When to Take a Reading Break – Let’s Talk Bookish

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a fantastic weekend. I am so looking forward to Thanksgiving break so I can chill out a little bit, write posts, read a lot, and just in general have a great time.

Anyway, it’s Friday Saturday and that means I’m late for this week’s Let’s Talk Bookish. But that’s okay, it’s better late than never. For those of you who are new, Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by me and Dani @ Literary Lion, where we discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts.

This week’s question is: When are reading breaks a good idea? (suggested by Lydia @ Lydia Schoch)

Thank you so much to Lydia for suggesting this topic! As I seem to be on an extended semi reading break, I do have some thoughts on this topic, so let’s get started!

To directly answer the question, the best time to take a reading break is when you need it.

Sometimes life gets in the way and sucks all your passion for reading, which can mean that it’s a good idea to take a little break.

Sometimes you’re feeling burnt out and aren’t enjoying the books you’re reading anymore. That can also be a sign that maybe you need to take a little break and reorganize your reading.

Maybe you just need a different genre to read, maybe you just need a different format of reading, or maybe you just need a little time without thinking about books.

There’s really no right or wrong when it comes to taking a reading break and it’s not a bad thing to take one either. It can actually help your reading by giving you a little chance to breathe and explore other things, and then you can come back more energized and excited to devour all the books on your TBR.

Right now, I’m on a weird reading break. I haven’t really read anything that great recently (last time I rated a book 4 or 5 stars was in September), and I’m reading a lot less than I used to so I feel like I’m not really reading. It just feels like fluff and it’s frustrating because I want to read better books that make me excited to blog, that make me sad or super happy, that just really make me feel.

I miss being excited about books, looking for new ones to read, loving some with all my heart and hating others passionately. I want to read books like that, instead of all these meh books that I don’t remember that I read a few weeks later.

For me, this feels like a slump/reading break because the books that I’ve been reading recently don’t count to me. It feels awful and I think it’s time that I ended this and found books that I love again.

And that’s kind of how reading breaks should be. Not boring and meh feeling like mine, but just a period of time where you take a break from books. You’ll know when it’s time to start reading again when you start missing all the great reads and feelings that come with reading a wonderful book. Just give it time and try not to feel guilty about it.

We’re all human unless you’re an AI or an alien or something. We all need breaks sometimes. Even it’s from amazing and wonderful things like books.

This Week’s Participants:

Dani @ Literary Lion | Aria @ Book Nook Bits | Evelyn @ Evelyn Reads

A Couple of B’s | Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly Blog | Millay @ Millay’s Musings

Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads | Leyanis @ The Blogger and the Geek | Dini @ Dini Panda Reads

When do you think reading breaks are a good idea? What are your recent favorite reads because I really need something amazing to read right now? Do you think reading breaks are good for your reading life in the long run? Chat with me in the comments below!