{"id":4560,"date":"2026-07-28T23:20:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T23:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=4560"},"modified":"2026-07-28T23:20:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T23:20:27","slug":"how-do-you-get-out-of-a-reading-slump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=4560","title":{"rendered":"How Do You Get Out of a Reading Slump?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"Woman<\/p>\n

A Cup of Jo reader named Alex recently commented that she\u2019s stuck in a reading slump. For suggestions, we reached out to our friend Ruby Smith, who writes the books newsletter Ruby\u2019s Recs<\/a>. \u201cWhen I\u2019m in a drought, I feel like nothing will ever pull me out, not even a really good book,\u201d says Ruby, a former Three Lives & Company<\/a> bookseller who now lives in Washington, D.C. \u201cEventually something always does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ruby<\/p>\n

\u201cIn college, I would read with a headlamp<\/a> to avoid bothering my roommates. Years later, I still read with my headlamp because it feels comfy and cozy \u2014 even though I\u2019m alone in my apartment!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

To break out of a slump, Ruby suggests a) trying a backlist book by a favorite author, b) listening to an audiobook while walking or folding laundry, or c) choosing a very short book<\/a>. \u201cWhatever it takes to get back your momentum,\u201d says Ruby. <\/p>\n

Finally, in case they help you, too, Ruby shares eight gripping books that have pulled her out of slumps:<\/p>\n

\"Cowboys<\/p>\n

Cowboys Are My Weakness<\/a> by Pam Houston<\/strong>
\u201cI was in a reading drought when I brought home this short story collection<\/a> with the goal of reading just one story. I ended up tearing through the whole book. Most of the funny, big-hearted stories take place in the American West and center around relationship dynamics between men and women. Houston\u2019s writing is clean and funny, like if Ernest Hemingway and Nora Ephron had a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Body in Question<\/a> by Jill Ciment<\/strong>
\u201cI raced through this novel<\/a> about two jurors who are sequestered for a murder trial and have an affair. It sounds super salacious, and it is, but the story is also very thoughtfully told. And it\u2019s not long \u2014 less than 200 pages \u2014 so I think anyone would have a fun, easy time reading it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Blob<\/p>\n

Blob<\/a> by Maggie Su<\/strong>
\u201cVi works the front desk of a cheap hotel in her Midwestern college town. After getting dumped, she finds a blob outside a bar and drunkenly decides to take it home. It slowly becomes sentient, learning to communicate, imitate, and want. Blob<\/a> is a stylish and surreal coming-of-age story about loneliness, attachment, and the way we try to create meaning when our lives have stalled.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies<\/a> by Deesha Philyaw<\/strong>
\u201cThe rare short story<\/a> collection that also manages to be a page-turner! Deesha Philyaw dives into the lives of Black women and girls who are trying to find their place within (or outside of) the church. These stories grapple with the intricacies of family, death, and religion, and<\/em> they are a lot of fun to read.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Southern<\/p>\n

Southern Lady Code<\/a> by Helen Ellis<\/strong>
\u201cThese hilarious essays<\/a> recount the author\u2019s upbringing in Alabama and her subsequent life as a Southern transplant in New York City. She writes about everything from the utility of the phrase \u2018bless your heart\u2019 to the time her father faked his own death for her 13th birthday party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Strange<\/p>\n

Strange Weather in Tokyo<\/a> by Hiromi Kawakami<\/strong>
\u201cThis quiet but riveting novel<\/a> follows Tsukiko, an office worker in Japan, who rekindles a friendship with her old high school teacher, \u2018Sensei.\u2019 As the two spend time together, playing pachinko, sipping sake, and foraging for mushrooms, they find solace in each other\u2019s company. It\u2019s earnest, gentle, and really lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Open<\/p>\n

Open Throat<\/a> by Henry Hoke<\/strong>
\u201cOpen Throat<\/a> is a novel told in verse from the point of view of a queer mountain lion living in the Hollywood Hills. Stay with me! Our narrator lurks under the Hollywood sign, eavesdrops on tourists and hikers, and contemplates eating a person. One of the most imaginative novels I\u2019ve ever read!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Quiet<\/p>\n

Quiet<\/a> by Susan Cain <\/strong>
\u201cWhen I read Quiet<\/a> in high school, it changed how I see myself and the world. It validated that, as an introvert, my way of moving through the world wasn\u2019t wrong, just different. I made everyone in my (very extroverted) family read it. One big insight is that our culture disproportionately rewards extroverted traits. The loudest person in the room is often mischaracterized as the smartest. Introverted traits, like observation or deep thought, are equally valuable, but not always celebrated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s your turn: have you ever been in a reading slump? And what was the last book you read and loved?<\/strong><\/p>\n

P.S. Tell us three things, and we\u2019ll recommend a book you love<\/a>, three favorite books of all time<\/a>, and seven short, perfect books<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Photo by Katie+Jo\/Stocksy.)<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t<\/p>\n

130<\/span> COMMENTS<\/p>\n

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A Cup of Jo reader named Alex recently commented that she\u2019s stuck in a reading slump. 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