8 books on my tbr pile and I don't fancy any of them!

[floorchid]

Bring Up The Bodies - so long! I won't be done by Christmas!

One Day - David Nichols. Charity shop buy and a bit worse for wear. I think I used to like him? What else did he write?

Blast from the Past - Ben Elton. No idea why this is in the pile. I used to like him but I don't think I do any more.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen - is this good?

Bird Life - Anna Smail. A gift. Looks quite good? A quiet, gentle book.

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrain - I think I've read it.

Billy Bird - Emma Neale - started this. Not grabbing me.

Hold Tight - Harlan Coben.

It's not the fault of the books. It's me. Nothing is grabbing me.

Just started reading By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah. If the first 20 or so pages are anything to go by, it's going to be a good read.

I’m in the same boat.

spinning silver by Naomi Novik

Welcome to the Hyunsm-Dong bookshop (I used to live in Korea so this one appealed)

The atlas 6 by Olivie Blake

The burning chambers by Kate Mosse

Fake law by the secret barrister.

all look good but nothing is grabbing me to read. Instead I am listening to crappy audiobooks.

The Shining ?

I don't know any of those @OhBeAFineGuyKissMe , so I can't help!

Perhaps I'll go to the library and see if anything appeals.

I think I need an enthusiastic recommendation so I start a book with optimism.

Well, my suggestion is one of the best stories I've ever read. Take it you don't like horror though maybe

When I feel like that I switch to audiobooks and that helps. Although currently a bit stuck on the audiobook of Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner. I can see it’s well written but I’m not really hooked into the characters or narrative and keep avoiding it - which means am not reading anything.
I think you should read James by Percival Everett though.

Oh, and The Secret Life of Bees- loved that too. And I'm hard to please as well. If you like those old southern type reads. Excellent writer

I've just finished Lulu Deans Little Library of Banned Books and Davkd Baddiels bio. Both really, really good reads and from the library.

What sort of books do you like reading? I quite like James Patterson for getting me out of a reading slump as they move quick and short chapters

Definitely go to the library though

Well, what have you liked in the past? It's a very mixed bag on your list, and I don't have any sense of your individual taste or preferences. Bring Up the Bodies is an astonishing novel, though very slightly less brilliant than Wolf Hall. David Nicholls One Day is trite, predictable ploddage for me -- he also wrote Started for Ten, Us, Sweet Sorrow and lots of TV. I liked the previous novel by Anna Snaill, so would recommend that as worth a go, but it probably depends on how open you are to novels about speaking animals?

Isn't Water for Elephants a children's book?

If you like short and kooky, Miranda July's All Fours is fun?

Water for elephants is recommended for adults but could be read by late teens up I suppose, depending on the ability of the child

I can't wait to have Audible again. I used to listen and soothe myself to sleep on bad nights

If that were my list I would start Bring Up the Bodies.
It's an excellent book-the shortest of the Wolf Hall trilogy and you will easily finish it by Christmas.

The easiest “in” on a book I’ve read recently is - The ghost cat.

A cat gets its nine lives as a ghost in an Edinburgh tenement. Easy to read and quick paced. Really enjoyed it.

It's not the books that are the problem, it's that device you're holding in your hand right now!

Phone scrolling is gradually killing our ability to concentrate on full-length books IMO.

And this is why I have a TBR bookcase with 100 books on it.

Read Bring Up the Bodies, there is an urgent brilliance to it. My favourite of the Wolf Hall trilogy.

Read the first 50 pages of the others. If they grab you keep them, if they don't grab you then charity shop them. If you have already read them decide if you want to keep or charity shop. Go to the library or charity shop or bookshop and get some books you are excited to read.

Bring Up The Bodies is amazing, but maybe not one for a reading slump. I would read One Day, from your pile. Interesting concept and easy read.

If it were my pipe I’d do Water for Elephants - I wouldn’t describe it as YA personally, it’s much better written than that (more complex). It’s a great book, hooks you in quickly and isn’t very long so should kick start your mojo and make you ready for Bringing Up the Bodies

or One Day if you want something easy to pick up and put down

I really enjoyed Water for Elephants, I'd give that a go.

Short History of Tractors is good too, as well as We Are All Made of Glue by the same author.

I've just finished Heartburn by Nora Ephron. It's a short book and an easy read so might be a good starter for you.

I've about 100 books on my TBR shelves. What do I do? I go to the library and read what I'm getting from there! 🤦🏻‍♀️. I think it's sometimes the feeling of you ought to be reading that puts me off.
I tend to go back to old favourites if I'm in a reading slump or go for something I know is a light read.
Perhaps try Seeker by SJ Maclean, full on historical but also crime, very well written, pacey enough to keep you engaged but not so heavy you want to stop. But Bring Up the Bodies is a good read. Good luck!

I've got around 1600 books on my shelves that are to be kept and not given away, some are still unread

I've got about a 1000 on my kindle, again about half unread

I've them got my tbr pile that are books I won't keep and that's currently at 305 books.

I've read 72 books this year and they've all been library books. I've got to stop going to the library!!

@YellowphantGrey glad to know I'm not alone! But we have to support the library. 😁

I used to think that if I started a book I HAD to finish it, but now if I don't like the current one I abandon it and try another.

I’ve definitely seen it reviewed in the children’s sections of newspapers, eg

https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2011/jul/04/water-for-elephants-sara-gruen-review

Have you tried the Borrow Box app? You can login with your library card and basically try things for free, so no guilt if you don't get on with them - you just return. They do audio and ebooks. Several times recently I have realised that a book is really worth having in my hands having started listening to them. It's cut my book pile and spend massively.

So inwas wondering about Harlen Coben - and turns out i didn't like them at all. But tried Real Life by Brandon Taylor and it was so good, i stopped listening and went out and bought it (yes v different types of books). Same with This Other Eden by Paul Harding - too beautiful just to listen to.

Agree with audio in a slump too. I go back to Golden Age murder mystery for comfort till something grabs me again.

also @Pottingup is the Percival Everitt good? I am v tempted!

Bring Up the Bodies is my favourite of the Wolf Hall trilogy. Superb writing.