Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
I find it hard pinpointing exact books to help someone with a reading slump, as there’s no particular books I pick up if I’m in one. Instead, I’m going to share the types of book I tend to read when I can feel myself slipping towards a slump! Interesting, too, that this question comes off the heels of last week’s Let’s Talk Bookish Reading Slump vs Bookish Hangover question – something in the air, maybe? The heat of summer, meaning people are struggling? Something to ponder!
Top Five (Types Of) Books To End Your Book Slump
Something Light (Romance, Cozy)
If your book slump is caused by reading a load of darker/heavier books in a row, or if you’ve just found yourself reading a few of these, often I find switching to something that requires a little less brainpower, or that has a guaranteed HEA, can really help give me the boost to get out of the slump.
Fiction vs Non-Fiction
Something that’s helped me recently escape reading slumps is reading more non-fiction. I tend to read a lot of fiction, so switching helps because it offers me something different. Similarly, if I read a few non-fiction books, I find changing to fiction for a bit to be beneficial.
Middle Grade and Young Adult
I find these types of books can be a great ‘cleanser’, and help me a lot of I’m heading for a book slump. They work because they’re often a bit more upbeat and simple than Adult books, and usually also quite tight in terms of pace. There are so many MG & YA books out there that work on multiple levels, too, and an adult reader can get just as much out of them.
Something With a Darker Tone
Okay, so I started by saying go for something light to get out of a slump, but the opposite can often work, too! Sometimes I end up in a slump – or heading towards one – because I’ve been reading things that are relentlessly happy. Or maybe it’s that I’ve read a series of HEAs that just don’t feel earned. In which case, switching it to something that’s more dark, with a bit more tension and more possibilities for the ending can do wonders.
Different Formats/Mediums
Okay, so my last suggestion for getting out of a reading slump is to switch up how and what you’re reading! If you’ve been reading a lot of paperback novels, try novellas. Burning out with novels and novellas? Switch over to audio, or if you find you’re reading a lot of physical books, try ebooks. Even picking up a graphic novel helps. Lastly, if you’re finding nothing at all is holding your interest, that you’re completely not engaging with anything – TAKE A BREAK! Sometimes our brains need to just disconnect from reading completely, and that’s absolutely fine! Don’t read for a couple of days or a week, then come back when you feel ready.
Do you have any books or types of books you turn to during a reading slump? Tips and tricks for avoiding them?
Unwrapping Words 
Great post! I missed LTB, but I will catch up on that later this month. Or whenever it’s freebie time.
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2025/08/12/top-ten-tuesday-books-to-diversify-your-reading-1/
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