Summer is quickly approaching, and book lovers across the country will be visiting their local bookshops or browsing through their Kindles to discover the ideal holiday reads. There’s nothing quite like relaxing by the pool with your favourite treats and an engrossing book, but if you’ve been experiencing a reading slump, deciding what to read next can feel daunting.
It’s simple to drift away from reading when social media, video games and streaming platforms are constantly vying for our attention. However, going long stretches without reading can make it considerably harder to return to the habit, and many worry about the effect this might have on their concentration.
I’m a huge bookworm but found myself battling to find anything I fancied reading earlier this year, yet after discovering a few straightforward strategies, I’m now completing around one per week.
View 7 ImagesSigning up for the Dracula Daily newsletter helped me start reading again(Image: Katherine McPhillips)
One of the most effective things I did to resume reading was to remove the pressure entirely.
I began by simply reading a few minutes each day. This might sound daft, but the toughest part of doing anything is often starting, and doing it once daily will eventually help you rebuild the habit so you begin reading regularly.
You don’t even need to purchase a book to start, as the best way I resumed reading was signing up to the Dracula Daily Newsletter. Dracula, the novel, is composed of diary entries, and rather than having to tackle the entire book in one go, you’ll receive each entry on the exact date it takes place within the story.
All you need to do is spare five minutes at the start of your day by opening your inbox, and within a few months, you’ll have finished the entire book.
View 7 ImagesPicking up a niche non-fiction book can also help you become fascinated by a new topic(Image: Katherine McPhillips)
Sometimes simply trying something out of the ordinary is the best way to rekindle your love of reading, as it can help shake off any lofty expectations and make it enjoyable once more.
During the winter months, I found myself really struggling to read due to the gloomy, dark weather, but one day an email from a local bookshop arrived that genuinely made me chuckle.
They were promoting a range of British history titles, and one of their standout recommendations was A Cheesemonger’s History of the British Isles by Ned Palmer.
The idea of reading about the history of cheese struck me as rather odd, yet I couldn’t get it out of my head and ended up purchasing the book on my next visit to the area.
It proved to be an utterly captivating read, and I’d wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone. If you fancy branching out with your reading choices, I’d suggest browsing the history, nature, travel or philosophy sections of your local bookshop to see whether anything quirky catches your eye.
View 7 ImagesJoining a local book club or an online community can give you the motivation to keep reading(Image: Katherine McPhillips)
It might seem daunting at first, but knowing you’ll be discussing a book with others at a later date can give you that extra push to pick it up and see it through to the end. One of the simplest ways to discover local book clubs in your area is to browse websites such as Meetup, or pop into a nearby bookshop or library to check whether they’re hosting any upcoming events.
If heading out feels like too much effort right now, however, you could explore some online groups instead, as having somewhere to chat about reading can help reignite your enthusiasm.
Goodreads is one of the finest websites for online reading communities, but it’s also worth browsing Reddit, as it offers more specific groups tailored to whichever genres you enjoy most.
If you’re going to be scrolling through your phone anyway, you might as well develop healthier social media habits by seeking out book clubs — it could even help you decide what to read next.
View 7 ImagesI first read Mort when I was 14 and it is my go-to comfort read(Image: Katherine McPhillips)
Picking up a brand new book during a reading slump can feel overwhelming, so revisiting something you adored in the past can be a brilliant way to rebuild momentum.
Completing a book, even one you’ve already read, can give you a real sense of achievement and serve as a reminder of why you fell in love with reading in the first place.
As a teenager, I was absolutely devoted to the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett, and in February I chose to revisit Mort, the tale of a farm boy who becomes Death’s apprentice. It is such a brilliantly funny and inventive book that it rekindled my childhood love of fantasy. Having turned the final page, I found myself devouring one fantasy novel after another, swiftly falling back into the wonderful habit of reading for pleasure.
View 7 ImagesWatching The Handmaid’s Tale lead me to really get into dystopian fiction(Image: Katherine McPhillips)
View 7 ImagesUnrecognizable young woman turning the pages of a book while reading in bed covered with the duvet(Image: Getty)
Watching a TV or film adaptation before picking up a book can make it considerably easier to shake off a reading slump.
It allows you to familiarise yourself with the characters and setting, making the story feel far less daunting and much simpler to picture in your mind. If you find yourself enjoying the adaptation, it can also ignite a passion for the genre and point you towards other books you might love.
Article continues below
A few months ago, I began watching The Handmaid’s Tale on Disney+ after hearing that a sequel was due out this year, and I ended up picking up the book once I’d finished the series.
I became utterly captivated by dystopian fiction, which led me to devour many of the genre’s landmark titles, such as The Stand by Stephen King, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and the most celebrated of them all, 1984 by George Orwell.