The Bookmark No. 45

On the dreaded reading slump and welcoming March

Happy March!

I missed writing to you last week. February was the month of the slump. I struggled to get into a good reading routine and it left me feeling unlike myself in so many ways. My sleep schedule was off, my mornings felt incomplete, my free time was spent scrolling way too much…

It didn’t feel good.

I’m often asked about reading slumps and if I ever take reading breaks. I am human, so of course I take breaks. I have plenty of other interests besides reading but books are the thing that ground me the most.

The secret to getting out of a reading slump? Don’t push it.

In February, I reread some of my favorite books via audiobook. I watched new movies and old TV shows. I slept in and listened to music. I talked to friends on the phone and went to see shows and threw myself into rehearsals. And when I felt like it, I picked up a new book I was really excited about.

Reading slumps are normal and though frustrating, I feel like it’s one of those things we just have to ride out.

Slumps happen in all aspects of our lives. Whether it’s cooking and kitchen fatigue, struggling to find something that works in the gym, hating everything in your closet, or even not having the motivation to socialize.

Reading slumps don’t make us any less of the readers we are and always makes me think of the Sex and the City movie when Carrie asks her friends when she’ll laugh again. They tell her she will when something is really, really funny.

When will I read again? When a book is really, really good.

The book that broke my slump is Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off Script. It’s out June 6 of this year and while that feels far away, Summer will be here before we know it. It’s definitely one you’ll want to preorder if you’re a fan of Every Summer After by Carley Fortune and beach reads.

ICYMI on readandwright.com

1. Spring Fever: Books When You’re Craving Spring

2. What I Read in February 2023

3. My March Bucket List

4. Review: Ruby Spencer’s Whiskey Year by Rochelle Bilow

5. The Weekly Wrap Up

What I’m Loving:

1. Eye Masks

2. Paper Bag Trousers

3. Wide Brim Hat

4. Rainy Day Reading Candle

5. Plot Twist Hat

What You’re Loving:

1. Kindle Page Turner

2. Main Character Hat

3. Stanley Tumbler

4. Pajama Set

5. Headband

Here’s to the books that make us excited to read. And enjoy the adaptation of Daisy Jones and the Six if you’re watching!

Until next time,

Phoebe