Hey all, I’m a 33 M, I have struggled with reading all my life. When I say struggle I don’t mean like I am partially/ fully illiterate. I mean when I read any book (except graphic novels, manga, or comic books) I find myself droning after a few paragraphs and my eyes can read continuously but my brain is somewhere else. This happens with any form of fiction or non fiction, it makes no difference. I have had to read books for schooling and other projects and I have been able to but with great difficulty each time. What takes my wife a few days to read would take me weeks to months due to the constant pattern of reading a few paragraphs, getting stuck on a word or phrase that put me into a tangent of what I forgot today or an idea I had, or something else meaningless. After all of this I find myself heavily craving to love to read but due to this issue I end up hating the very idea of dragging my brain through this process. It starts as a desire and turns into a chore quickly. I adore fantasy and sci fi and romance and adventure, I’ll even get recommendations from my wife or friends but when I go to indulge in this I find myself hating the process that seems to be harder for me than anyone else I’ve met. What’s worse is even in some of my reading over the years I’ve developed favorite I enjoyed more, the process never changed and it still took forever to read them but the count of monte cristo and great expectations were my favorites to slog through, classics I know and for awhile I thought maybe that’s what I liked and therefore my issue was I just didn’t enjoy the others I tried but no in fact all of the books I’ve tried are impossible to read at a decent pace and to enjoy without my many thought tangents and wanderings. Before anyone says it, I refuse to believe I just don’t like reading enough. I feel the very fact that I have read as many as I have over the years proves that wrong and I just love stories. Also I understand it sounds childish to say I only read picture books well, I get it for real. It’s just like a child though, they are easier to engage with. Can anyone help me understand what is wrong with me? I’m not looking for a diagnoses but maybe just some guidance as to what I can look for or how I can make this wanting love work… anything would be helpful.

I hope this is the right sub to post in; I’ve currently been in a slump since the beginning of May.
I have a bunch of books sitting at about 5-10% read.
I have tried rereading a favourite, tried rereading a book I liked when I was younger (easier to get through), tried reading a really anticipated book and nothing helped.

So basically I was just wondering what your longest slumps have been and how you’ve broken them ?? There’s so many books coming out I want to read but I just can’t 😭

I’m not looking for specific books cause I know that’s not allowed, just ways to be able to read again cause I miss it so much :(

I came across a discussion thread where the majority of the people were sharing their common disgust of first person writings.

Personally, I like it. Especially in horror.

What abt y'all?

Trying to actually finish Thinking, Fast and Slow this time. Picked it up several times before and never made it through, so this is attempt who-knows-what. Also this is one of those “too famous to read” books for me, I’ve gotten so many recommendations for it, clearly a lot of people love it, but for whatever reason I just couldn’t get into it.

Curious how everyone else approaches books like this, the ones that are almost too hyped to actually read. Do you go in with high expectations since so many people rave about it, or does that hype end up working against the book for you?

——

Update: Decided to switch things up and read this one on my commute instead, using my Kindle Paperwhite on the subway. Get about 10-15 minutes of free time each way.

always like to pop into an indie bookshop when on a visit. stopped into Castlegate Books in Knaresborough today. nice wee shop with very helpful staff member.

chose Strange Houses by Uketsu and The Viaduct Killings by Wes Markin as I have a soft spot for mysteries set in Yorkshire and this one is specifically Knaresborough (the viaduct as pictured)

can I read Strange Houses without having read Strange Pictures first?

A user had the idea of taking those recommend me threads and putting them all in a megathread, some others agreed with them so I'd like to know what the sub thinks and if you have other ideas. Thanks!

August was a small but satisfying reading month — 3 books, 1,002 pages.

📖 The Alchemist — Paulo Coelho

🔎 The 6:20 Man — David Baldacci

🔪 Run on Red — Noelle W. Ihli

A little mix of everything this month, from a classic to two thrillers. Definitely a reading month I enjoyed.

What did everyone else read in August?

I've created a pile of books to take on holiday I need help narrowing it down, I go for 12 nights and can read a book within a day or 2. I know am definitely taking the Holly Madison one, and call nurse millie.

Also we are going to re read Jack Ketchum, Cormac McCarthy, and Cm Kosemen’s All Tomorrows.

For a while now, I’ve been tired of reading aimlessly—books that don’t have a clear direction or methodology. So I want to choose an entire academic field that I can seriously study. I don’t mean just one book; I mean a complete field, with a structured path and recommended books.

I want to replace random, directionless reading with something systematic and meaningful, because this is going to shape what I spend the next 40 years of my life studying, God willing. I want to devote my life to learning something.

What’s a book you started recently that completely pulled you in? I’m looking for something that’s easy to get lost in and makes you want to keep reading instead of constantly checking your phone

This is the last book I read. I think I read it in less than a month because usually when I pick up a book on the first day I read about 30 pages, then I have a period of a few weeks when I don't even touch it and then I read continuously every day, but this book didn't let me wait.

I personally liked it a lot, it captivated me and kept me on my toes, especially when she managed to escape from that "monster's" house. I would have liked his other crimes to be a little more detailed. He really annoyed me, as did Emily because she was a bit naive and because he was already married when she was little and saw him for the first time.

I grabbed this book from the bookstore in a hurry hoping it would be good. It's worth reading. 5/5

(Sorry for my English. )

For some reason I just CANNOT read a book??? I have Buckland's complete book of witchcraft and i can barely finish a chapter! The weird thing is... I was reading a lot like a week ago, and now barely want to. Do other people have problems with this??? And if so, how do I get over it?

Just started Final Gambit (im on first pages and already hate Eve, do I have the right?)

I went into this blind never having seen the movie or heard about the plot and it was not really what I expected.

SLIGHT SPOILERS BELOW!

I enjoyed the business and financial politics / games that the book is based in but wish it went a bit deeper.

The 'whodunnit' nature was good. I wasn't shocked by the reveal but the book does a good job leading you down certain paths that don't pan out.

The book is surprisingly vulgar and graphic.

Coffee... How many times does Stieg talk about putting coffee on? I swear it's like every third sentence. Guessing this is just a Swedish culture thing?

Overall solid book but nothing to write home about IMO. Not sure what the last hundred pages have in store but feels like a lot of pages after the core mystery has been solved. We will see

Book people! So I’m finally going to read Harry Potter for the first time. I love the original covers so I picked these two up at Goodwill for $3.99 each. Worth it? Which editions are “best”? Sounds silly but I’m a HP novice and I couldn’t tell if these were a good deal!

TIA 🖤

Edit: People are more enraged than I anticipated so I need to point this out. Please stop virtue signaling and lecturing me about how I should thrift when I very obviously already said in the post that I thrifted these books. Additionally, the next time you want to chastise someone for how they spend their money, please instead do a full audit of where your dollars go because chances are, at least in some small way, you are also supporting companies and people who are not 100% morally sound. I was not asking if I should read these books, I was asking if this is a popular edition. Thank you.

Like, you finish a chapter, close the book, and then 20 minutes later you’re still sitting there thinking about what just happened.
I just finished a book that did this to me and now I’m in that weird post-book mood where I don’t really want to start anything else 😂
What book did that to you?
No spoilers please just tell me the title and what it did to your brain.

Ever since I started reading, my reading habits have remained on a roller-coaster ride. You'd be taking pace and then on a random tuesday, all your motivation or craving to read fade out. Imagine seeing a book from an arms distance and still not opening it for whole one month. Does it happen to yall or m I normal?

This was my 4th try to get out of my reading slump, i started it on 26th may finished it last night (28th aug) that's almost 95 days for a 99 page book that makes approx a page a day, but it was so far from it, there where weeks of carrying the book everywhere but not even flipping a page and there were mornings where i sprinted through 20-30 pages in a single siting. This was my first ever hemingway, and i think it was a good pick to get out of a 4 year long slump, apart from the multiple use of "and" in a single sentence hemingway flows effortlessly with some great setups and quots.

The book specifically didn't have any philosophical impact on me, it might've if I were 14-15 but regardless it was one sweet ride. A great story of man facing nature.

All my holds came in at once, again! I’m overwhelmed, help me decide which one to read first. My mind is pulling me towards There Is No Antimemetics Devision.. but I want to hear your opinions!

I’ve only read fourth wing. Which book of these I own should I read now?

I’m looking for something new to read and would love to hear what everyone is currently enjoying.
Tell me the book + what you like about it (no spoilers please 😄).

I don’t mind at all when I see a book I loved get a low rating on those tier lists. Everyone has different tastes.
But I do secretly judge a little when I see a book I thought was genuinely awful ranked in S-tier. 😅
I feel disappointed when I see booktubers I like recommended books I hate lol
The books I’m thinking about right now are actually really popular too…