When Are Reading Breaks A Good Idea?

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly series hosted by Rukky at Eternity Books and Danie at Literary Lion. The full list of November topics can be found here.

This week’s topic is: When are Reading Breaks a Good Idea?

Considering that I just took a reading break last week, this topic has come up at the perfect time.

Short Answer: Reading breaks are always a good idea.

Last week I recognized that I was falling into a reading slump so I decided to take a break completely, for as long as I needed to.

It didn’t last more than a couple of days, but allowing myself the mental space to breathe and reset was long overdue.

I don’t think I’m the only book blogger out there who feels pressured to read X number of pages/books each week, and that makes it even harder to convince yourself to take a break when you feel the need coming on.

But over the years I have noticed that any time I’ve forced myself to read, it has been nothing short of an unpleasant experience. If I’m not enjoying my time, then I won’t be able to immerse myself in the story and it will likely be difficult to write a review later on. (And you can always tell when the reader dragged themselves through the book or didn’t like it and is trying to sound like they did).

I think it’s especially important now to be aware of those times when reading is difficult and to take a step back if necessary. Usually around the holidays I find myself reading less, or switching to non-fiction, because I know my mind is going to be elsewhere the majority of the time. This time of year can sometimes pass in the blink of an eye and I always want to savor it by being in the moment as much as I can. Hence, reading less, or take reading breaks.

The only other times I’ll take reading breaks are if I’ve just read an exceptional book that I can’t stop thinking about. If I go into the next book only thinking about the previous book, that’s when I know it’s a good idea to take a step back and let it wash over me before starting a new book.

After taking a reading break, I always come back to my books feeling refreshed and with a clean mental slate, ready to dive into a new story. It’s the best feeling!

What are your thoughts on taking reading breaks? Tell me in the comments or leave a link to your post so I can check it out!