How to Fall Back in Love with Reading Again
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Lately, reading hasn’t felt the same (I blame Sierra Simone and Bitter Burn). I still pick up books, still try to lose myself in a story, but somewhere between life, my phone, and everything else I’ve been doing, the spark that reading brings dimmed. It’s not that I stopped, it’s that the rhythm of reading slipped out of sync with my everyday life.
The things that once made me fall in love with books—the quiet, the ache, the feeling of being full after the final page—haven’t felt the same since Bitter Burn. Nothing else has quite compared. And maybe that’s okay. Sometimes, a reading slump isn’t a sign you’ve lost your love for reading; it’s your reminder to slow down and start again. To give yourself space to fall back in love with a new story, to meet new characters and to lose yourself in new worlds. To find your way back to the thing you love most: books.
Why You Might Be in a Reading Slump
Maybe it’s not that you’ve fallen out of love with reading (although that could be a reason)—maybe life just got louder. With all the to-dos and appointments, and the endless scrolling doesn’t help either. You end up feeling like there’s never enough time. Suddenly, the quiet joy that once felt effortless now feels just out of reach. A reading slump feels like a failure (it’s not); it’s fatigue. It’s your mind whispering you need to rest. Not pressure to try and force yourself to devour a book.
Sometimes the stories that we love don’t hit the same because we’re distracted, overstimulated (which I am), or simply tired (which I am too). But the thing is, you haven’t lost your love for books, and the stories they tell, you’ve lost the stillness that let’s them reach you. And that’s okay. That’s something you can find again.
Novella Recommendations:
- Hot for Slayer by Christina Lauren-When a vampire slayer loses all his memories the only person who can help him is the vampire he’s tried to kill over and over…for centuries.
- The Neighbor by Dean Koontz-The most disturbing mystery is the one of your new neighbor.
- The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman-The absurdities of life causes one man’s world to spin, out of control.
- The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson-A game turns deadly when jokes about killing turn real.
The Moment Reading Stopped Feeling the Same
For me, it happened after Bitter Burn. I finished it, closed the cover and sat there stunned—half full, half aching and completely undone. Everything I picked up after just…didn’t compare. And then life happened. My youngest started getting bullied at school (which he handled), my oldest got a concussion two days later and the days just started blurring together in a rhythm of worry and recovery. The things that once made me fall in love with books—the yearning between characters, the immersion, the stillness that getting lost in a book brings—felt so far away. I wanted to read, but my mind couldn’t stay still long enough to listen to the words.
Maybe you’ve had your own version of that. Where every story after one that sings to your souls feels a little too much like murmuring. In the moment it feels like a loss; it’s proof that reading can still move you that deeply. It just takes times for another story to find you in the same way. And when it does, it’s magic all over again.
Are you in a reading slump? What’s the last book that ruined you for all others?
How To Start Reading Again (Without Forcing It)
You may think it does but falling back in love with reading isn’t about discipline; it’s about invitation. Start small. Pick up a novella, a cozy romance, a book you’ve already read and loved. The goal isn’t to finish it (though that would be a SCORE) it’s to allow yourself to feel something again.
Try changing your format: listen to an audiobook while you drive, annotate your favorite passages, or light a candle and just read ten pages before bed. Let it feel unproductive, indulgent even. What you want is to rebuild the ritual—coffee and a paperback, playlist and a warm fuzzy blanket. The spark will come quietly, in the space where there’s no pressure to perform.
Emotional Recommendations:
- Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan-Written to make your heart actually feel for the characters, especially Archer.
- A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole– A thousand kisses can last a lifetime. This one is a tearjerker. Keep tissues handy.
- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller-a retelling of the legend of Achilles and Patroclus. It is sweet and heartbreaking.
Reconnecting With the Feelings Books Give You
Remember what reading gave you before it became something you tracked on Goodreads? That rush of meeting new characters, immersing yourself in a world you can’t imagine yourself not experiencing, the stillness of being alone but not lonely. Books have always been a mirror, sometimes reflecting who you are, sometimes showing who you could be.
If you’re trying to fall in love with reading again, start by chasing the feelings, not the goals to track. Are you craving the escape? Try a fantasy. Need softness? A cozy romance. Want some yearning? Romance and if you’re into it dark romance.
When to Let Yourself Rest
A good book is not something you have to earn. There are seasons where your mind needs more silence more than story, and that’s all right. Taking a break doesn’t mean you love reading any less. It means you love yourself enough to rest, to simply pause without putting pressure on yourself. And sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
Your relationship with books isn’t linear (and it doesn’t need to be). It’s cyclical, like the changing of seasons. One day, the urge to reach for a book will return, gentle and familiar. Until then, it’s enough to simply miss it.
Calming Recommendations:
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune-A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern-The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.
- Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances by Ruth Emmie Lang-Born in a blizzard, orphaned, and believed to be raised by wolves, Weylyn is someone who inspires endless curiosity in everyone he’s ever met.
Falling in Love with Reading (and Yourself) Again
Falling back in love with reading isn’t about chasing numbers on a reading tracker or hitting goals. It’s about remembering the magic that made you love books in the first place. What book got you into reading? Every time you turn a page, you’re giving yourself a moment of peace, a way to breathe, a piece of wonder.
To fall back in love with reading is to fall back in love with yourself. With curiosity, with softness, with the version of you who still believes in stories. Who still finds comfort in words, and who still trusts that books can hold pieces of healing.
Tell me in the comments—what book helped you fall back in love with reading? Or, if you’re still in your reading slump, what kind of story do you think will bring you back?
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