As the busy season of spring semester begins and assignments start to pile up, it becomes noticeably harder to find time for the calmer parts of life.
As an avid reader, it is hard to find time to read as the semester picks up, let alone balance it with classwork. Even if I do have spare time between assignments and other non-negotiables as a college student, mustering the energy to read can be just as hard.
Getting back into reading can be daunting, but over the past three years, I found three ways to dig myself out of a mid-semester reading slump.
- Start short
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As reading becomes more popular again, it can be hard to keep from choosing a book that feels impressive based on page count. Some of my favorite authors can write hundreds (sometimes almost thousands) of pages in one book that also happens to be part of a multi-book series.
It can be discouraging to start a book and leave it halfway through. It makes it harder to pick it back up again without having to skim over parts that were already read. Shorter books take less time to build the plot which can make it easier to finish or quickly decide if it’s something worth reading. There are also a ton of books available that are 300 pages or less.
Page count doesn’t make a book fulfilling, sometimes the satisfying feeling of finishing a book can be enough to get out of a slump. Try starting shorter, with a more fast-paced read.
- StandAlones can be your Best Friend
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It can be comforting to read a series that follows the same characters with the same plot lines. However, it can be easy to fall into a hole when finishing one book and series starting the next.
Taking too long of a break between books in a series can make it easy to lose interest or forget small (yet important) plot points. Standalones can fix the problem of losing interest and can serve as a “palate cleanser.”
Some of my favorite reads have been standalones and I find that they are a low-maintenance way to get back into reading. There is no added pressure to stick with one series and are a nice way to experiment with genres. Standalones are also less likely to end on an unsatisfying cliffhanger, and those can stunt your reading streak as well.
- Choose an engaging genre
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As you search for a real page-turner, ask yourself: what interests you? Do you prefer a fast-paced thriller or a cute romance novel? There is a genre for almost every type of story and finding a preferred niche is the easiest way to get out of a slump.
I prefer to read mystery novels because most are standalones and require a reader’s full focus to the plot. Typically by the end, I am already thinking about the next book I want to read.
Finding something that checks all these boxes is a simple way to start climbing out of the reading slump and getting back into such a great hobby.