Temporarily fed up with reading

[piperclassique]

Reading is not compulsory. Go take a walk, go for a swim, take up knitting, whatever. Come back when you are ready.

[hardcastle]

Some young adult fiction or a really easy fast-paced thriller usually gets me back in the mood again. They usually only take me about 2 or 3 hours to read and then WHAM I'm back in the habit!

[Freeshadow]

As mentioned before - there are indeed some good games out in the wilderness.

[cromag]

As many have said, take a break -- you're not being graded on this.

When I've had enough reading for a while I switch to writing. If I don't really want to get involved in stories anymore (reading or writing) I do crossword puzzles. If I get to the point that I don't even want to see words anymore, I do Sudoku.

And, if the weather cooperates, get out of the house and take a walk.

[Apache]

There must be something wrong with me. I have never felt like not reading in my entire life. I live to read, I read to live.
Apache

[Freeshadow]

Chi read Jobs' bio...

After bad food one doesn't really have appetite for more.

[Synamon]

When I can't get interested in reading novels, I switch to short stories.

[Blithe]

These 'reading slumps' happen at the worst of times, to the best of people, but they're nothing worth stressing over: it's perfectly natural for our interest in all things to wax and wane, often without any catalyst. I have four 'hobbies', I suppose, and I go through slumps with all of them: reading, knitting, miniature models and video games. Sometimes I go through a slump with all of them, at the same time! (It's usually then that I have my most thorough spring-cleans; what else am I going to do?)

I don't think that this is necessarily something that you need to 'do something' about, and it certainly isn't worthwhile calling yourself sick over it. Unless you need to read as part of your career, and you're struggling to find the will to do so, it really isn't a problem. These phases are natural. Find something else to occupy your time: I notice that you've said that you're not a 'watcher' (nor am I!), and that ready occupies 830pm - 900pm each day.

Would you consider listening to a podcast? There are plenty of interesting ones out there, both factual and fictional. I'm personally fond of history podcasts -- Dan Carlin's Hardcore History is very entertaining and educating. If you want to do something with your hands and eyes, too, rather than merely sitting and existing (which can be very therapeutic!), have you considered needlework, scrapbooking or journalling? I've found them all very fun. Of course, as I earlier stated, I clean obsessively when I go through slumps that none of my hobbies can satisfy...

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by Apache

There must be something wrong with me. I have never felt like not reading in my entire life. I live to read, I read to live.
Apache

Yes, me too.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Apache

There must be something wrong with me. I have never felt like not reading in my entire life. I live to read, I read to live.
Apache

As Fosca sings, in Stephen Sondheim's Passion:

I do not read to think. I do not read to learn.
I do not read to search for truth
I know the truth, the truth is hardly what I need.
I read to dream.

I read to live. In other people's lives.
I read about the joys the world
Dispenses to the fortunate,
And listen for the echoes.

I read to live,
To get away from life!

[Chi Cygni]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Chi read Jobs' bio...

After bad food one doesn't really have appetite for more.

bah, read it 2 years ago :P very good book though. Recently read Walt Disney's bio as well, what a difference between the two. Both geniuses in their own field and with vision but one kind hearted and good to people, the other well, not so much.

Originally Posted by Blithe

These 'reading slumps' happen at the worst of times, to the best of people, but they're nothing worth stressing over: it's perfectly natural for our interest in all things to wax and wane, often without any catalyst. I have four 'hobbies', I suppose, and I go through slumps with all of them: reading, knitting, miniature models and video games. Sometimes I go through a slump with all of them, at the same time! (It's usually then that I have my most thorough spring-cleans; what else am I going to do?)

I don't think that this is necessarily something that you need to 'do something' about, and it certainly isn't worthwhile calling yourself sick over it. Unless you need to read as part of your career, and you're struggling to find the will to do so, it really isn't a problem. These phases are natural. Find something else to occupy your time: I notice that you've said that you're not a 'watcher' (nor am I!), and that ready occupies 830pm - 900pm each day.

Would you consider listening to a podcast? There are plenty of interesting ones out there, both factual and fictional. I'm personally fond of history podcasts -- Dan Carlin's Hardcore History is very entertaining and educating. If you want to do something with your hands and eyes, too, rather than merely sitting and existing (which can be very therapeutic!), have you considered needlework, scrapbooking or journalling? I've found them all very fun. Of course, as I earlier stated, I clean obsessively when I go through slumps that none of my hobbies can satisfy...

Nicely put Blithe. And welcome to MR forums. All I can say I will not go for a walk at 8.30 pm neither will I go swimming. Knitting bores me to death. For whatever hobby I have time between 8.30 pm and midnight and frankly sometimes I'm too tired to do anything and reading is the best. Anyway, I meant "sick" as a metaphore. It annoys me not to read. But it will pass.

Originally Posted by Catlady

As Fosca sings, in Stephen Sondheim's Passion:

I do not read to think. I do not read to learn.
I do not read to search for truth
I know the truth, the truth is hardly what I need.
I read to dream.

I read to live. In other people's lives.
I read about the joys the world
Dispenses to the fortunate,
And listen for the echoes.

I read to live,
To get away from life!

That is lovely!

@cromag, yeah, I think I will indeed take a break.
And @hardcastle, well I bough really discounted children ebooks recently, ones I was reading when I was small, now to read to my son but maybe I should read them myself first

[soulfuldog]

@ Blithe

I'm off work for a week and am exactly in that situation of can't really be bothered to read, nor play games, browsing the web gets boring after a while, and I can only walk my dog so many times (especially with this rotten wet weather).

..... I'm now contemplating doing some spring cleaning.

[LadyKate]

When nothing new appeals to me despite a list of thousands of books I have not yet read I will go back to an old favorite. Some series deserve a "read" every so often. I always feel better after revisiting these old friends.

[BookCat]

My remedy for reading slumps is Enid Blyton, especially the Five Finder-Outers series, but anything by her really. The books are easy to read and gripping so serve the purpose of getting me back into the HABIT of reading. Habit is essential. I don't agree with those who are advising you to do something else for a while, this will, imho, take you away from the daily habit of sitting down to read.

Just read something very light and instantly gripping.

[jbcohen]

Taught myself to read at age five in a Montessori School, wanted to see what all of those books said, and its been off to the races since then reading everything within arms reach. Reading is somewhat like breathing here, can't do without it.