My First Post

My first post is not going to be a review- too much pressure for me. This post is as much a test to even see what it will look like on the blog page.

I've been in an odd, relatively long semi-reading slump. As of today, I've read 158 books. Which, I know, doesn't seem like much of a slump because it puts me slightly over the pace needed to read 400 books this year. However, it's pretty much been a struggle. I have a mountain of partially read and subsequently abandoned books. (Or I would if most weren't library or ebooks.) Why the semi-reading slump? I used to read a lot of cozy mysteries- when I pretty much only read cozy mysteries, I read 700-900 books a year. Because cozies read so quickly. However, when I joined Goodreads and actually had to look at my book list, it actually embarrassed me a little. That my whole reading life for 3 years was composed of fluff. Which made sense because my only fluffy reads period started after my mother died of cancer and books became an escape.

Moving on...I hit a point this year when I just couldn't read any more cozies. I would get one from the library- a book I'd requested from an author whose books I'd read (and enjoyed) for many years. I would read the first page or two, stick a bookmark in it and put it to the side. In a few weeks, if possible, I'd renew it. I'd pick it up again, read a page or two, stick a bookmark in it put it to the side...Repeat until it couldn't be renewed any more and return it to the library. This is sort of a major problem for me because of my reading habits/patterns. I read cozies during the day because they're easy to pick up and put down when you're interrupted. Which I am a lot during the day- work, kids need something, husband needs something, etc. I don't know, the sameness in a cozy mystery used to be comforting- a crime, detection, criminal unmasked, "The End". You always knew what you were getting into with a cozy. Somehow, though, this became tedious and unreadable for me.

So, what is my go to "fluffy" read now? Young adult, it seems from tracking my books. So far, there seems to be more variety in characters, plot, theme, etc. than in a cozy mystery. But, as you'll see from my reviews, I read a bit of everything- except romance. I pretty much only read romance books if it's a reading challenge requirement.

Is there something you do when you're in a reading slump? Any tips, suggestions? I notice the other thing I do a lot when I'm in a slump so bad that I can't read at all- Sudoku. Especially since I found a Sudoku iPhone app.