How to get out of a reading slump: Try one of these 8 page-turner books

Like the common cold, the reading slump and its symptoms will come to us all eventually.

The pages don't turn as fast as they used to. The characters don't feel as relatable. The plots don't hit the same. You don't have motivation to pick up your book at all.

If this is you, the dreaded reading slump has arrived. It could be because you read a book so good nothing else compares. Or, on the flipside, your last book was so bad – too slow, too predictable, too unbelievable – you're hesitant to take a chance on another title.

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Whatever the cause, we’ve got a prescription. These books have something for everyone – old and new reads spanning fiction and nonfiction, from thriller to romance to memoir. What they all have is inventive plots, intriguing characters and twists sure to keep you glued to the page.

‘None of This is True’ by Lisa Jewell

“None of This is True” is my go-to slump-buster. This twisty thriller follows a woman who finds herself the subject of her own true crime podcast. Alix Summers, a popular podcaster, meets the unassuming Josie Fair, a woman on the cusp of changing her life, who wants to be the next subject of Alix’s series. When she agrees, Alix unravels Josie’s strange, confusing and dark past. 

‘Yellowface’ by R.F. Kuang

Propulsive, chilling and darkly comedic, “Yellowface” is about a white author co-opting an Asian American author’s work and passing it off as her own. Floundering writer June Hayward is jealous of her friend Athena Liu, a literary darling. When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her barely finished manuscript and turns it into her editor. What follows is a web of lies, cultural appropriation and ethnically ambiguous author profiles, scandals and secrets. 

‘First-Time Caller’ by B.K. Borison

Romance readers should pick up this “Sleepless in Seattle”-inspired love story to get back in the groove. “First-Time Caller” follows Aiden Valentine, a jaded romance hotline radio host, and Lucie Stone, a single mom and romantic whose well-meaning daughter calls into the show asking for dating advice for her mom. 

‘Sharp Objects’ by Gillian Flynn

Any Gillian Flynn thriller makes for a good reading slump cure. Flynn’s writing is fast-paced and compulsively readable, and “Sharp Objects” will have you staying up until you turn the last shocking page. This thriller is about a reporter, fresh out of a psych hospital, returning to her small hometown and complicated family to cover the murders of two preteen girls. 

‘Educated’ by Tara Westover

“Educated” is a memoir you won’t be able to put down, and follows one woman’s journey from a sheltered, religious survivalist family to a Ph.D. at Cambridge University. It grapples with narcissistic parenting, a strict Mormon upbringing and the deeply ingrained distrust in medicine and education Westover had to unlearn on her own. Some of Westover's stories will horrify, others are heart-wrenching and all will leave you with a compassionate view of her search for liberation. 

‘Legendborn’ by Tracy Deonn

Looking for a new fantasy series to get you hooked? Check out “Legendborn.” This first novel follows Bree Matthews, a 16-year-old looking to escape her grief while at a residential program for gifted high schoolers. But when she witnesses a magical attack on her first night – a flying demon and a secret society of students hunting the creatures – she unlocks her own magic. Now, she’ll have to infiltrate the secret Legendborn society and use her powers to face the truth about her mother’s death.

‘The God of the Woods’ by Liz Moore

This mystery may be on the longer side at nearly 500 pages, but it’s thoroughly unputdownable. “The God of the Woods” opens on a camp counselor discovering a 13-year-old camper is missing. To complicate matters, the young girl is also the daughter of the camp’s wealthy owners, and her tragedy is eerily similar to her brother’s cold case disappearance over a decade ago. 

‘Seven Days in June’ by Tia Williams 

In “Seven Days in June,” two lauded authors have a chance encounter at a New York panel of Black literati 20 years after they spent a week madly in the throes of teenage love. Over the next seven days, Eva and Shane reconnect and rehash the passionate romance of their youth. But can Eva trust the man who once broke her heart? Williams’ contemporary romance explores modern motherhood, chronic pain and second-chance romance.

Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at [email protected]. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to get out of a reading slump: Try one of these 8 page-turner books