The Dreaded Reading Slump: A Christian Reader’s Perspective
The dreaded reading slump. We’ve all been there. You go to read a book from your ever-growing TBR pile, but find that you just… can’t. It doesn’t matter how excited you were to finally crack it open. That was me for the past two months. I know what you’re thinking: this is a book review blog? Yes. Yes, I’m aware. And yet here I am talking about reading slumps for my first blog post.
Over the past two years, I’ve started to look at reading slumps a little differently — through a Christian lens. I got more intentional about living for Christ in 2024 after living lukewarm for most of my life. Since then, I’ve been in at least three different reading slumps.
When I enter a reading slump, I have absolutely no desire to read. Even books I was once excited about suddenly lose their appeal. It’s one of the most frustrating feelings in the world.
When this dreaded reading slump happens, I’ve started to see it as God’s way of lovingly inviting me into His presence. It can feel like He’s saying, “I need you with Me right now,” and He removes distractions so I can spend more time with Him. Sometimes this happens when I’ve neglected time with Him in favor of leisure reading. Other times, He pulls me closer in seasons of preparation. Reading slump number two coincided with my move to a new city in March 2025.
This most recent reading slump started in late November/early December 2025. Part of it was the craziness of the holidays. I was knitting and crocheting Christmas gifts, traveling, and just all around too busy to read. But once the dust of the holidays settled, I hoped to get back to fun reading— only to find that I still couldn’t.
I’m sad to admit I didn’t spend as much time with God as I should have during the holidays, but I was able to get back into something of a routine once I was home and back in my normal rhythms. Eventually, I felt a stirring in my spirit to start this blog and another creative writing endeavor. I was heavily focused on that other creative writing project for a few weeks before I added the blog into the mix. I realize now that this most recent reading slump was about building and creation.
Now, I’m not saying that all reading slumps are spiritual. Sometimes we just really are not interested in reading. But if you’re a Christian reader in the middle of a reading slump, I hope this resonates with you. I encourage you to check in with God when you find yourself there—maybe He’s removing distractions for you, too.
I’m also not saying that reading is bad. It’s not bad at all — I love reading. But we need to make sure we’re in His Word before we dive into fun fiction. Trust me, I’m talking to myself just as much on this last part. I’ve had to make a rule for myself that I’m not allowed to fun read at home after a long day at work until I spend time with God. Fun reading is my favorite way to wind down, cuddled up in a heated blanket with my cats.I came out of the reading slump on February 4th! I read Forget Me Knot by B.R. Goodwin. Her books have pulled me out of several reading slumps over the years. If you’re into contemporary fiction/rom-com, I highly recommend her books! They’re always the perfect laugh-out-loud, lighthearted reads I need when I’m coming out of a slump — I can’t go straight into emotionally devastating books right away (looking at you, Jessica Ashley and Gabrielle Meyer).
This last reading slump for me was two months long. Your turn! What’s the longest you’ve been in a reading slump? What are your favorite go-to reads for getting out of a slump? Or maybe you’ve never been in a reading slump before (you lucky duck) — what are you currently reading?