Do you have a long list of books on your physical or virtual book shelf, but can’t seem to pick the right one to read? If so, you’re not alone. Whether your in a reading slump because life’s gotten too busy, or you just can’t seem to find the right book, I’ve compiled a list of 10 books to choose from.
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These titles include gripping thrillers, heartwarming fiction, and even funny memoirs. With an average rating of 4-stars from Goodreads, these books are sure to inspire you to get back into the reading groove.
10 Books to Help You Overcome a Reading Slump
1) The Cabin in the Woods by Sarah Alderson
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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From the publisher: The unmissable new thriller from the bestselling author and screenwriter of Netflix movie, The Weekend Away. In a cabin in a wood, a woman by the window stood. Glancing out, she thought she heard footsteps, whistling, something stirred. Hiding here, she fears the night, for what’s done in the dark will come to light. She must run fast to escape her lie, or she’ll be the next to die. Read my review here.
2) That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery/Thriller
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From the publisher: Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there―or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He’s been searching for her for hours. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos. He is her father. Her name is Mary. Or so he says. Read my review here.
3) Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
Genre: Horror, Mystery/Thriller
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From the publisher: Mallory Quinn is fresh out of rehab when she takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy. She bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body. Read my review here.
4) Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
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From the publisher: Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.
5) Babel by R.F. Kuang
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
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From the publisher: Robin Swift is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, serving Babel means betraying his motherland.
6) The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Genre: Fiction, Romance
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From the publisher: It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people. The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.
7) Funny Story by Emily Henry
Genre: Fiction, Romance
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From the publisher: Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. He really was good at telling it, right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian, and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex.
8) The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest
Genre: Self-Help
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From the publisher: This is a book about self-sabotage. Why we do it, when we do it, and how to stop doing it—for good. Coexisting but conflicting needs create self-sabotaging behaviors. For centuries, the mountain has been used as a metaphor for the big challenges we face, especially ones that seem impossible to overcome. To scale our mountains, we actually have to do the deep internal work of excavating trauma, building resilience, and adjusting how we show up for the climb. Read my review here.
9) Make Believe by Victoria Hutchins
Genre: Poetry, Nonfiction
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From the publisher: Make Believe is for anyone who is embarrassed about how long they’ve been hiding from themselves, who is one bad day away from thinking the world is a terrible place, whose body feels like an enemy to their soul, or who is struggling to stick around. Hutchins challenges readers to reimagine struggles as superpowers and uses the power of confession and nostalgia to create a world of hope.
10) Cabin by Patrick Hutchison
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor
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From the publisher: Wit’s End isn’t just a state of mind. It’s the name of a gravel road, the address of a run-down off-the-grid cabin, 120 shabby square feet of fixer-upper Patrick Hutchison purchased on a whim in the mossy woods of the Cascade Mountains in Washington state. CABIN is the story of those renovations, but it’s also a love story; of a place, of possibilities, and of the process of renovation, of seeing what could be instead of what is.
No matter what genre you gravitate toward, there’s a book on this list to match any mood. Whether it’s the tension of a mystery, the adventure of fantasy, or the emotional depth of literary fiction, you’ll be sure to find something to break your reading slump. Is there a particular genre that always helps you break out of your reading slump? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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I’ve definitely been in a reading slump for the past few months and have been looking for the perfect book to get me back into it again! Thanks for sharing this great list of recommendations, I’m definitely going to check a few of these out!
https://melissakacar.com
I read Funny Story last month, and I loved it! Also, I read and enjoyed Hidden Pictures. The Wedding People is on my TBR, and I’m curious about The Cabin in the Woods now!
Every now and then, I go through a reading slump and it’s always a bit frustrating as sitting down with a good book is one of my favourite hobbies. These books sound great, and perfect to dip into and get into something again!
Thank you for these book suggestions! If and when I get in a reading slump, I’ll be sure to look at this post for inspo! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I’m glad to hear that! Thank you for reading Lucy.
I’ve read a couple of these but will be adding others to my TBR list! Thanks for sharing about these books Winnie.
I’m very glad to hear that, Jodie. Happy reading!