Books to Pull You Out of a Slump
Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is books that pull you out of a slump. This is subjective, of course. The books that pull me out of a slump are not the same books that pull you out of a slump. But maybe there are some basic kinds of books that do the trick.
The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs - This is the first book I go to when I'm in a reading slump. Usually, a slump is caused by the expectations I have set for myself. I'll decide I NEED to read certain books, and then when it's time to read them I'm not interested, but I feel obligated to read them. So I don't read anything. This book reminds me that it's ok to read what I want, when I want.
So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson - This is the next book I go to. Both these books are short, so that is another slump busting element. Sometimes just the act of finishing a book makes you want to keep reading. This particular book pulls me out of a slump because it is about a woman reading. This is basically her journal about the books she read during her reading project. She proposed to read a book a week and write about it. It's horribly dated now, but it doesn't matter. Reading about someone reading makes me want to read.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - This is really just about reading a thriller. They read really fast and usually aren't to taxing, so you finish it quickly, and if it's a good one, you get involved and fall into the story. Mostly, I don't care for thrillers because I like to sleep at night, but sometimes they are good for brain candy.
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett - This is another little book that I reread to get out of a slump. It's a fun little story and it's about reading changing a life. What's not to love!
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I have found that re-reading a favorite book is a sure-fire way to beat a reading slump. Confession time: I don't always finish it. But reading the book sometimes help me get in a frame of mind to read other books and I can move on.
So those are my slump-busting secrets. What books pull you out of a reading slump?