Reading Ruts & Methods For Overcoming Them

Today I want to talk about reading ruts. After Thanksgiving week when we had family in town (and I got very little reading done) I was having a hard time getting back on track with reading.

I just couldn’t seem to get into the books I was choosing and so I officially declared it a reading rut. Of course most of us have them at one time or another, and I’ve had them in the past. It’s hard to say what exactly has gotten me out of them other than finally choosing a phenomenal book. But if it’s a new book you can’t necessarily know it’s going to be amazing before going into it.

So I thought I’d talk about some methods for getting out of a reading rut that I had people recommend to me at he time. Perhaps these tips will help out you guys too if you’re finding yourself in a rut as well.

1) Read a personal favorite.

Sometimes you just need to go back to what you know and love. I generally have trouble re-reading books (even ones I deem as my favorites) because I feel like I could use that time to discover something new!

But this isn’t a time to worry about that even if you’re like me. A personal favorite that you have loved in the past might be just the ticket to overcoming your reading woes. Familiar characters and settings, a story you know you love, and a writing style that really sets the mood — all for sure things since you’ve read it already — might be just what you need.

2) Read a book outside your normal genre.

We all have our favorite genres. Mine being Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Young Adult. But sometimes if you’re in a rut, you just need something completely different.

I’m not saying you have to go out and read a memoir if you’re totally not into that. But pick a fiction genre that you normally don’t read. If you’re like me and you generally stay within the paranormal theme, perhaps picking up a contemporary or historical romance might be what you need. Or pick up a classic you haven’t read or perhaps a mystery. Maybe even an anthology in a genre you haven’t really ever tried out might help. Just pick something you don’t normally read but you think you might enjoy (or have enjoyed in the past).

3) Read a book you’ve been eying awhile.

This one could backfire if it’s in your normal genre. But if it’s something that has amazing reviews across the board and you’ve had your eye on it but haven’t gotten to it for a long time, then now might be the time.

Just be aware that your whole reading mentality is different during a reading rut. Books you might normally love might just seem like the same old same old during a reading rut. So keep that in mind if you’re picking up a book you’ve been really looking forward to. But if you’re pretty sure it’ll help, then by all means, give it a shot.

4) Take a reading break.

This was definitely not the choice for me, but it might help some people. Perhaps taking a little reading break (for a week or so) would help. Then whatever you pick up after that week might be much more appealing than it would have if you had picked it up during your rut.

I didn’t even consider this method because for one I have my blog to consider, and two because I have a very habit-oriented personality. If I stopped reading for a little while, I might stop reading for longer than I intended (even though I do love it). Plus what got me into the rut in the first place was basically two weeks of mostly no reading due to family obligations.

Now for what not to do…

DON’T ignore the rut. Just because a book can’t get you out of a rut doesn’t mean you wouldn’t enjoy it under normal circumstances. Put the book down for the time being and move on to a get-out-of-your-rut book.

DON’T get discouraged. Even the most avid readers get into reading ruts. There’s nothing wrong with it and it’s completely normal. As with anything you do a lot, you can get to feeling a little bit blah if it feels like the same stuff over and over again. Or perhaps your rut was triggered by a period of not reading (like mine) and you just can’t get back into your normal books.

DON’T give up on reading. Especially if you’re newish to reading avidly, don’t take it as a sign that you don’t like reading anymore. That’s totally not what it is. Your brain just needs something refreshing and hopefully the tips above will help with that.

What book got me out of my reading rut…

Why my November Random Reads pick of course! Go figure, huh? Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols ended up helping me to get out of my rut. I picked it up after originally writing this post and I couldn’t put it down! Thank you Random Reads! lol

I’m not sure which method that book would’ve fallen under. Perhaps I should add a method (#5 Join Random Reads) haha. But seriously, it would probably fall under trying a different genre than the usual for me because it’s more YA contemporary romance than the normal YA (or adult) paranormal books I usually read.

Btw, phenomenal book. I highly recommend it. Who knows, maybe it’d help you get out of your reading rut too. Here’s my review for it if you’re interested.