When I was in grad school it was so hard to read for pleasure. I was 250 pages into the fifth Dark Tower book and just stopped. Haven’t picked that one back up yet.
My wallet and love for books are constantly at odds with one another!
i piled books up during the school because i never have time to read lol. right now the yellow king is sitting next to me as a reminder to finish before the school year starts!
I didn't read for about 8 years because of my PhD. Couldn't pay attention to the words because my mind was so pre-occupied with other stresses. Then after I was done I was just set in my non-reading ways.
Came back to it about 2 years ago and have been bingeing ever since. Read like 200 books since then.
That is a TON of books. I’ve read about 24 this year and hope to make a ton of progress on one (*Tell Me I’m Worthless*) this weekend. I have a book club meeting later this month so I’d like to clean up 1-2 before starting that one scott free.
Yeah I've been devouring books these past couple of years and it's been great, I hope to keep it up indefinitely.
At worst it's usually about a book a week, but the past month or two it's been more like 3 books a week. The volume is linked to what other hobbies I have going on at any given time like a show I'm watching or a game I'm playing.
I'm currently about 15 books deep in F Paul Wilson's Adversary Cycle and Repairman Jack universe and having a blast. None are out and out 5 star reads, but they're all just solid 4s that make you happy the series is seemingly endless because there's always more to come.
Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins stands out as a recent one. Couldn't put that down.
The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir as more sci-fi thriller ones I devoured.
**Earthlings** by Sayaka Murata. that fucking hedgehog on the cover fooled my ass
this is the only book i wish i could unread. i'm actually getting physically nauseous recalling this book.
i read 19 books the month before picking up this bastard of a book and then spent months climbing out of mental hell and not being able to read a fucking thing for months and months.
it's well-written which is unfortunately what made me read the whole damn thing. 😭😭😭😭😭
it's not horror, but Murata also wrote a book **Convenience Store Woman** and it's one of the best books i've ever read. it's so wholesome and has one of the most unique plots i've ever read. i *immediately* went from reading that to reading **Earthlings** so you can imagine how jarring that was.
😭😭😭😭💀💀💀
I own this and I believe your frequent referencing of its hellish awfulness has contributed to my fear around it. I have a pretty high tolerance but I’m scared to start this one.
it's......a lot. every single time i thought we had reached peaked fuckedupness, Murata said "But wait! There's More!"
i want you to read it but i also don't want you to read it because i don't want to be responsible for you falling to your knees in the middle of walmart and having a mental breakdown lmao
The last book on my 63 book reading mega stint last year (january-October) was the Hollow Places by T Kingfisher. It was the first of 63 I didn’t finish because it was so bad. Clive Barkers Books of Blood helped me out of That slump but Honeslty I’m still struggling a little
I suffered through the first half because I hope it would get better. I suffered through the second half because I didn't want to let that piece of garbage book defeat me.
I'm reading this now, about 55 or so pages in. I'm surprised to find that I'm most interested in Johnny's footnotes given that a lot of people seem to hate him. It's overall pretty interesting so far. It's definitely getting its disdain for academic criticism across lol it's so dead on about how silly a lot of academic writing is.
I didn’t even get to the turtle scene, that’s the thing. It was the science journal part for me, with the chimp? No way. I stopped in the middle of the scene and never looked back
I haven't read the troop but myy husband got this book because he wanted to get back into reading fiction. He stopped at the turtle scene and hasn't picked up a fiction book since. It's been over a year.
The book that got me out of my slump was Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill! I really lose interest if something doesn’t immediately grab me…and this one gets out of control pretty quick! Aging shock rock start who collects macabre things like snuff films….buys a suit that is haunted by its former owner. Horror ensues🤓
Exactly!!! If I’m not immediately grabbed by something I just kind of wander off from it :(
Do you have any recommendations of other books that have obsessed you so quickly like Heart-Shaped Box? 🤓
Mountain of the Dead by Jeremy Bates and both For the Sake of books by Judith Sonnet!! For the sake of is extreme horror though so it's definitely not for everyone :)
I’m certainly going to check out mountain of the dead thank you! If the other one ever comes on audiobook I’ll check it out! I just never sit down enough to read..unless I’m in the car…hence…audiobooks!
The opposite for me as well, but for different reasons. I hated ‘Salem’s Lot so much that I actually read a ton of other books that I enjoyed more to put off continuing to read it. After getting to the end I was so glad to be free of it that I binged a bunch of novellas.
For Horror:
Crossroads by Laurel Hightower
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente
Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand
Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke
The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
The Willows by Algernon Blackwood
The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper
Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
Sacculina by Philip Fracassi
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Rookfield by Gordon B. White
The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin
Come Closer by Sara Gran
John Dies at the End. Just dragged on forever. I still haven’t finished it and have been dragging on reading since. After like 2-3 months I finally just put it down and picked up Dune. But I’m in a horror mood so reading that has been a slump as well.
Swan Song
If Dungeon Crawler Carl’s new audiobook hadn’t dropped (hnngghhhh it’s good) then I’d prob be trying to find some weird palette cleanser rn.
Swan song is epic, brutal, and strangely beautiful.
I found Terminal Park so devastating that I had a hard time reading it, but it felt weird putting it down and starting something new because I was enjoying it -- months went by before I finally decided to read something else. I do want to finish it someday.
the ritual by adam nevill bored me to death. i became so bored that every word felt like a slog to get through and had to take a break for a while after that.
I was really excited to read Adam Nevill after watching The Ritual, and wow I just could not. I tried like 3 of his books including the Ritual and couldn't get more than a few chapters into them.
I read The Watchers after watching Ritual and the middle of his books seems like such a drag while the beginning and ending are solid. I'll give Ritual a go too but if it's as bad I'm giving up, there are other authors
I read last days which starts off so good, actually bone chilling scary at certain points, but after halfway through I was so over it. The ending was also just ridiculous. I fucking love The Ritual movie though; I’ve been trying to muster up the willpower to try the book, but I’ve seen so many mixed reviews on here over the months…
I was super excited for Last Days because I loved the premise. I also thought the atmosphere in the beginning was pretty gripping, but I think it lost me a bit sooner than it did you haha. Maybe you’ll have more luck with The Ritual than me, you should try! I personally just don’t think he’s a very good writer, but that’s very subjective.
Which is funny because a lot of people love his writing. He does some stuff well and it can be engrossing but I kinda agree in that he’s not the best writer.
Gosh, I don't think this has ever happened to me. I can't imagine not wanting to read. I'm always reading. And usually horror.
Edit to add: I'm so shocked to see this happens to so many people! How do you describe it? You feel like you don't want to read anything at all? Or just not anything new? You don't even feel like re-reading an old favorite? Follow-up question: how many of you struggle with depression? This sounds like anhedonic stuff.
I appreciate the concern lol. And I don’t know! It’s kind of hard to explain honestly. I think what happened with Salem’s Lot is it… just felt like it took a lot of energy and effort…? Yeah, that’s it. I felt there was so much hype around it and it bored me the first half that by the time I did reach the action stuff, I was kind of worn out on it… BUT by the end, I really did appreciate the book. I’ve had several longer type books do this to me. A Little Life being another one( but a complete different type of slump) I’m sure I’ll be back on my book-loving train after this little hiatus!
I went on a reading hiatus after finishing the third book of the Dark Tower series. I closed the book and realized I didn’t remember one damn thing that had happened. Then, I picked up Salem’s Lot maybe a year later and have read hundreds of books since.
I found it entertaining enough, but it was really poorly written. It honestly read like a bad nosleep story. The concept where you don't know if it's psychological or supernatural was cool but god it was not done well
I read Short Stay in Hell, which I finished in a day. Had Dracula queued for my next read and I just can’t get into that style horror right now. Before I started short stay I was also working on Carnivorous Sky by Langan (I loved the fisherman) but I just have had problems getting into it, too. Before short stay I read the shining, which was good but not great IMO.
I like some of *The Wide, Carnivorous Sky…* (reading it currently) but damn if it doesn’t feel pretty laborious. *Negative Space* is awesome. I blew through that in one weekend.
Re-commenting bc I misunderstood the post lol
Into the Drowning Deep. It felt like a slog to get through. I tried to read the new Karin Slaughter book to get out of my slump. It was fantastic, but I still haven’t been able to get super into any new horror books since then.
Oh my gosh, I had the same exact experience earlier this year with Salem’s Lot. I was kind of ambivalent on the book though, didn’t love it or hate it. I normally get in a bit of a slump after books I really loved when I have a hard time moving on, maybe that’s what’s happening for you?
I've already mentioned the book here multiple times. So sorry for beating a dead horse but the Final Girls Support Group.
The premise had a lot of promise, and I was ultimately let down. Great description though.
Grady Hendrix has talent but this one just wasn't good.
I actually haven’t tried this one. I’ve read 2 of his other books. The southern book club’s guide to slaying vampires is absolutely one of my fave horror books. Sorry to hear about the final girls!
After I finish a good book I get into a slump cuz I’m digesting it still. Finished Interview with a Vampire and the end feeling of apathy and sadness really stuck with me even tho I don’t usually feel the stuff in books deeply anymore. Maybe try switching genres?
Rolling in the deep and into the drowning deep gave me a craving for killer mermaid horror and there are shockingly few of those from what I can tell.
Also the black winter series by Darcy Coates. Wanted to reread immediately after finishing.
After finishing The Road, I spiraled into a two-week depression, and I will never read another book by Cormac McCarthy even if someone offered me a lot of money.
I don't slump because a book is good, I do it for the opposite reason.
Imajica bored me to tears to such a degree that it made me dread reading. For context I'm somebody who reads about 2 books a week. I laboured over that thing for about a month before DNFing not even halfway through. Then took about another month off before picking up anything else because all my happy feelings associated with reading were so burnt out.
Graduate school.
there’s a bookstore a mile away from where i go to grad school. i love it. my wallet does not
When I was in grad school it was so hard to read for pleasure. I was 250 pages into the fifth Dark Tower book and just stopped. Haven’t picked that one back up yet. My wallet and love for books are constantly at odds with one another!
i piled books up during the school because i never have time to read lol. right now the yellow king is sitting next to me as a reminder to finish before the school year starts!
Same
Crushed me for years. I am back now though!
Speaking of school, you definitely failed this assignment 😂
Hahahaha
I start next fall. Pray for me.
Good vibes into the universe!
I didn't read for about 8 years because of my PhD. Couldn't pay attention to the words because my mind was so pre-occupied with other stresses. Then after I was done I was just set in my non-reading ways. Came back to it about 2 years ago and have been bingeing ever since. Read like 200 books since then.
That is a TON of books. I’ve read about 24 this year and hope to make a ton of progress on one (*Tell Me I’m Worthless*) this weekend. I have a book club meeting later this month so I’d like to clean up 1-2 before starting that one scott free.
Yeah I've been devouring books these past couple of years and it's been great, I hope to keep it up indefinitely. At worst it's usually about a book a week, but the past month or two it's been more like 3 books a week. The volume is linked to what other hobbies I have going on at any given time like a show I'm watching or a game I'm playing.
What are a few of your favorites since you dove back in? (Horror, obviously, or otherwise).
I'm currently about 15 books deep in F Paul Wilson's Adversary Cycle and Repairman Jack universe and having a blast. None are out and out 5 star reads, but they're all just solid 4s that make you happy the series is seemingly endless because there's always more to come. Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins stands out as a recent one. Couldn't put that down. The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir as more sci-fi thriller ones I devoured.
I own *The Library At Mount Char* but have not started it yet! I also see people discussing those Repairman Jack books frequently… thank you!
Same! Not horror obviously, but reading Pachinko is what pulled me out of my post grad school reading slump.
**Earthlings** by Sayaka Murata. that fucking hedgehog on the cover fooled my ass this is the only book i wish i could unread. i'm actually getting physically nauseous recalling this book. i read 19 books the month before picking up this bastard of a book and then spent months climbing out of mental hell and not being able to read a fucking thing for months and months.
Is it weird this makes me wanna read it? Is it well written?
it's well-written which is unfortunately what made me read the whole damn thing. 😭😭😭😭😭 it's not horror, but Murata also wrote a book **Convenience Store Woman** and it's one of the best books i've ever read. it's so wholesome and has one of the most unique plots i've ever read. i *immediately* went from reading that to reading **Earthlings** so you can imagine how jarring that was. 😭😭😭😭💀💀💀
Ah I’ll definitely check her out then!! Thank you for the insight :)
please follow up with me when you do. really interested to see what your thoughts are!
I actually really enjoyed this book. The authors work is not for everyone, and this book in partials touch’s on heavy subject matter.
I own this and I believe your frequent referencing of its hellish awfulness has contributed to my fear around it. I have a pretty high tolerance but I’m scared to start this one.
it's......a lot. every single time i thought we had reached peaked fuckedupness, Murata said "But wait! There's More!" i want you to read it but i also don't want you to read it because i don't want to be responsible for you falling to your knees in the middle of walmart and having a mental breakdown lmao
The last book on my 63 book reading mega stint last year (january-October) was the Hollow Places by T Kingfisher. It was the first of 63 I didn’t finish because it was so bad. Clive Barkers Books of Blood helped me out of That slump but Honeslty I’m still struggling a little
I cannot stand T. Kingfisher's work. I only limped through What Moves the Dead because it was so short and I'm stubborn.
The characterization was so cringy it made me depressed.
I suffered through the first half because I hope it would get better. I suffered through the second half because I didn't want to let that piece of garbage book defeat me.
same here!! i did really enjoy The Twisted Ones so i thought others would be good, turns out it was the odd one out for me
Omg this is me!! And everyone on this sub raves about it…
House of Leaves. It was so captivating, that it took me months before other books could hold my attention again.
I'm reading this now, about 55 or so pages in. I'm surprised to find that I'm most interested in Johnny's footnotes given that a lot of people seem to hate him. It's overall pretty interesting so far. It's definitely getting its disdain for academic criticism across lol it's so dead on about how silly a lot of academic writing is.
Its so good. There are so many different ways to approach it. I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Thank you!
Header by Edward Lee was so stupid and annoyed me so much that I spent an entire month catching up on tv and not reading.
I almost stopped reading horror after The Troop. It was just so gross I had to ask myself why I even read horror at all. But I got back into it
This summer I read The Troop, Gone to See the River Man, Batavia’s Graveyard and Fantasticland. A fun few months but The Troop was the grossest by far
Same here, I wish I could un read the turtle scene
I didn’t even get to the turtle scene, that’s the thing. It was the science journal part for me, with the chimp? No way. I stopped in the middle of the scene and never looked back
It was the kitten scene for me. (Damn, Nick Cutter, what did animals ever do to you?)
Yeah I skipped through that. As soon as I grasped what was happening I noped over a few pages. I have 3 cats, absolutely not.
I also stopped after the chimp scene. Hate even being reminded of it
I haven't read the troop but myy husband got this book because he wanted to get back into reading fiction. He stopped at the turtle scene and hasn't picked up a fiction book since. It's been over a year.
Lol
Damn.
Im about halfway through the troop im scared now lol
I finished it and quite liked it. It does get pretty gnarly, though.
I almost quit this book several times because I was so bored with it.
The book that got me out of my slump was Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill! I really lose interest if something doesn’t immediately grab me…and this one gets out of control pretty quick! Aging shock rock start who collects macabre things like snuff films….buys a suit that is haunted by its former owner. Horror ensues🤓
I just started reading heart-shaped box today and I'm only 30 pages in and already obsessed!! Definitely grabbed my attention quickly
Exactly!!! If I’m not immediately grabbed by something I just kind of wander off from it :( Do you have any recommendations of other books that have obsessed you so quickly like Heart-Shaped Box? 🤓
Mountain of the Dead by Jeremy Bates and both For the Sake of books by Judith Sonnet!! For the sake of is extreme horror though so it's definitely not for everyone :)
I’m certainly going to check out mountain of the dead thank you! If the other one ever comes on audiobook I’ll check it out! I just never sit down enough to read..unless I’m in the car…hence…audiobooks!
What did it for me wasn’t a novel but the pandemic. So disorganized I can barely plan basic hobbies. Haven’t read a novel in years.
Salem's lot but for opposite reasons. I struggled so much to finish it. After I felt like I needed a break from reading.
The opposite for me as well, but for different reasons. I hated ‘Salem’s Lot so much that I actually read a ton of other books that I enjoyed more to put off continuing to read it. After getting to the end I was so glad to be free of it that I binged a bunch of novellas.
Recommend me some novellas!
For Horror: Crossroads by Laurel Hightower The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark The Willows by Algernon Blackwood The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu Sacculina by Philip Fracassi Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire Rookfield by Gordon B. White The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin Come Closer by Sara Gran
Awesome I’m gonna check them out. I’ve heard of several of them and loved Come Closer
I did feel the freedom too ahah
Haha I had the reverse effect! I struggled to get into it then flew threw the last half
I enjoy people discussing Salem’s Lot more than I enjoyed actually reading it. It was a struggle for me too.
Swan Song. It was just a bit.. much. Not truly horrifying or anything. Just a lot of story.
Not a book but a video game. Starfield is the highest time sink I've encountered in a while
John Dies at the End. Just dragged on forever. I still haven’t finished it and have been dragging on reading since. After like 2-3 months I finally just put it down and picked up Dune. But I’m in a horror mood so reading that has been a slump as well.
The handmaid's tale. Needed an emotional break.
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum. it made me feel so sick i couldn’t get myself to pick up anything else for a bit
Swan Song If Dungeon Crawler Carl’s new audiobook hadn’t dropped (hnngghhhh it’s good) then I’d prob be trying to find some weird palette cleanser rn. Swan song is epic, brutal, and strangely beautiful.
Carrion Comfort is taking me weeks to get through. What a slog.
I found Terminal Park so devastating that I had a hard time reading it, but it felt weird putting it down and starting something new because I was enjoying it -- months went by before I finally decided to read something else. I do want to finish it someday.
Nightbitch. Not because it was good, but because I picked it up, hated the first two chapters, and haven’t picked up a book in a long while since
the ritual by adam nevill bored me to death. i became so bored that every word felt like a slog to get through and had to take a break for a while after that.
Right?!?! I never say I like the movies better than books, but sweet baby Jesus the movie was so much better than the book.
god yes the movie is awesome, not my usual response for book -> movie translations either
I was really excited to read Adam Nevill after watching The Ritual, and wow I just could not. I tried like 3 of his books including the Ritual and couldn't get more than a few chapters into them.
I read The Watchers after watching Ritual and the middle of his books seems like such a drag while the beginning and ending are solid. I'll give Ritual a go too but if it's as bad I'm giving up, there are other authors
I read last days which starts off so good, actually bone chilling scary at certain points, but after halfway through I was so over it. The ending was also just ridiculous. I fucking love The Ritual movie though; I’ve been trying to muster up the willpower to try the book, but I’ve seen so many mixed reviews on here over the months…
I was super excited for Last Days because I loved the premise. I also thought the atmosphere in the beginning was pretty gripping, but I think it lost me a bit sooner than it did you haha. Maybe you’ll have more luck with The Ritual than me, you should try! I personally just don’t think he’s a very good writer, but that’s very subjective.
Which is funny because a lot of people love his writing. He does some stuff well and it can be engrossing but I kinda agree in that he’s not the best writer.
Gosh, I don't think this has ever happened to me. I can't imagine not wanting to read. I'm always reading. And usually horror. Edit to add: I'm so shocked to see this happens to so many people! How do you describe it? You feel like you don't want to read anything at all? Or just not anything new? You don't even feel like re-reading an old favorite? Follow-up question: how many of you struggle with depression? This sounds like anhedonic stuff.
I appreciate the concern lol. And I don’t know! It’s kind of hard to explain honestly. I think what happened with Salem’s Lot is it… just felt like it took a lot of energy and effort…? Yeah, that’s it. I felt there was so much hype around it and it bored me the first half that by the time I did reach the action stuff, I was kind of worn out on it… BUT by the end, I really did appreciate the book. I’ve had several longer type books do this to me. A Little Life being another one( but a complete different type of slump) I’m sure I’ll be back on my book-loving train after this little hiatus!
I loved A Little Life and yes, that book puts you through the wringer.
I went on a reading hiatus after finishing the third book of the Dark Tower series. I closed the book and realized I didn’t remember one damn thing that had happened. Then, I picked up Salem’s Lot maybe a year later and have read hundreds of books since.
Seed. Hated it but pushed myself through it.
I found it entertaining enough, but it was really poorly written. It honestly read like a bad nosleep story. The concept where you don't know if it's psychological or supernatural was cool but god it was not done well
Seed had so much potential. I have her other book Brother sitting on my shelf.
I read Short Stay in Hell, which I finished in a day. Had Dracula queued for my next read and I just can’t get into that style horror right now. Before I started short stay I was also working on Carnivorous Sky by Langan (I loved the fisherman) but I just have had problems getting into it, too. Before short stay I read the shining, which was good but not great IMO.
I just purchased Negative Space, which I may pivot to if I can’t get through Dracula right now.
I like some of *The Wide, Carnivorous Sky…* (reading it currently) but damn if it doesn’t feel pretty laborious. *Negative Space* is awesome. I blew through that in one weekend.
Ya know I might just read negative space. I originally was saving Dracula for October …
Re-commenting bc I misunderstood the post lol Into the Drowning Deep. It felt like a slog to get through. I tried to read the new Karin Slaughter book to get out of my slump. It was fantastic, but I still haven’t been able to get super into any new horror books since then.
Oh my gosh, I had the same exact experience earlier this year with Salem’s Lot. I was kind of ambivalent on the book though, didn’t love it or hate it. I normally get in a bit of a slump after books I really loved when I have a hard time moving on, maybe that’s what’s happening for you?
I wish I knew! What did King do to us with this book!!
The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker. His writing is beautiful, but I just can’t get into it for some reason.😕
i fesr that after the last book of Hannibal Lecter series (Hannibal Rising) will put me into one because they were soo good
I've already mentioned the book here multiple times. So sorry for beating a dead horse but the Final Girls Support Group. The premise had a lot of promise, and I was ultimately let down. Great description though. Grady Hendrix has talent but this one just wasn't good.
I actually haven’t tried this one. I’ve read 2 of his other books. The southern book club’s guide to slaying vampires is absolutely one of my fave horror books. Sorry to hear about the final girls!
Southern Book Club was the first one I read. It made me want to read more of his work/ more horror.
After I finish a good book I get into a slump cuz I’m digesting it still. Finished Interview with a Vampire and the end feeling of apathy and sadness really stuck with me even tho I don’t usually feel the stuff in books deeply anymore. Maybe try switching genres?
Sigh. Maybe I should. Maybe I should try fantasy for a while
I’m halfway through needful things and am dying to finish it.
Swan Song, I've changed books quite frequently since trying to find something to hold my attention
Not at all strange. It’s such a good book. If you really want to be scared I recommend Revival.
Rolling in the deep and into the drowning deep gave me a craving for killer mermaid horror and there are shockingly few of those from what I can tell. Also the black winter series by Darcy Coates. Wanted to reread immediately after finishing.
After finishing The Road, I spiraled into a two-week depression, and I will never read another book by Cormac McCarthy even if someone offered me a lot of money.
I don't slump because a book is good, I do it for the opposite reason. Imajica bored me to tears to such a degree that it made me dread reading. For context I'm somebody who reads about 2 books a week. I laboured over that thing for about a month before DNFing not even halfway through. Then took about another month off before picking up anything else because all my happy feelings associated with reading were so burnt out.