10 Amazing Books Guaranteed to Cure Your Reading Slump | Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and this week’s TTT prompt is to talk about 10 books that’ll cure a reading slump.

Reading slump aka a reader’s worst nightmare is something we’ve all experienced. That feeling when we want nothing more than to read but for some unknown, logic defying reason we just can’t. A reading slump should not be confused with a book hangover, cuz that’s a whole other monster. Although there is no known foolproof solution for a reading slump, it can potentially be cured by a new and exciting book. However, not just any book has what it takes to successfully do that. And so I have compiled a list of 10 books that I believe are engaging enough to have you all but forget you even had a reading slump to begin with! 

10 Books Guaranteed to Cure Your Reading Slump

1. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

“The things that go unsaid are often the things that eat at you.”

The sudden death of the eldest daughter of a Chinese-American family sets into motion a deep review of the family’s history to try and resolve the present in which the parents and children fail to understand each other. It reveals so much about human nature and how much our past experiences can shape our choices in the present; for better or for worse. The book has truly made a lasting impression on me, it is such a gripping and emotional read!

2. Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

“Wouldn’t we all look guilty, if someone searched hard enough?”

A group of friends’ spring break trip to Aruba goes horribly askew when one of their friends, Elise, ends up brutally killed and her best friend, Anna, wrongly accused. A classic whodunit murder mystery. Could one of the friends have done it? Maybe the aggressive guy Elise was flirting with at a bar? Or the Aruba local whose products Elise stole? A YA mystery/thriller with a dark plot twist. I had chills long after finishing it!

3. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

“It’s not like in the movies. It’s better, because it’s real.”

When Lara Jean’s 5 love letters accidentally get sent out to her former crushes her life as she knows it turns upside down. Having previously limited love scenarios exclusively to her imagination, Lara Jean is forced to face her feelings head on. What better time to read this adorable and light YA contemporary then now when you can watch the newly released Netflix’s adaption straight after! 

4. Attachments by Rainbow Rowel

“I didn’t know love could leave the lights on all the time.”

Just when Lincoln O’Neill thought his job as a “internet security officer”, monitoring his coworkers emails, wasn’t weird enough, he starts falling in love with Beth whose emails he knows he should flag but can’t help but be captivated by. Rainbow Rowel’s adult novels really deserve more hype then they get, I find the plots so refreshing and they always manage to leave me with a gushy stupid smile on my face. 

5. Angelfall by Susan Ee

“I’ve never killed anyone before. What frightens me isn’t that I’m killing someone. What frightens me is how easy it is.”

Epic and dark YA urban fantasy about an angel apocalypse with a kick-ass female heroine and witty banter between the characters. That’s it, that’s all you need to know. I haven’t seen a lot of talk about this trilogy since its conclusion in 2015 but everyone that has read it can vouch for how amazing and unique this book is. It is such an addictive page-turner!

6. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

“He talked about the ocean between people. And how the whole point of everything is to find a shore worth swimming to.”

Cute boys emailing, high school musicals, friendship goals, with just a pinch of drama and blackmail, what’s not to love? It is just such a charming and funny book. Most of the credit goes to Simon because he’s such a likeable and memorable character although the whole cast of characters form such a diverse and lovable friend group that I always looked forward to their antics. I’ll never shut up about this book!

7. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

“There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things.”

If you are to read any of Colleen Hoover’s books, let it be this one. It is a heart wrenching story of passionate romance, friendship and familial ties. It explores situations that are difficult to understand and even harder to accept. It’s such an incredibly raw and honest book. Fair warning though, it’ll probably put you back in a reading slump after you finish it, but hey at least it cured it for a little while there right?

8. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

“I don’t think you have to do something so big to be brave. And it’s the little things that are harder anyway.”

Wallflower Emily’s best friend disappears right as summer break begins and leaves behind a mysterious to-do-list with some pretty daring tasks. In the hopes the to-do-list contains answers as to where her best friend went, Emily sets of to complete the list while meeting new friends and breaking out of her shell along the way. A real glo up! Morgan Matson is the queen of summer contemporaries and this one is perfect for curing slumps!

9. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

“What they fail to understand is that you don’t need anyone, you can take care of yourself.”

Eleanor Oliphant is not completely fine. That is unless you count having a perfectly timetabled life, where you avoid social interactions at all costs and finish the day off by drowning yourself in vodka to avoid repressed emotional trauma completely fine. However thanks to a chance encounter and an unlikely friendship, Eleanor starts to realise that life should be more than fine. It’s the perfect balance of sad/funny!

10. A List of Cages by Robin Roe

“Why does time slow down in the places you don’t want it to, but it speeds away when you’re happy?”

When former foster brothers Adam and Julian reunite, Adam is ecstatic until he realises Julian is keeping dark secrets about what goes on in his house. Secrets that could cost both boys their life. Prepare your tissues for this one, because it is such a fast-paced read that you don’t realise you’re crying until a good chunk of the page is wet and you’re having a hard time reading the words because of all the tears in your eyes. Very touching and heart-breaking!

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Have you read any of the books I’ve mentioned? If not, are you inclined to now? What are some of your favourite ways to cure reading slumps? What books got you through some pretty bad slumps? Let’s chat in the comments ♥

If you did the TTT prompt this week, feel free to link it in your comment!