Play Book Tag discussion

I had to take a little trip to Pittsburgh to see my Cardiologist. I ended up getting sick, and also got bit by a tick. I'm on a two week course of antibiotic that isn't agreeing with my system and I have just completely lost my motivation to read.

When you lose your reading mojo, what do you to try to get it back?

First, I try to think about it too much. Then I will pick an author that is easy to read, but engaging. For me, I will pick up Liane Moriarty, Susanna Kearsley, or Sarah Addison Allen.

I'm sorry the rough time you are going through.

To get back into reading I try to find something easy to read hut very engaging. Mystery, suspense, thriller or a dystopia story.

Sometimes it's just hard to pick up a book, so talking to others and talking of your favorite books might help. I think reread of your favorites is a good idea.

Lastly I would maybe suggest audio. Again would need to be an easy captivating story, but the experience if reading and listening are so different that even though you have no desire to read, listening may be easier.

Also, I know you asked for personal reason but great conversation topic.

I hope you feel better really soon, Sandye. Warmest thoughts heading your way!

To be honest, if I’m in a reading slump I try not to worry about it. I sometimes feel like I’m ‘failing’ if I don’t read for a while, but I give myself a kick :) Then I just do other things instead that suit my brain space better and make me feel good. Sooner or later, reading always comes back up to the top of the activity list!

Try not to fret; you'll soon want to read again. Meanwhile, rereading favorites, especially favorites from your childhood, will likely help.

And focus on getting better! :)

Oh no! I'm so sorry you're going though that. I have Lyme disease from tick bites and I know those antibiotic courses can be brutal.
If you don't want to read right now don't force yourself. Reading should be fun and I find that the more I stress about it the less I want to. Rereading can be a good idea or books you're really looking forward to. Just read whatever will help you to heal!

After my grandfather died last year and more stress of moving, I didn’t have that much motivation to read. In fact I think I read about a dozen of books last year. Now I’ve got the reading bug back and I’ve now read 17.

Don’t worry or stress about why you’ve lost motivation to read. It’ll come back. I learned that stressing about it doesn’t help. I also took time off for myself which I needed to deal with all the stress from last year... and then in January I broke my arm... maybe it was breaking my arm that helped me just calm down and relax. Now I’m more interested in reading than catching up on all these tv shows that my mom wants to watch with me. I also just stopped thinking about the timeline that I used to give myself. And my tbr (to-be-read) list is a lot smaller. Sometimes non existent because I’m a mood reader and I’ll just let my mood decide my next tbr

SANDYE wrote: "I had to take a little trip to Pittsburgh to see my Cardiologist. I ended up getting sick, and also got bit by a tick. I'm on a two week course of antibiotic that isn't agreeing with my system and ..."

Mid-April I had a heart cath done, fortunately through my wrist. I was drugged out--I woke up 2 times during procedure. So I took some days off of reading books as I could not read. During that time, a friend reminded me that heart patients seem to push forward when they shouldn't, doing things that work against themselves. I remembered my yoga principles, breathed, relaxed, and made better decisions. I did what my mind and body wanted. I recovered faster than I would have expected. Always a true principle no matter the situation. Take Care Sandye.

Hope you are feeling better soon! Agree with Cheryl-don't force yourself to read-if you are in this group, than it is something you love to do, so your drive for it will return!

JoLene wrote: "First, I try to think about it too much. Then I will pick an author that is easy to read, but engaging. For me, I will pick up Liane Moriarty, Susanna Kearsley, or Sarah Addison Allen."

Thank you for the input and author suggestions! I will definitely check them out! Sorry for my delayed reply. I missed the notifications here at GoodReads and haven't been online much lately.

Jason wrote: "I'm sorry the rough time you are going through.

To get back into reading I try to find something easy to read hut very engaging. Mystery, suspense, thriller or a dystopia story.

Sometimes it's j..."

Sorry for my delayed reply. I missed the notifications here at GoodReads and haven't been online much lately. Thank you for your suggestions! I will definitely try them out! I think I can find an audio book on my Kindle that may spark my interest again! I've been relaxing on the couch a lot lately so it will give me something engaging to listen to, get my brain working again!

KateNZ wrote: "I hope you feel better really soon, Sandye. Warmest thoughts heading your way!

To be honest, if I’m in a reading slump I try not to worry about it. I sometimes feel like I’m ‘failing’ if I don’t ..."

Sorry for my delayed reply. I missed the notifications here at GoodReads and haven't been online much lately. Thanks for the encouragement! I'm trying not to stress about it, and have been writing pen pal letters, and making envelopes, that kind of thing. I may try an audio book while I'm making the envelopes instead of watching TV. Maybe that will balance things out a little.

Cheryl wrote: "Try not to fret; you'll soon want to read again. Meanwhile, rereading favorites, especially favorites from your childhood, will likely help.

And focus on getting better! :)"

Sorry for my delayed reply. I missed the notifications here at GoodReads and haven't been online much lately. Thank you for the well wishes and the advice! I am just now starting to feel like myself again. Have a small trip coming up so will have time to relax and maybe read or listen to a book!

Magdalena wrote: "Oh no! I'm so sorry you're going though that. I have Lyme disease from tick bites and I know those antibiotic courses can be brutal.
If you don't want to read right now don't force yourself. Readi..."

Sorry for my delayed reply. I missed the notifications here at GoodReads and haven't been online much lately. I'm so sorry you have to deal with the whole Lyme nonsense! I'm hoping I caught it in time to avoid all that. I'm just now starting to feel more like myself. Maybe I'll look for a cozy mystery or something funny to either try to read or listen to via audiobook. I have some ideas rolling around in my head thanks to everyone's encouragement! I appreciate your advice and input!

Michelle (MichelleBookAddict) wrote: "After my grandfather died last year and more stress of moving, I didn’t have that much motivation to read. In fact I think I read about a dozen of books last year. Now I’ve got the reading bug back..."

Sorry for my delayed reply. I missed the notifications here at GoodReads and haven't been online much lately. Thanks for your advice! I appreciate it! I'm the same as you are as far as letting my mood determine my next tbr! My actual tbr list is just to hold books I'd like to read in the future so I don't forget the titles. I scan the list quick and whatever cover catches my eye, or whatever title captivates me, that's what I pick. If it's on my tbr list, great! If it isn't on my tbr, better luck next time! :-)

Cynda wrote: "SANDYE wrote: "I had to take a little trip to Pittsburgh to see my Cardiologist. I ended up getting sick, and also got bit by a tick. I'm on a two week course of antibiotic that isn't agreeing with..."

Cynda, I do hope that your heart cath came out well! I have two heart conditions, neither of which have gotten any worse since summer 2016! I do tend to listen to my body, hence my not being online for awhile and just getting caught up on all these great replies now. I've been sleeping A LOT lately. Hopefully I can get my days/nights back on track 'cause right now they are a bit backwards. Maybe a good audio book, a good short comedy, or a reread of Winnie the Pooh or Little House on the Prairie would help! So many good suggestions and advice/tips from this post! I'm so grateful!

Joanne wrote: "Hope you are feeling better soon! Agree with Cheryl-don't force yourself to read-if you are in this group, than it is something you love to do, so your drive for it will return!"

I do love to read! This group is great and I appreciate your input and advice! Thank you!

It's been a month, so I hope you're feeling better, Sandye!

annapi wrote: "It's been a month, so I hope you're feeling better, Sandye!"

I'm finally starting to feel more like myself. Have a little trip coming up in a few days! Nice, quiet, peaceful mountain retreat! Should help to get caught up on rest and get my days & nights back to the way they should be! Thanks!

Maybe start with a short story or two. Knowing it won't take too long might be the unconscious push you need to get through.

Also, try re-reading one of your favorites.

Hoping you have brighter days ahead of you Sandye!

After struggling to meet my reading goals last year I tried doing something this year that I have never done before which was to choose a theme each month for my reading. For example last month was titles that involved flowers or trees and back in March I did grand adventures. I've found this to be really effective for me and so far am on target with my reading!

That’s a cool idea!

Glad you're feeling a little better. Enjoy your mountain retreat!

Hope you are feeling better soon-I always go browsing at the library, as you are unable to do that, perhaps you could "bowse" on-line.

Have you ever used Literature Map? You put in a name of an author you really enjoy and then it spits out other authors you might like!

Get Well Soon!!

Joanne, thank you for the reminder. I used http://www.literature-map.com/ some years ago and it's about time to try again... even though I don't need more recommendations!

Jamie wrote: "Maybe start with a short story or two. Knowing it won't take too long might be the unconscious push you need to get through.

Also, try re-reading one of your favorites."

Very good suggestions! Thank you for your input!

Hayjay315 wrote: "Hoping you have brighter days ahead of you Sandye!

After struggling to meet my reading goals last year I tried doing something this year that I have never done before which was to choose a theme e..."

I love that idea!! Maybe having a theme for each month will help me get back on track too!

Magdalena wrote: "Glad you're feeling a little better. Enjoy your mountain retreat!"

Thank you very much!

Joanne wrote: "Hope you are feeling better soon-I always go browsing at the library, as you are unable to do that, perhaps you could "bowse" on-line.

Have you ever used Literature Map? You put in a name of an a..."

I'd never heard of Literature Map, sounds like a really cool thing I'm definitely going to try! Thanks for suggesting it! :-)

Enjoy the time away from reading while indulging in your second favorite activity, whatever that might be. Your reading mojo will return when you are rested.

punxsygal wrote: "Enjoy the time away from reading while indulging in your second favorite activity, whatever that might be. Your reading mojo will return when you are rested."

Y'know, this is actually the best idea I've seen yet, in all the many times that I've seen this topic come up in different groups. You know how I know it's a great idea? Because I recently had a few days in which my time to read was severely limited, and at the time it was ok because I was in kind of a slump. When things calmed down and I had more time, I did get back into reading with full-on enthusiasm.

Besides which, reading shouldn't be our only healthful escape... being well-rounded is important. So, what is my second favorite activity? Hm... Oh, I know, talking about books and reading on Goodreads!

I guess I need a third favorite activity! :)

Cheryl wrote: "So, what is my second favorite activity? Hm... Oh, I know, talking about books and reading on Goodreads!

I guess I need a third favorite activity! :) ..."

LOL!

Just because you are in a reading slump does’t mean you can’t indulge in your second favorite activity, talking about books and reading on Goodreads. For me, I then reach out to my third favorite activity, knitting.

:smiles:

Hope you are doing better. I agree with JoLen. I pick an author that I’ve enjoyed in the past that I know won’t tax my brain and it usually kick starts me. In fact, I’m about to do that very thing.

I thought I'd posted on here, but I agree, indulge in other things you enjoy; books will always be there. Or switch to fun audiobooks you listen to while doing something you like (knitting, walking, gardening, driving--there is a very long list of things you can do).

And, yes, talking about books :)