Anyone experienced this?

[Feckinlego]

I can't concentrate on a book. Since childhood I've never ever not had a book on the go, I don't know what I'd do without reading. Last few weeks I'm still reading but only have a very faint grasp of what's going on with the plot. A few different genres so I don't think it's the books, I think it's me. Maybe I need to change to a new genre? I dunno, but I can't go on like this. First world problems I know but it's really bothering me! Any insights or words of wisdom?

I'm training myself as felt similar.
I choose books with good reviews and check first pages for style of writing.
I read a chapter at a time, I can stop after one chapter or continue which I often do but 'allow myself' to stop after one. Otherwise it can be too much and I loose concentration.

I can relate to this and had put it down to a combination of undiagnosed ADHD and chronic stress!

I know you said you feel like recommendations would be wasted on you at the minute, but I just finished The Drink Shrink by Zoe McCann and I really enjoyed it. It’s told through texts and I ended up reading it in a couple of sittings because it was so low-demand in concentration terms.

Lots of novels out there using more innovative stylistic devices now to appeal to our social media/stress-addled brains. It’ll be interesting to see how storytelling methods evolve to keep pace with modern life. I think they’ll have to as more people struggle with this stuff.

Yes this is me. Also perimenopausal and been through quite alot of stress. I think the time I would have spent reading before, I now spent reading mumsnet active and by the time I have done that I'm bored with reading things and want to do something else.

Also in the last year (I'm early fifties) I have become less interested in fictional stuff and more interested in real things so documentaries rather than tv series and factual books rather than fictional books. This is quite a change for me.

I'm hoping to get back to my books in the winter with the dark nights but we'll see!

I can second the recommendation for The Drink Shrink! A really easy read, but well written so it engages you.

I have the same concentration problems and I blame my addiction to my phone. I find that some of the stuff recommended as “gripping” or “easy to read” just isn’t well
written enough to engage my interest sufficiently. It’s a fine balance between not having to worry too hard when reading versus feeling bored/unsatisfied by a book.

Like others, I would recommend dedicating an amount of timed time to a book, maybe 15 minutes. Maybe a book of short stories might do the trick, The British Library Women Writer series has a book of summer stories out or maybe some Agatha Christie or Daphne du Maurier short stories. Elly Griffiths has a new collection called, The Man in Black.

Never feel you have to finish a book.

Use the library, so that you can have a steady supply and not feel guilty about potentially wasting money.

I hope you get your mojo back!

Or something written in diary form, so you can just read easy chunks.
My favourites are Diary of a Nobody, Diary of a Provincial Lady, Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Nella Last (made into Housewife 49 by Victoria Wood or Away with the Windsors.