Why You Need a "Book Roster" for Your Next Reading Slump
An antidote to every reader's worst nightmare.
The first natural law of reading is this: At some point (okay, many points), you will hit a reading slump. Sometimes, the book well dries up, and you find yourself thirsty AF for something, anything that will move you. So what if I told you that I have a way to relieve your next reading slump and its obligatory side effects—you know, art withdrawal, self-pity, existential dread, etc?
The last sentence is clickbaity, I admit, but I truly do have a trick for the nothing-to-read blues. In fact, I employed it myself this week. After DNFing three books in a row—a practically unheard-of occurrence for me—I fell back on what I call my “book roster.”
If a dating roster is a messy list of past hookups who will still be fun for a drink or two, then a book roster is a list of books from authors I know won’t disappoint me. Period, the end. These people are my first-string authors. Or people whose voices I can’t get enough of. Or people writing something so in my wheelhouse that they couldn’t possibly fail.
In the case of my most recent reading slump, I picked up Chelsea Bieker’s Godshot, a book that follows a teenage girl entrapped by a religious cult in California’s Central Valley. After reading Bieker’s crackling story collection, Heartbroke, last year, I immediately added her debut to my roster. And, wow, am I glad I opted for delayed gratification on this one.
After making almost no progress on any book for the last week, I read half of this title in 24 hours (which is fast for me)! More crucially, my brain feels alive again. What I’m reading directly impacts my mood and outlook on life. And, true to the cover’s promise, my head is now filled with gold sparkles, nice sentences, and a propulsive narrative. What more is there?
If it feels right, I challenge you to make a book roster. Raid your local indie or over-stuffed bookshelves and stash away titles (3 to 4 should do it) from authors who never disappoint. Set them aside for a rainy day. A very uninspired future reading self will thank you.
And, of course, a caveat: Sometimes, we just want to read books from our beloved authors the second we hold them in our wanting hands. In that case, go forth and read. F the roster and the rules.
Reading: Godshot, Chelsea Bieker
Writing: My novel
Watching: Poor Things, American Fiction
Eating: Alison Roman’s Dilly Bean Stew (IYKYK)
Life Lives is written and edited by me, so please excuse the occasional grammatical error or spelling gaffe. My Very Talented Mother, Caitilin McPhillips, designed my logo for me. Thanks, Mom.
I do sort of the same. If I buy a book I've been anticipating for months and probably preordered ( like Tana French's latest), I hold on to it as a secret treat when I hit a book slump (one of the most dreaded times in life to experience). I always need a little something to look forward to.