Every year bookworms everywhere take stock of the books they finished reading over the last 365 days and make a new goal for what they hope to accomplish this upcoming year. I am no different but I must admit I was disappointed in myself this past year as I barely reached my minimal reading goal and definitely did not write enough reviews this past year either. The reason for all of this? Reading slumps. What did I do to try and break out of this? Keep reading to find out!
So, what could I do this year to break out of my slump and contribute more in the way of reviews? I decided to make a “plan of attack” to make 2018 a year of more books and more enjoyment. The plan was simple, really simple. Find a book, or books, I could power read through quickly to jump start the year and my reading goals.
As I looked at my huge to be read pile, I decided I had to attempt something to break out of the rut. While every single book on my pile tempted me, and was calling to me to pick it up and start reading immediately, I knew I had to get through a few books first before I could attack larger volumes or series. I’ve previously written about ways to break out of a reading slump and I decided to go with the two tactics that usually work best for me. Picking a different genre and picking something light.
Years ago I had the absolute pleasure of interning at a literary agency and there I was exposed to one genre I had not been a huge fan of originally. Romance. Normally I find it difficult to get through the writing of romance novels as they are often predictable and simple and therefore not the challenge I normally look for when I read. However, working there I found that some romance novels were actually good. Is it my genre of choice? No. Are they good when you want to read something but aren’t ready to tackle the first book in a series you’ve been putting off for months? Hell yeah.
And that is exactly what I did. As the new year rang in Kindle alerted me to several novels on sale and then I spotted it. A collection of romance novels by the same author, fairly cheap and looking like they would be quick to get through. With just a touch of mystery and concern for the characters painted over the plot I figured a couple dollars spent on these e-books might be worth it if it got me started reading again.
The books were part of the Possessing Beauty series my Madison Faye. The first three books in the series, Beasting Beauty, Stealing Beauty, and Sharing Beauty were part of the collection I purchased. Each focuses on a different paring of a Prince and Princess (or, in the case of Sharing Beauty two princes and one princes…yeah) but the shift of focus was enough to tell a different story of how each person finds exactly what they are looking for in life and romance.
Were they challenging, thought provoking reads? No. Were they worth the price? Yes. Did it work to break the rut I found myself in? Yes.
Currently there are five books in the Possessing Beauty series and I believe that would be it (as the final book holds the same title as the series) so I assume that’s it for this grouping. Madison Faye has written plenty of other books and while, as I said, the books were not challenging nor where they earth shattering they did the trick. With two more books left in the series I’ll probably finish it out so that I can get accomplish reading five books early on in the year and give myself that boost in confidence we all need sometimes.
As I’m adding the fourth book in the romance series Hunting Beauty to my currently reading shelf on GoodReads I also find myself many chapters in to a book I’ve been dying to reading for some time now. That book is The City of Brass (The Daevbad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakrabraborty and I don’t think if I’d broken out of my rut I’d be as far along in it as I am now. Moral of my struggle?When you can’t move forward on the reading path you want to be on, step on a another, brief path. It’ll help get you back on track.
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