It happens to all of us. At least, it happens to most of us. That's right, I'm talking about the dreaded reading funk. That feeling like you want to read something new, but just can't seem to get the motivation to read past the first few pages of a book.
And it's not that the book isn't well written. It has nothing to do with the book or the story at all.
The question is, how to snap out of it.
From my experience, sometimes it happens all on its own. It could be that a book I've been waiting for from one of my favorite authors releases and I'm so excited about it that I can push through the first few chapters, and then I'm good to go.
Other times, not even that is enough of a motivator. When that happens, I'm left with two choices: wait until it passes or go back to an old favorite.
Most of the time, I choose the latter. I'll pick up a story I've read a half dozen times already and start reading. The trick, for me, however, is not to start at the beginning. Since I've already read the book before, I will usually open the book somewhere in the middle and dive into the story from there. The characters are already establish. There is no world building. No relationship set up. The story is in full swing. And somehow, to my brain, it will engage and I'll be fully invested in the story within a few minutes.
One of my old standby's is Shadow Dance by Susan Andersen. I believe this was her first book and it is by far my favorite from her. It's about a show girl who falls in love with a cop (Yep. I've always had a thing for men in uniform. How about you?). The two meet when Tristan is assigned to investigate a serial stalker that seems to be targeting show girls. The chemistry between Tristan and Amanda is off the charts and I love the story line revolving around Amanda and her dancer friends.
Have you ever found yourself in a reader funk? How did you break it? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below.
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