Reader’s Rut. Also known as a Reader’s Slump, Reading Fatigue, or even Book Hangover. We book lovers may not want to admit it’s a thing, but it is. Fact is, most of us have experienced it at one time or another, that dry season when no book seems to hit the mark. I’ve been going through one such season myself this fall, where every book I pick up fails to wow me as I expect to be wowed. Most of these books have been recommended, and I’ve wanted to love each and every one. Yet somehow, they fail to measure up.

You’ve been there too?

Fortunately, there are ways to hasten such seasons to an end. Here are 9 tips for boosting yourself out of a reader’s rut:

1. Read something different. Consider a new genre. If you like thrillers, try a romance. Contemporary fiction? Return to the classics. Or, if you typically prefer fiction, maybe now’s the time to read that memoir everyone’s talking about.
2. Read something familiar. Re-read an old favorite, perhaps a comfort book from your childhood. For me, that often means one of my old Trixie Beldens or a Nancy Drew mystery that now resides on my daughter’s shelves.
3. Read something short. Sometimes what you need is a palate cleanser. You might try a book of essays, short stories, or poetry. When I need a transition book, I’ll often read a few chapters of one of James Herriot’s until I feel like picking up something new.
4. Read differently. Try a new format — audiobooks, anyone? Or a genre not typically in your wheelhouse. Even checking out a new reading spot could help.
5. Read a cookbook. Linger over the pretty pictures. Dream a little. And then choose one recipe and make it.
6. Go on a reading fast. Sometimes what you need is for book hunger to build up again. Give yourself permission to not read for a few days (or weeks). Take a nap instead, or cook a meal, go for a hike, binge on some favorite movies.
7. Go on a bookish blind date. Let your best friend or favorite bookseller pick your next read.
8. Banish “should” from your vocabulary. Read what you want to read next, not what you feel you ought to.

After words:

How about you? What’s your best tip for getting out of a reader’s rut?