Reading slumps are a good thing!

Edited By Vanshika Pruthi 3rd Year English Hons

Reading slumps are a good thing

We’ve all been there. You finish a book, feel a sense of achievement or relief, look at your shelf, and… nothing. Suddenly, you feel all the forces of the universe is telling you to not pick up the next book. Congrats—- you’re in a reading slump.

Now, instead of feeling guilty and searching up “book recommendations to end that reading slump”, i’m here to tell you to pause.

Reading slumps are like the off-season for athletes. You can’t sprint forever— you’d collapse. It is the same with books. Sometimes you need to let your mind digest all the words and ideas it has been chewing on. If you force feed it another 400-page novel, it’ll sit like a fruitless burden.

Non-reading days are when you live what you missed before. Maybe watch that movie, or go out to feel the grass. Maybe you’ll actually talk to that person you’ve been meaning to for weeks. Your reading slump might even help you find fresh book recommendations—- yes—- when you’ll actually have time to know about them before diving into your next top reads.

The secret gift of a reading slump? It resets your palate. Ever notice how after a series of amazing books, the next “okay” one feels painfully bland? Or after a string of mediocre reads, even a decent book feels like a masterpiece? That’s the slump working its magic—it makes the next book you pick up feel exciting again.

So instead of treating reading slump like an obstacle, treat it like a break you needed. Let it relax. Let it miss the feel of pages. And then when you’ll see a book and think This is it. You’ll know you’re back.

Until then, enjoy the slump!