Reading Slumps
And the books that rekindled my reading life.
GROWING OUR BOOKS: A WRITING WORKSHOP 🌱
Dream of writing a book but feel intimidated by the size? Want to follow an idea for many, many pages? Craving camaraderie and community? This workshop is for you.
Share your writing with me and a group of six writers live on Zoom for five weeks on Wednesdays, 6-9PM EST, starting March 27. $330 for five weeks. Paid newsletter subscribers: scroll to the bottom of this email for the promo code for 10% off.
Don’t have time to read lately? And then, when you finally do find time to read, you don’t even make it through a page and a half before your eyelids start getting droopy? Yeah. Me too.
Or you’re playing an audiobook, but then ten whole minutes go by before you realize you haven’t been paying attention at all? Yep. The same thing keeps happening to me.
Is that fat stack of books you’ve yet to read on the verge of toppling like a Jenga tower? Are your library fines tipping into could’ve-paid-for-dinner-at-a-nice-restaurant territory? Can you even remember the last time you charged your e-reader, let alone where you put the charger?
Yeah! Same!
Lately, my reading life has been, at best, spotty. But something new I’m trying on is not judging myself too harshly when the reading doesn’t happen.
Letting go of judgment always has a way of making me want to do the thing I’ve been trying to force myself to do. It’s like self-judgment is actually kind of bad for us! Weird!
Sure enough, the reading urge is coming back. After all, it always does. No need to fret over it. No need to force it.
But I should probably return those library books soon.
THE BEST BOOKS I’VE READ LATELY
Here’s what I’ve been enjoying amid my spotty reading time. If you’re in a reading slump yourself, try one of these.
Make Your Art No Matter What: Moving Beyond Creative Hurdles by Beth Pickens
Landlock X: Poems by Sarah Audsley
A Year in Practice: Seasonal Rituals and Prompts to Awaken Creative Expression by Jacqueline Suskin
I found out about Jacqueline Suskin’s gorgeous book in this enchanting interview with
which you should definitely listen to if the reading isn’t coming easy these days and you want to feel inspired!WHAT I’M READING NEXT
I’ll Just Be Five More Minutes: And Other Tales from My ADHD Brain by Emily Farris (a workshop pal of mine: always exciting to see writer friends’ books in the world!)
Come and Get It by Kiley Reid (I loooooved Such a Fun Age and have the highest hopes for Reid’s sophomore novel)
We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman (my friend Mara said it would make me cry and I am READY FOR TEARS)
SPRING READING 🌸
Nothing like a good book club discussion to kick the reading doldrums. The Book Club for Writers will meet again in April! Check out the full schedule below.
PLEASE NOTE: there has been a date change for the April book club meeting.
MEETING SCHEDULE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR
NEW DATE! Thursday, April 25, 8-9:30 PM EST: You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir by Maggie Smith
Sunday, July 28, 1-2:30 PM EST: 1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg
Wednesday, October 30, 8-9:30 PM EST: Writing Wild: Forming a Creative Partnership with Nature by Tina Welling
Paid subscribers also get 10% off all Lonely Victories writing classes, including the workshop I mentioned at the top of this newsletter!
Happy reading! Or napping. Or staring into space. Or all of the above.
💛 Hurley
PS: Have a question about my upcoming workshop? Reply to this email and I’ll be in touch.
Workshop promo code: VICTORY10