Though I'm not obsessive enough to have kept track, over the fifteen+ years since the inception of my blog, I'd estimate about 20% of my 2600 + published posts have featured books that have moved me enough that I decided to promote them here. Those of you who have been regular readers for a while: Would you say that's about right? Assuming my estimate is close, it appears 2026 has begun with a bit of a book slump. Of thirty-four posts published thus far this year, less than a handful have featured worthwhile books I've finished since January.
Soon after noting this downward trend on my blog, a quick review of my current book journal as well as some stats from Goodreads confirmed my suspicion. Not only have I finished fewer books over the first three months of this year vs. previous years - easy to spot via looking at earlier journals - but several of the finished ones have been serious duds. And I also gave up on others, another metric easy to track because of the comprehensive analytics Goodreads provides. It's a slump all right but it's one I plan to reverse effective immediately. A few strategies:
* Start being even more ruthless about what ends up on my list, especially with non-fiction titles.
* Rely more on authors who have rarely let me down, an easy fix via using those book journals.
* Return to reading more when I'm fresh in the a.m. and keeping a closer eye on my monthly goal.
How about you? What have been your strategies when you've been in a book slump?
Don’t turn my nose up at audiobooks. It’s still reading even if it’s listening!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous; Thanks for the comment.
DeleteWhen it comes to reading I wait for the muse-- not the one I need for writing but the one that makes a book come alive for me. Only then is there that back and forth between the author, me, and the book. As the name of the famous bookstore in Brooklyn puts it--books are magic. I can't force myself to read.
ReplyDeleteRegina; Thanks for the thoughtful comment. Although the muse and I are not always in sync, I too don't "force" myself to read. That said, for better or worse, I must admit I have goals for my reading. That's primarily because I know it's much harder to improve as a writer unless I'm constantly reading. And truth be told, I sometimes learn a great deal about being a better writer by exposing myself to not-so-great books, i.e., I learn what NOT to do. Consequently, reading constantly is, for me, a catalyst for growth as much as it is a pleasure.
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