7 Ways to Rediscover Your Love for Reading

The worst has happened. You are a librarian, but you have found that you just cannot pick up another book. Maybe you are in a reading slump. Maybe you devoured too many books and your appetite has hit a wall... for a few months now. Maybe the pressures of reading during your downtime (which was never much to begin with) has finally broken you.

Whatever it is, there is hope. Seven tricks that you can try to get that old loving feeling back:

1. Speed Date 10 Books

Get ten books off the library shelf and read the first few pages/chapter. Keep going through the stack until you find one that interests you. If you need to grab a second or third stack, have no shame in doing so!

2. Try a New Format

If you read print books, try an audio book or a graphic novel. Audio books give a different feeling with someone narrating the story (especially if it comes with a whole cast of voice actors). Graphic novels can grab you instantly just by the artwork even before you get into the story line. Even better, you can finish a graphic novel in a few hours, so you can finish it quickly.

3. Get Spoilers for Books You Don't Want to Read

We all have genres that we do not enjoy, but you need to know about them for readers' advisory. Utilizing Goodreads or Spoilers, Sweetie to get spoilers on those boring books will free you up to read your favorite genres - and stop making reading feel like homework.

4. Talk to Friends for Recommendations

Talk to your friends and colleagues to see if they have any books to recommend. If you aren't sure what genres you even want to read, just ask for any books that they weren't able to put down. Chances are, not everyone will have the same tastes as you, but you might be lucky and find a few readers you can count on for good recommendations for years to come.

5. Follow Podcasts that Talk about New Books

There are a lot of podcasts (like All the Books) out there which essentially give a lot of book talks about new books coming out. If you listen long enough, you'll eventually hear about a book that'll spark your curiosity. As for all of the other books, well, you're now ahead on RA.

6. Look for Books Similar to your Favorite TV Shows and Movies

Do you find yourself preferring to watch TV or a movie instead of reading? Research your favorites and see if they are based on real books (many of them are) and check the original cannon out of the library. If no luck there, see if someone created a similar reads list based on the TV shows or on books that the characters would likely enjoy.

7. Reread Your Favorite Book

Go ahead, and pull out that beloved book that you have enjoyed in the past. Nostalgia is a powerful tool, tap into it to pull yourself out of the slump. If it happens to be a classic (for me, it is Pride and Prejudice), see if there are adaptations and fun inspirations.

Hopefully, one of these tricks will work for you. If not, maybe a break is exactly what you need right now!