Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Top Ten Tuesday: Books to Pull You Out of a Reading Slump

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly linkup of book bloggers hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! This week, we're looking at reading slumps, and the books that will pull you out of one! This is honestly kind of tricky for me, because I don't really get into reading slumps, so I don't really know what I would look for to pull me out of one. But these are books that I think are enjoyable in a way that could work for someone who just can't get hyped to read anything else.



The Hunger Games: These books are compelling without being especially challenging...there's enough narrative tension here that you get sucked in, without having too many characters or excessive world-building to slog through.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: If you're still looking for something tense but are actually in search of something a little more complex that demands more of your focus, you can't go wrong with this trilogy.

Bridget Jones' Diary: But what if you're thinking you want something breezy? This book is very light and very funny. Since it's literally structured like a diary, there's not a sense of interrupting the plot if you want to put it down for any reason, which makes it an easy read.

Me Talk Pretty One Day: Another funny one (the kind that makes you laugh out loud in public), structured as vignettes so easy to pick up and put down as necessary, and it's nonfiction if that appeals!

Stardust: If you do want to find yourself drawn into another world, this book feels like a fairy tale for adults...there's darkness here, but fundamentally it's sweet and often gently humorous.

Station Eleven: Post-apocalyptic stories are done to death, but this take, which flashes back and forth between our present and 15 years after a global pandemic, is slower and more meditative than most. It gives you characters to get invested in and big questions to ponder.

The Girl With All The Gifts: Still in the general fantasy realm but much grittier and with more momentum, this take on a zombie story is hard to put down even if you don't think you're that into zombie stories. There's a good balance of characterization and plot.

City of Thieves: How about some historical fiction? This book, set during the siege of Leningrad, is short but still full, with a strong coming-of-age story that develops a friendship you find yourself caring about. There's nothing "new" here but it's very well-executed.

Moonglow: World War II plays into the story here, but there's also a family saga told with warmth and humor likely to please readers who enjoy character-based stories.

Spook: Just to close out with something completely different, this book about ghosts/the soul/what happens to the not-body parts of "us" after we die takes on various beliefs about the afterlife with charming, infectious curiosity.

12 comments:

  1. I really don't know why I've never read Stardust, since I love the film. Hunger Games is definitely one for a reading slump!

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    1. I really liked the movie, which I saw before I read the book, and always pictured Claire Danes and Michelle Pfeiffer as their characters as I read. But I thought the book was actually better!

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  2. Great list! I keep meaning to read Station Eleven - I keep hearing it described as a quiet post-apocalyptic story, and given how much I love my quiet science fiction I think I'd really enjoy it.

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    1. I just actually pushed a copy on a work colleague who doesn't really go in for the post-apocalyptic genre much, and she really liked it. I think it's a genre book that can be appreciated both by people who do and who don't actually read the genre because it's so elegantly done.

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  3. STATION ELEVEN is one of those books which just stays with a reader for years after reading it. My TTT list

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    1. I'm trying to get my book club to read it! It's quiet but powerful

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  4. Mary Roach tackles some super interesting topics! Wow

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    1. I've only read Spook and Stiff, but she's got several others (one about the military, one about the digestive system, etc) that I have on my shelves and am looking forward to! She tackles things with such a genuine warmth and curiosity

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  5. Ooh The Hunger games- totally agree. It's funny too, I just read that series last year for the first time- and loved it! So definitely yeah. I can see it helping w/ a slump. Stardust is one I'd like to read, as I liked the movie.

    Station eleven is another one I've heard SO many good things about.

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    1. Station Eleven is wonderful, and I think the book is right up there with the movie for Stardust (which I also liked)

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  6. You don't get into reading slumps?!! How?! Share your secrets!

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    1. I'm a devoted schedule reader rather than a mood reader, which I think helps, actually? I also never DNF and force myself to make time to read books even if they're not really working for me, so I don't get into picking books up and putting them down again. I read what's next on the schedule and get through it for better or worse and then on to the next one! It's not for everyone, but it works well for me.

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