshine dynamics
Romance is great as a subplot, but I don’t usually enjoy books where romance is the main focus. I almost didn't bother reading the rest of ACOTAR cause the first book kinda dragged for me, but the internet said it would get better and I got attached to the characters lol.
I’m open to fantasy, urban fantasy, horror, historical fiction, adventure, or anything in those realms. If it does any genre-bending or has a lot of thematic layers and juxtaposition (I am a SLUT for clever and intentional juxtaposition) that's even better.
If you’ve ever had a book or series that dragged you out of a slump and made you obsessed, I would love to hear about it.
by Rosykisses_13