I have found myself in that unfortunate and maddening place of not knowing what it is that I want to read. You know that place? For me, this place involves spending quickly dissolving time scouring the internet looking for book lists that spark my interest. For example, I’ll find a book on Goodreads that I once read and then scroll down to the book lists that it is including in (i.e. “What Women Born in the 90’s Are Reading Spring 2022” or “52 Book Club: #9 A Book That Sparks Joy”, something like that) and start reading summaries. Then, I put a chunk of books on hold, only for them to be transferred in, read ten or twenty pages and not be what I want to read. In others words: I am in a reading slump.
Ugh, those are the worst! There are articles upon blogs upon woes across the web with suggestions on getting oneself out of such a dreadful place. Urban Dictionary defines it as “a reader’s worst nightmare”. We (the library) even have a lovely database called Novelist centered around helping reader’s find their next book which really digs into the various themes, plots, subject, etc. associated with a book you liked; check some boxes and it finds similar books for you. And nada. Not helping me out.
Maybe I have a reader’s burnout from reading too many books. Maybe I have too much going on in my life that is distracting me from sinking my teeth into a good novel since my mind is ping-ponging off walls. Maybe I’m watching too much television!! Whatever the cause or combination of causes, it sucks.
But that is okay! I shall find my way out of it. The beauty is that maybe I just need a little bibliotherapy and I happen to be in just the right location every weekday to get myself out of it: the public library. Sometimes that best thing to do in this situation is to just wander about the stacks and check out book spines that look intriguing, simply being among the books with their delightful book smell. Maybe, at times like this, all we need is the solace, tranquility and stillness of a library to quiet our minds and fill our spirits.
-Samantha Hanchett, Marketing + Outreach Coordinator
*Please note that the opinions of “Thoughts” are just that and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Thomas County Public Library System.