Reading slumps are real.
My fiction slump, a true-crime deep dive, and a fun girls' night out movie...
There’s nothing like finding a book that totally sweeps you up and wows you. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. However, there is often a cost. You had this great reading experience but now you must pay the price…the dreaded reading slump.
I have been in a fiction slump for three weeks now. I read the book that is my RAD Reading Rec this week on the podcast and haven’t been inspired by any fiction I’ve picked up since.
I know this will pass and some novel I pick up will reignite the reading spark at some point, but until then, I’m using a few of the tricks I’ve learned over the years that help me continue reading even when I’m in a slump.
Tip 1: Read something completely different
For some, that may mean a completely different genre or maybe a switch from adult to YA. For me, all fiction seems to fall under the slump, so non-fiction is my go-to. When I’m in a reading slump, I usually can still read essay collections, business books, psychology books, true crime, and general non-fiction without issue. So that’s what I’ve been doing since my slump.
Tip 2: Read in a different format
Maybe this means going to the library and picking up a hardcover instead of your e-reader. For me, print and ebook aren’t different enough, so I go to audiobooks. My brain seems to think of audiobooks as a different animal so somehow they avoid the slumpiness. And when I pair non-fiction and audio together, that’s magic for my reading slumps.
During this fiction-reading dry spell, I’ve listened to two audiobooks that I’ve really enjoyed. John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed and Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus. The first is essays written in a review style. Green gives star ratings to things like The Internet, Wintry Mix, and Diet Dr. Pepper. The topics range from light to serious ones, and Green narrates the audio, so it’s easy to listen to. I would’ve never picked this one up if not for Laura Tremaine’s newsletter because I wasn’t familiar with the podcast that inspired the book and the title never would’ve drawn me in. So I’m grateful for the rec!
Stolen Focus, on the other hand, was not light reading. It was about our attention problems and technology and a whole host of other things wreaking havoc on our focus. Not an uplifting book but very informative. This is a particular area of interest for me, so there was a lot that I was already familiar with, but I still got a lot out of the listen.
Next up, I did read a print book and a long one at that, and it dropped me into a true crime rabbit hole.
A true-crime deep dive
The book that put me in the reading slump was about a fictional serial killer, so I think that’s what led me to this next read. I read the 600 page true-crime classic The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule. I talk more about it in this week’s podcast episode, but this book has been on my shelf for over three years and I finally decided to pick it up. I kind of expected it to be dated since it originally came out in 1980, but the writing held up and was very compelling. I raced through it, and then went down the rabbit hole on the Ted Bundy case.
After finishing the book, I ended up watching a 4-hour documentary called Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer. The name is sensational, but this documentary was so well done, and it really did a great job focusing on the victims more than the killer. The main interview is with Ted Bundy’s long-time girlfriend (Liz) and her daughter (Molly), but they also interview friends of the victims, the survivors, and then women involved in the feminist movement at that time.
Framing the documentary around the victims and shining a light on the larger societal issues going on at the time really gave me a lot more insight. Many men were in a rage about women fighting for equality, and that factored into these types of crimes.
Bundy went after really smart women, most of them in college, who would’ve offered the world a lot had they lived. You could see that in the interviews with the few survivors of his attacks. He was going after smart, beautiful, capable women. That’s who this disgusting man was threatened by. Ugh.
Also, I want to be friends with Molly, his girlfriend’s daughter. She seems like a badass. Maybe I’ll write a character inspired by her.
You can read more about the different angle this documentary took in this Collider article: Why ‘Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer’ Is a Crucial True Crime Watch Because It Focuses on the Victims
This doc was especially interesting to watch after reading the book. Liz Kendall (the girlfriend) has a different name in the book because they were protecting her identity at the time, but she is part of the book.
Also, fair warning, reading the book gave me legit nightmares, so be careful if you’re sensitive to that kind of thing.
Anyone else watch this documentary or read the book? Or, do you have tips for a reading slump?
On the podcast
Learning your personal reading tastes is one of the best ways to enhance your reading life. Today we’re talking about the difference between a “bad” book and a book that’s just not for you (or not for you right now.) Plus, we’re giving examples of books that fall into those categories for us along with our RAD Reading recs of the week!
Listen in your favorite podcast app:
Or add to your favorite podcast app with their “Add by URL” feature and paste this link there: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/rad-reading
Romantic Movie Marathon
Title: The Lost City
Release date: March 25, 2022
Where to Watch: in theatres
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Brad Pitt, Daniel Radcliffe, Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Official description (from Rotten Tomatoes): “Reclusive author Loretta Sage writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan. While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes she can lead him to an ancient city's lost treasure from her latest story. Determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her.”
My description: A jaded romance author who lost her husband and her desire to write is kidnapped to try to find the treasure she writes about in her books. Her earnest and endearing cover model tries to save her. Brad Pitt gets to play the best part, though.
My Review
1 . Is it actually a romance? It’s much more comedy focused than romance focused, but that’s not a negative.
2 . Romantic tropes: beta hero tries to be alpha, romance writer who doesn’t have romance in her life, damsel in distress (sorta)
3 . Sweet or steamy? Sweet, but you do get to see Channing Tatum’s backside, so there’s that
4 . Swoonworthy love interest? yes
5 . Would I want to be friends with the main character? for sure
6 . Does it show its age? new
7 . Would I rewatch? definitely
8 . Favorite moments:
Brad Pitt is in very few scenes but his character steals the show and is a wink at the ultimate alpha type hero
Dawn (my co-host on the podcast) and I saw this together and we were both cracking up at the over-the-top book launch. That is SO not our experience for romance book launches or tours lol.
Channing Tatum’s butt
There’s a line that Channing says when Sandra Bullock’s character declares that she writes “schlock” that I loved. I won’t spoil it, but it made me happy that they didn’t disparage romance novels in that moment.
9 . Thoughts: I loved this. It was slapstick and over the top but in the best way. I truly laughed, and it was a great movie to see with a friend. Also, stay after the credits because there’s a final scene worth watching. :)
10 . Rating: 5 stars of fun
Has anyone else seen this one yet? Let me know!
That’s all I have for y’all this week. I hope you have a great holiday weekend!
*Book links are affiliate links (Amazon, Libro.fm, and/or Bookshop.org), which means I earn a small commission if you buy through my links. Also, I receive advanced listening copies of some audiobooks through Libro.fm’s Influencer program. However, all reviews and opinions are my own.
I want to see that movie.
I have to be careful when reading or watching some thrillers. Nightmares, especially, are an issue.
When I get into a reading slump, historical romance is my go-to. Strange, I'm sure. Because I read them, regardless, in addition to contemporary romance. I have a stack of memoirs, but I'll reach for the HR.
I agree with you about changing up what I am reading when in a slump, though true crime and horror end up taking up too much space in my head *nightmares* so I tend to avoid them. Another romance writer friend and I saw Lost City and I agree with your assessment. Great fun, over the top, but ultimately an enjoyable movie. Plus, it was my first theater trip since pre-covid days and with a friend I hadn't seen in months, so the perfect afternoon!