Discussing Reading Slumps Honestly via Bellwether Friends

Recently I have been talking to a few library folks about their anxiety surrounding their own personal reading slumps. I have passed on my "Handling TBR Anxiety" post to them, and while they have told me it is helpful, it isn't exactly right for the "slump" problem.

But to the rescue come three awesome library people who were apparently reading my mind [which actually doesn't surprise me because I know them IRL too]. Anna and Alene, who host the awesome Bellwether Friends podcast [which I love because it is a podcast where librarianship- mostly public and with an RA focus- overlaps with popular culture] interviewed Kelly Jensen from Book Riot to discuss her article "7 Tips for Reading With Mental Health Challenges."

It was Episode 109 and you can listen and see all of the show notes [with links] here.

What I enjoyed about this podcast was how openly all three participants talked about their personal reading slumps, how they have changed over time, why we have them, how we handle the anxiety surrounding these slumps when it is supposed to be our job to read, and how we can "break out" of them.

Please listen, whether you are in a current reading slump, you have even been in one, or even if you can relate to anxiety around how much you read. We all deal with this. Sometimes it is worse than others. I also especially appreciated Alene's honesty about how much the number of books she reads in a year has gone down but how she manages to not let it to effect her job as a readers' advisor. And I can tell you 100% and from personal experience that she is still one of the best at RA. I know her story will help many of you. Please listen.

The podcast episode, Kelly's article, and my post all taken together can help a lot of you feel better about your reading, both personally and professionally.