KendraNicole.net

Jesus Follower • Wife to my Fave

Grateful SAHM • INFJ • SP 1w9

Upholder • List Maker

Homeschooler • Bibliophile

Bookish Considerations: What do you do when your reading feels broken?

I have heard many avid readers talk about the ways that books have saved them in their hardest moments. When life gets difficult, or sad, or simply busy, they are able to sink into a story that sweeps them away from reality until they are ready to reenter life away from the page.

Unfortunately, I am not one of those readers. When life is smooth sailing, reading is my favorite pastime: books are a great source of entertainment, adventure, and personal fulfillment. But when life gets bumpy—when I’m sick, or going through a tough time, or have a lot on my plate, or if something is weighing heavily on my mind—my reading life suffers. I wish that books were my go-to comfort place, but this reading tiger has tried (and failed) to change her stripes, and I’ve had to accept reality: I am a fairweather reader. And when the weather gets stormy, my reading ship breaks.* I stop picking up books. When I do manage to read, my mind wanders. If I’m somehow able to focus on a book, I struggle to enjoy it.

So . . . what do you do when your reading starts to feel broken? One answer is nothing. Seasons come and go, pastimes change. A broken reading life may not be a problem to be solved but simply a reality to be acknowledged.

For me, though, a broken reading life IS something that I want to address—because I know that reading is fulfilling and life-giving for me, even when the circumstances are not ideal. I know that I will be glad that I pushed forward to hang onto this hobby that has always given me so much joy. I know how much of my personality, ideas, and even my identity are informed by my reading life, and that preserving my connection to the bookish life is a gift I can give to my future self.

Based on my choice of this topic for today, you might have assumed that I am currently in a “broken reading” season. You assumed correctly. Everything in my life is really great, but this has also been one of my busiest seasons in recent memory. Our family has a LOT going on, and I feel like I have too many tabs open in my brain, leaving little room for books. I’m pushing through the brokenness, not because I feel like I have to (I don’t), but because I know that it will be worth it.

Over the years, I have identified a few of strategies for successfully healing a broken reading life. I’m hopeful that writing them here and adopting one or two will benefit me right now! These may be TOTALLY DIFFERENT from strategies that work well for you, but maybe they will spark some ideas for what might work for you next time you find yourself wading in the murky waters of a broken reading life.

1. Have grace for myself.

There are times when reading can’t or won’t be a priority, and that is perfectly fine. When it comes down to it, reading is just a hobby, and it would actually be irresponsible to continue reading at the same pace if it were to mean that other (more important) things in life had to take a back seat. There are plenty of wonderful people in the world who are not avid readers, and it’s okay for me to be one of them for a time. I don’t have to turn in my upper-case READER card simply because I am reading fewer books, or enjoying books less, in this season. And also . . . turning in my READER card would also be okay. Again, it’s important for me to remember that the reading life is totally optional, and stepping back is not a moral failing or a stain on my character or anything other than a personal shift in how I choose to spend my time.

2. Give myself a quick win.

The snowball effect is so real. Sometimes, all it takes is one excellent book to launch me out of a reading rut. Short stories are great for this, as are novellas and “breezy” books that may not have a lot of substance but deliver on enjoyment.

3. Be okay with DNFing if I’m stuck behind a book.

It could be that my reading isn’t really broken, I am just in the middle of a book that isn’t working for me. I talked about some of my hangups around DNFs in a recent Bookish Consideration post, but if quitting a book is what needs to happen for the greater good of my reading life, I think it’s a worthwhile move. I’ve actually taken a back door approach to this a few times this year by setting aside books to finish later (including this one, which was good but a little slow, and this one that I was loving after a few chapters but felt too long to stick with at the moment; I own both books on Kindle, so it will be easy to return to them when time and brain space allow). This “set aside” approach feels different than a true DNF (read: less like a personal failure) because it is acknowledging a book really is for me, just not right now.

4. Try a different genre.

I discovered in each postpartum period that nonfiction is the only thing I can/want to read when I’m deeply sleep-deprived. This surprised me, since most people consider nonfiction headier and more difficult to read than fiction, but I found it easier to read small sections about a topic than try to hold storylines in my tired brain. At other times, I’ve had success with switching to something more or less literary, something faster or slower paced, something more or less familiar. I do not have any predictable fall-back genres for these broken reading times; for me, it’s just a matter of experimenting with genres to find out what will fit my mood.

5. Accept that other forms of reading are okay.

Five years ago, a majority of my reading came via audiobooks. Now, audiobooks make up less than a third of my annual book totals, and I almost exclusively listen to nonfiction (this has been an exception!). I have been happy for the switch because I’ve discovered that, while audiobooks are convenient, they are never as enjoyable and never stick with me as much as the books I’ve read on Kindle or in print. However, desperate times call for new protocols, and I want to be open to making audiobooks a bigger part of my reading life right now if that is what the situation calls for. That said . . . this might mean saying goodbye to podcasts for a time, and that is a decision I want to weigh carefully. Am I giving up podcasts for audiobooks because it’s really a choice I want to make, or because it’s something I feel I should do for the sake of fitting in more books? Both reasons are valid, but I want to be honest about my motives.

6. Stick with “non-negotiable” reading times.

At this point, faithful followers of my blog may be wondering about my claims of a broken reading life because I haven’t stopped writing about my current reads in my Lately posts and monthly Quick Lit reviews. That is because I never, ever put a full stop to my reading. It’s true that I’m not filling wide swaths of time with pleasure reading, but I have some built-in times when I ALWAYS read (whether I want to or not). I read my Bible every morning and devotionals before bed each night; I read at least half an hour of our current read-aloud with the kids each school day; I’m still making it to the gym most days, and I always pair the treadmill or elliptical with a book on my Kindle; and we still make time for DEAR in our school day, and during that time I read right alongside my children. These little pockets of reading keep my momentum moving and set the stage for me to return to a more flourishing reading life when the time feels right.

7. Avoid falling into the trap of looking for the perfect book.

I have a bad habit of using a reading rut as an excuse to spend too much time scrolling Kindle deals or the Libby/Hoopla apps for the next perfect read. I’ll buy/borrow several books and sample them and set them aside. Sometimes this works, but usually it’s a waste of time. I probably won’t find the PERFECT book right now, and that’s okay; it doesn’t need to be a perfect fit to be a worthwhile read.

8. Remind myself of why I love reading.

Reading has always been a huge part of my life, and that probably isn’t going to change. My enthusiasm for books has waned in the past, and the enthusiasm has ALWAYS returned. I can trust that it will probably come back again. And if my reading life DOES remain broken indefinitely? Well, I will cross that bridge when I get to with tip #1 in mind!

Have you experienced seasons when your reading felt broken? What did you do—lean into the brokenness, or take steps to push forward? Any tips to recommend? I’m all ears!

*Clearly there is nothing wrong with my zeal for mixed metaphors and cliched idioms. . . .


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About Kendra

Hi, I’m Kendra! I am a follower of Jesus, an avid reader and podcast-listener, an Enneagram enthusiast, a homeschooling mom, and a big fan of lists. Born and raised in Southern California, I am now living life in Austin, Texas, with my husband Luke, our four kids—Charleston (2015), twins Sullivan and Kalinda (2019), and Nickelson (2024)—and Arlo the Labradoodle. Thanks for visiting my blog!

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