What's WRONG with me? This really kind of makes me sad...?

Question

I used to be a BIG reader-- I loved it and read all the time! I read all the harry potter books (except for the 7th which i eagerly await) The hobbit and The inheritance series (except for the last one which i also eagerly await!) Basically I read a lot of big books sometimes only taking me a week or so.... But recently after i finished Eldest It's taken me a long time to read books and most i don't even FINISH! That's totally unlike me! But i can't seem to get interested in anything anymore =( I don't know what the problem is-- maybe my standards are too high? Or maybe high school stress is getting to me?

Any ideas or suggestions?

Could i be looking in all the wrong places? I recently have tried reading into the woods, inkspell by cornelia funke, a year at the races, and dragonspell by donita k paul.... each time stopping at or between pg 50-100

( the last book i fully completely was The Five people you meet in heaven but it was such an easy read)

p.s: As you can tell, i LOVE fantasy (and horses)

Answer 1

I see you've gotten lots of answer to this question, but I wanted to answer anyway because I identified with your question.

I've had this happen to me, so I understand. I'm not in high school--I'm in my 30s--not that that has anything to do with it.

Yeah, maybe, like someone said, you should just take a little break from reading until something "speaks" to you. I could give a lot of suggestions, but you need to wait and see what catches your eye after you give it some time or what keeps coming to your mind that you've already read.

It happened to me after I finished the "Flowers in the Attic" series for the second time. I love those books SO much and love the characters so much, and I guess I just felt like nothing else compared. I eventually started reading other things, though (I'm in a book club, so that helps). BTW, I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, too. I'm wanting to read one book a month, starting with book four this month, so I'll be ready for the 7th. Maybe you could try that, too?! Anyway, I'm glad you love reading so much.
Don't distress; it'll come back to you!

Answer 2

I know how you feel. I use to read daily for hours and when I was bad my parents would take my book away not TV or something like that. Now, it is hard for me to finish a book and no book I pick up I like. Recently, I have started reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Page 50-100 it bored me. I kept at it though because I have to for my language arts class at school. It got way better. I am almost done with it and I think this book may be getting me out of my reading slump. High school stress is probably just getting to you. I am in middle school (eagerly waiting for high school next year) and my reading slump went away after I got rid of my stress. I think you are just stressed. When your stress goes away you will be raeding a lot. Or maybe, your style in books is starting to change. Read a few different genres and see if you still like fantasy. If you do keep at the books for more then 50 pages. The book may get better. If your friends like the same genres you like then try asking for book ideas from them.

Best of luck!

Answer 3

If you're in high school, you're obviously under a lot of stress, and you might be lacking the free time you've had before. Ask people you know for their reccomendations, and try reading something besides fantasy. Also, if your school has a book club, you might enjoy that. My suggestion is just to not really worry about it, because a lot of people go through times where they don't enjoy a certain activity or pastime as much as they used to. You could also see this as an opportunity to try something new, like a sport or instrument, for example. Hope things go well!

Answer 4

High school can do that to you. Have you read the Amber Chronicles by Zelazney? Maybe you need to up your standards a bit. They have a little bit of everything - romance, mystery, fantasy, battles, dysfunctional families, all of it. They are fantastic. You might also enjoy Glen Cook's Garrett books which I am happy to report are being re released. It is impossible to explain the Garrett stories. Just think 40s Detective Noir with fairies and elves ... Give yourself a rest though -maybe you need time off from reading. Spring fever is hitting us all. Get outside and get some sun. Unless you happen to be a vampire. Pax - C.

Answer 5

Perhaps you're actually starting to understand the material much deeper than you used to, perhaps you're attention span is shortening. TV/IMing/Video games will do that to you. Try giving them up for a while, get a new book in a new genre (perhaps some non-fantasy, maybe historical fiction or graphic novel or short story or poetry or something) or a new style and see how it goes. Feel free to accuse a new book of being boring and useless after the first 100 pages; don't feel forced to finish every one that you start.

Answer 6

I think what is happening is that you are becoming a more mature reader, and so you may not be able to enjoy certain writing like you used to. Perhaps you read nursery rhymes or pop-up books as a kid, but now you don't seek them out, because you are no longer among the intended audience.

The intended audience of popular genre fiction seems to be the eternal adolescent. The plots are not challenging, the writing is mediocre and often terrible, and the characters are not always fleshed out or made believable.

But fantasy writing wasn't always so stupid. I suggest that you check out The Weird Bookshelf. There's a top 100 Fantasy Novels List that ought to re-introduce you to your favorite genre.

Answer 7

You may be feeling a little guilty about reading when you should be studying, so do your studying first. But don't quit reading--it's so good for you. Also, some books just aren't good--don't feel like you have to finish all of them. Why waste your time when you sound like you're very busy? If you really want to read some good books, try CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR by Jean Auel. Then there are four more in the series. My husband kept telling me to read them, and I told him I didn't want to read about cavemen, but when I finally started reading them, I couldn't stop. Good luck.

Answer 8

Well if you are anything like me, I read a lot to and now it is hard for me to finish a book. For one thing I can't find a book that holds my attention and the second thing is I guess I was just tired of reading. I am slowly getting back into it but I am trying to find an author I like who writes thrillers. Maybe its like everything else, if you do it too much you get tired of it.

Answer 9

Try another genre of books. Sometimes it gets harder to read because we are bored with that type of book. One fantasy I highly reccomend is The Once and Future King by T H White. It is about King Arthur.

Answer 10

Same thing happened to me. Sometimes, you're just not interested anymore. Or you don't have enough time to read anymore, so your brain is just refusing to read much.
Or maybe try looking at something else. Sometimes, you're just out of books to read. Like I read all the interesting books in my old school's library, so I wasn't interested in reading much for a while.

Try going into something different, or just try to make enough time to read. It's usually not enough time.