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The OTHER Reading Slump

books Do you ever hit those points in your reading where you just don’t know where to start? Usually, at this time of the year, I’m brimming over with reading ideas and books that I cannot wait to dive into. I’ve actually read some VERY good books this year (One Was a Soldier, The Bride Finder, Unveiled and a few more), but for some reason I feel like I’m hitting a wall. I have plenty of books in my TBR, but I just can’t decide where to start.

I would distinguish this from a regular reading slump because my problem isn’t that I just can’t find anything that grabs me. My dilemma is more about being spoiled for choice. I’ve got books on my Kindle that sound fantastic, I’ve been getting fun-sounding review books and my print TBR hasn’t exactly shrunk all that much. I look at my books and feel myself being pulled into way too many directions. I always have a review book to read, but it’s what to read on the side that gets me.

I’ve been reading some interesting nonfiction off and on, I just bought the new Julia Quinn and want to dive into that, there are a few paranormal series I want to catch up on, I have my TBR Challenge book to read for June, I have eleventy gazillion Harlequins and Carinas that I want to try, and…you get the picture. The reading options don’t strike me as bleak at all. However, at this rate, I will never actually finish anything!

Since I need to review, I can discipline myself to prioritize and get through those books. I set a pace for myself and unless my job goes crazy to the point that I can’t read anything at all(like it did this spring), I use that as a minimum amount of reading. If a book is really good, I’ll likely fly through it faster and if I’m mired in a D/F read, I’ll still get through it within a reasonable time. However, with my other books, unless I’m strongly in the mood for something, I look at the shelf or the Kindle and think, “I could really enjoy that historical/paranormal/mystery/inspy/etc…” Not helpful.

Now what does one do? Just grab a random book? Flip a coin? Read the back and decide which hero/heroine sounds the coolest? No idea. And with RWA coming up at the end of the month, the choices will only increase. Still, when faced with the idea of this versus an actual apathetic reading slump, it’s not a bad dilemma to have!

So, what do you do when you have so many good-sounding books that you just don’t know where to start?

– Lynn Spencer

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