I'M IN A SLUMP. - Discussion.

Hello!

Today, I thought I would do a little post on the good old slump. It's Monday, it's sunny outside, and I'm meant to be getting ready to go to work. BUT I thought I'd blog for you all instead!

So, good old slumps. Be it reading, filming, movies, gaming, shopping or whatever little hobby you have. A slump, is still a slump. Although I've posted before about reading slumps and some tips, I still find myself stuck in a slump. I'm not sure how it's happened (well, that's not strictly true), but I just dont feel like reading right now, which is a pain when I'm in the middle of x amount of books. No doubt I'll either DNF the reads and start with a clean slate, or pick them up and continue without enjoying them, but, we'll just have to wait and see..


So, how does a slump happen?

Well for me, it just so happens to be because I read a book quite quickly. Last week. Yes, you read that correctly. I managed to read a book quicker than anticipated, and I got all giddy and excited and now I'm sat here wondering what I'm doing wrong with my reading life. Who in their right mind actually finishes a book quickly, resulting in them slumping? Apparently me. Fantastic.

Slumps tend to happen when you go from having all the time in the world to suddenly being busy. At the time of me reading that book in 24 hours last week, I'd had meetings/appointments and then had work a few hours later, and it made more sense to wait around a coffee shop near work rather than go home to just turn around and come back out again for work. So that freed up a lot of my time on that day, and I flew through a good proportion of the book. Due to being so highly invested in the book, I picked it up the next morning and spent an hour finishing it off, collecting my thoughts and posting a blog post for it. I havent touched a book since,

Personally, I believe that slumps come out of over-enjoying or over-indulging on something. For example, I over-indulged on reading that book, something which would have normally taken possibly a week to read, was read in 24 hours. Since that over-indulging, I have yet to enjoy anything I picked up, regardless of it's size or whether it appealed to me at all. For example, I've since tried to pick up two books I really wanted to read, and I've read the first chapter of each and not picked them up since!

What are you going to do about it?

 Well, that's just it, I dont know. I'm currently focusing more on work and writing at the moment, but I don't just want to push reading to one side. I want to be able to read something before I go away (in two weeks), or at least make more progress in my current reading. I really dont want to be in a slump whilst on holiday, as alongside my flight I have extra travelling, meaning extra reading time which I wont want to waste!

My probable plan of action is as follows: try and read more of my current reads and finish at least one before starting anything else (or going on holiday - whichever comes first), make more time for myself to appreciate the books I'm reading right now and not just starting books left right and centre, and also to take a step back from my reading. Yes, this contradicts the other steps, but ultimately, if I feel like something is becoming "too much", it probably is, and I need to learn to take a step back if that happens to avoid any further slumps.


Do you have any tips for reading slumps? Let me know in the comments how you cope with slumps and maybe we can have a chat!

Being Ruthless

If there's one thing I've learnt so far in 2016, it's that life is too short. Far too short. In the midst of family issues, and celebrities dropping like flies, along with career alterations and just life in general, I've started to focus on things that matter the most to me, and spending more time doing the things I love. Whilst this includes reading, some 'light' crafting, and filming for my YouTube channel and writing blog posts, it also means spending time with family, fiance, and friends.

So what does this mean for my blog and YouTube?

Absolutely nothing.

As soon as I finish a book, I'll be posting a collective review of my thoughts and feelings surrounding the book, its plot, characters etc. I'll still be posting videos as and when I can, with hopefully a variety of content.

But what about my reading?

Well, that's actually what I wanted to talk about in this post to be honest. I've FINALLY decided to make the executive decision of being ruthless toward my reading. I have such a huge TBR pile that it just has to be done. So how am I going to do it?

It's simple. If I'm reading a physical book, I'll give it 3 chapters, or between 30 and 50 pages, depending on what I reach first. If the book seems promising and I'm enjoying it, I'll see it out. If it isn't tickling my fancy, it'll have until the 50 page mark to redeem itself, or else it will be going on my DNF pile. If I'm reading an eBook, it will have between 10 and 20%, depending on the size of the book. If the book is large, I'll apply the 50 page rule, as long as my kindle has the page number option available. If not, it'll have up to 30% to redeem itself, or else I will be leaving it unfinished, It's a shame to have to be strict on myself and my reading, but when I have such a busy schedule, along with a continuous growth spurt of my TBR, it has to be done.

Have any of you had to be ruthless with your TBR? Or with anything else for that matter? If you have any more tips or tricks about being ruthless, let me know down below!

See you all soon with another post!

What if I don't like the book I'm reading?

DNF'ing books.

For those who do not know, DNF means 'did not finish', therefore, if you were to DNF a book, you would not be finishing it for whatever reason.

So what happens when you get this feeling? Simple. DO IT. You are not someone who can be controlled by the thoughts and opinions of others. If you pick up a book on the recommendation of others, be it through Google, Goodreads, YouTube, the newspaper, the shop, a friend or family member etc., and it turns out that really, you aren't enjoying it, then that is completely fine.

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When I first joined the blogging and BookTubing worlds, I never expected to dislike a book. Before I joined, I read tried and tested authors who had either written something else that I had previously read, or were so similar to another franchise I liked, that they couldn't go wrong (I'm looking at, and blaming you, Twilight). But then I joined YouTube and began a BookTube channel and this blog (which is now a year old - yikes!), and realised that there are so many authors out there, who write so many different things, and in different styles, and that I wouldn't mind trying them all out.

Well that was a bad idea.

I found authors I didn't like, topics I thought were very very wrong (I'm looking at you Stolen, and Gone Girl), and to be perfectly honest, BookTubers who only seemed to be in it for the money. That wasn't what I wanted. So I began properly researching.

I looked first of all for BookTubers who were based in the UK. Why? Because that is where I am from. No, I'm not being culturally picky here, I couldn't care less where you come from, particularly if you're a wonderful person (and I'm sure you are). The reason I chose the UK to start my search was because if I found book recommendations from UK BookTubers, I knew I was guaranteed to find books they were talking about. Which was also a weakness. It opened my eyes to the various ways I could access books in the UK, and I bought pretty much every recommended book going that I thought I would enjoy. And in all honesty, I really didnt enjoy a lot of them. Some I found were juvenile, other just weren't to my taste.

And do you know what?

That's okay.

If you do not like a book, for whatever reason, you are not required to read it. This isn't school or college or university, you will NOT get an exam in it. It's almost guaranteed that if you force yourself to read a book, you will decrease your chances of ever enjoying it, and pretty much end up in a reading slump - another place you do not want to be headed too.

I don't really know where I was going with this, I just wanted to blog some thoughts that have been going around in my head the past few days. I hope you're all well, and do you ever DNF books? Or have you ever wanted to, but didn't grab the opportunity? Let me know in the comments!


Goodbye for now!

How to get out of that reading slump!

found this one here - thanks Pinterest!

We've all been there. We find ourselves coming to the end of an unbelievable book or series and we just don't want to get over it, so we refuse to pick up another book for a day or two to let ourselves get over it. Then those one or two days turn into a week. A week turns into a fortnight. And so on. Until before you know it, it's been six months. Yes, you've tried to dabble in a few books here and there, but nothing quite takes your fancy at all, so you stop reading that book. And then suddenly, you pick up a book and just....WOW. It's as if you've never had that slump.

Sound familiar?

Well, you most certainly are not alone! I myself have felt this way, as has a very good friend of mine. And yes, I am well aware it sucks. So how do you get out of that reading slump you ask? Well, here are my tips!

1. Find a book you love to read, or really want to read but haven't yet.

This sounds stupid, but ultimately, if you know you love a book, or series, pick it up yet again and start reading! Not only will you rekindle your love for a series once more, but you will fly through a series of books in no time and crave the feel of the pages yet again!

2. Take the time out to find a new book YOU want to read.

Yes, it is great being a part of possibly the best YouTube and blogging and Twitter community possible (booktube by the way), as there are so many good readers and people in that community who would go to the ends of their bookshelves for you! Many people recommend their favourite reads, or reads they didnt think they would like but did, and all of a sudden your TBR pile grows, just from these recommendations. But then you look back and think 'did I actually want to read that book, or is it on my list because they suggested it?'. If it's the latter, TAKE IT OFF THAT TBR. Go to a bookshop instead of staring at your TBR undecided as to what to read. Find an attractive book. A cover that pulls you in. Read the synopsis. Sound good? Buy it. Not only have you found a new book that YOU want to read, but the cover will also look gorgeous on your shelf!

3. Stop staring at your TBR pile/shelf.

thanks again Pinterest! Found here

Honestly, this does not help at all. There's only so many times you can look at the pile and find it attractive to read. If it's as long as some peoples, you'll have no problem staring at that pile because you WILL find that book you want to read that will pull you out of that slump. But if you find yourself staring at the pile and not getting anywhere with it - stop. Try a new format, such as reading from a laptop or e-reader. Avoid looking at that TBR pile until you're ready too. Don't feel pressured to pick your next book from the pile that never seems to stop growing - seriously, what were you thinking when you picked up that book and added it to your TBR? Is it the best one to get you out of your slump?

4. Sit comfortably when you start that next book.

Be it in bed, on a park bench, in a library, heck, even on the toilet. Read where ever you are at your most comfortable. It's no good if you find yourself that perfect book from tips 1 and 2, yet sit on a seat of nails to read it. Unless of course, you like spikes up your bum. I found that taking advantage of an 'early night' helped me tremendously when I was in the slump. I found that book, and got myself all cosied up, and just read to my hearts content. Now, i am a decent way through my current read, and always read best when I'm in bed. Why? Because its my most comfortable position, and the position that revived my reading.

5. Have fun.

Make sure it's a book or rhythm you enjoy. What do I mean by rhythm? Almost like a habit. If you enjoy curling up with your book while watching TV, do it. If you enjoy having a cuppa and a biscuit with your book, do it. If you enjoy listening to audiobooks on a run, do it. Do whatever you want or enjoy doing in order to make progress with that book. Immerse yourself in the book, get lost in it's world. Fall in love with its bad boy character. Hate that bad guy. Ultimately, if it adds to the reading experience in a positive way that you enjoy, just do it.

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And there you have it. My top five tips to get yourself out of that reading slump! Now, I'm off to put a bigger dent in my book!

Do you have any tips for people who are stuck in a reading slump? Have you been in a reading slump yourself and want to offer help? Are you currently stuck in that reading slump? Please please please comment below with your thoughts. And if you're stuck in that slump, who knows? Maybe myself and other bloggers can help you climb out of it!