Ditch that reading slump - Dust off your dustjackets! - Kilkenny Live

Across my memories as a child and young teenager, there was one common denominator for every journey, road trip and holiday — there was always a book packed in my bag. 

I was an avid reader but as we all got that bit older, reading suddenly became a somewhat embarrassing activity. I fell out of it quickly, in the interest of social survival.

In the past few years, I have gotten back into reading, mostly for enjoyment and partly to seem more intelligent to the complete strangers on the bus or train.

I would like to think that I have picked up some steps that may be helpful for other people looking to escape the dreaded reading slump.

One of the first books I read once I decided to end the slump was Lord of the Flies by William Golding. It was one of those books that was constantly referenced in television and I thought why not? It is a relatively small book so it seemed like an achievable victory, it was. 

Having this classic book in my ‘books I have read’ folder really upped my confidence and encouraged me to seek out some more challenges like Animal Farm, 1984 and Handmaid’s Tale. 

These were books that some people had read as part of their Leaving Cert exams so they weren’t that intimidating to get through. 

I had turned back to films and television after a while, until it clicked that a lot of the shows and films that I was obsessed with had book predecessors.  I started with Gone Girl, the novel by Gillian Flynn which was adapted into an oscar-nominated film. 

The book is as good if not better than the film, trust me on that. The way you are inserted into the psyches of one of the most toxic fictional couples to exist is insanely addictive.

Another discovery I made was that the power of being ‘influenced’ is not limited to gym workouts or skincare products. On TikTok, there is a section dedicated to books that the general (online) public is reading at the moment. These content creators rating, recommending or criticising the books, as well as the comment sections underneath all seemed to be forming a community, teeming with inside jokes and niche references.

Some of the ‘booktok’ obsessions include Yellowface by Rebecca F  Kuang, a recnt thriller that reveals some of the dark secrets in the world of publishing, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros which has dominated the New York  Times Bestseller list for the last 24 weeks and practically anything, anything at all written by Colleen Hoover. 

One of the most successful ‘booktok’ books seems to be The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It seemed I couldn’t go anywhere over the summer without seeing at least one person reading that book with its distinctive green  cover. 

In book shops, there is now always a dedicated ‘booktok’ stand, look for it next time, I promise it’s there.

It’s interesting to see social media trends that are encouraging people to put their phones down for a change.

Speaking of communities, it also helps reading the same books as your friends, that way you have something to talk about in case the conversation runs dry or if it’s a slow gossip week.

There is also no shame in revisiting the books you used to consume religiously as a child. 

Whether it’s the magical world of Harry Potter or the utterly depressing world of the Hunger Games, it makes no difference. A book is a book after all. 

I have heard recommendations about audiobooks as well, especially since the blitz-like invasion of podcasts into modern life as we know it, but to me there is nothing better than having the paperback (not hardback, never hardback) book in your hands and placing it on your bookshelf afterwards like a trophy of war.