Random Thoughts - Reading Slumps

Reading slumps... I hates them.  Unfortunately, I'm in the middle of one right now.  It just feels like a chore to pick up a book and read it right now.  All I want to do is turn on the TV and veg and be completely unproductive.  Which also extends into my blogging.  I just don't feel like updating or posting.  Especially since I don't have anything to write about anyway.  Blah.

Perhaps the biggest reason I'm in a slump is because pretty much all of my new books to be read are the same genre.  Dualed, Under the Never Sky, Crossed - they're all dystopian, and as much as I love that genre, sometimes you have to take a break.  

Then there was the fact that the last two books I read were really disappointing, and that can always make it hard to pick up another book.  What if the next book is just as disappointing or gross?  What if I absolutely hate it and it feels like a waste of time?

I also think it's because I signed up for this Goodreads Reading Challenge.  My goal is 150 books this year, and that stupid site doesn't just keep track of your progress, it also feels the need to inform you of how well you're doing.  Right now, it says that at my current rate of reading, I'm three books behind schedule.  Behind schedule???  I have a whole year to reach my goal.  How can I be "behind schedule"?  There is nothing that can take the joy out of reading faster than a deadline.  Or worse, a nagging deadline.

So how to break this slump?  I've decided to try a couple of things and see which works best.

• Re-read old favorites
• By re-reading some of my old favorites, I'm hoping to just give myself a reminder of how much I love reading and books.  It will also hopefully renew my confidence that there are good books out there that aren't going to disappoint me.
• Switch genres
• I really need to stop reading nothing but dystopian.  For one thing, it can get kind of depressing.  For another, they all start to blend together.  So I need to read something completely different, like historical fiction or contemporary or memoirs.
• Visit the library
• I'm going to the library with my sister tomorrow.  I'll be able to pick up some new books that look interesting and actually gain my attention.  I could also find some sequels to books that I know are good.
• Ignore Goodreads
• I just need to accept that there are going to be weeks where I read like a crazy fiend, and others where I read one book and that's it.  And Goodreads can't determine whether or not I'm going to accomplish my goal at the rate at which they think I should be reading.  Just forget the deadline and have fun!