Books to Pull You Out of a Reading Slump

Sometimes even an avid readers hits a reading slump.

What pulls me out of a reading slump? A book I can't put down. A trilogy that leaves me hanging on for more at the end of each book.

1. K. E. Ganshert's The Gifting trilogy

I can't say enough about these books. This is the best dystopian trilogy I've read since The Hunger Games--and that's high praise coming from someone who loved The Hunger Games as much as I did. The story is non-stop. The events are eerily similar to things that are playing out in the real world today. 

2. Terri Blackstock's If I Run trilogy

Everyone was talking about these books for months! Everywhere I went, I heard about them. It had been years since I read a Terri Blackstock book, but I finally checked out the first book from our local library. All I can say is, I'm glad I waited until the final book was out to start these, because once I started, I didn't want to stop.

3. Ronie Kendig's Tox Files

The final book of the series, Thirst of Steel, just released. I read it through tears. What an ending! This series is military fiction meets Indiana Jones, and I couldn't put it down!

4. Ronie Kendig's Operation Zulu series

When this series first released, a new installment came out once a week, like a serial novel. The only problem: I was in the middle of a major project at church, and all I wanted to do was read! I was sneaking in reading time during every spare moment because I couldn't get enough. This series got me hooked on Ronie Kendig's books. 

5. Susan Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy

I usually post about - and usually read - Christian fiction, but I'm including this series for two reasons.

First, it pulled me out of a major reading slump. When I returned to college in 2010, my reading time vanished. Balancing school with family, work, and life left no time for fun reading. When I graduated in 2013, I struggled to get back into reading. Nothing seemed to grab my interest anymore, until I read The Hunger Games.

Second, this series is so clean. One of the reasons I made an exception and read a non-Christian series was because friends with similar reading taste told me it was super clean. It's violent, but I love mysteries, so that doesn't bother me. 

One last tip for a reader who finds yourself in a slump...read a different genre. 

One reason The Hunger Games struck such a chord with me is that it was a totally new genre. I'd never heard of dystopian fiction until the series became popular. I'm a huge mystery/suspense fan, but I needed something different to break my slump. The action of a dystopian novel, combined with a very different storyline than I was used to, was exactly what I needed. Dystopian is now among my favorite genres. 

I'm excited about linking up this week for Top Ten Tuesday! This is my first time to join in, and I look forward to "meeting" other book bloggers.