Reading Slumps and the DNF Dilemma

I'm in the midst of a reading slump.

Up to this point, I can confidently say that I have never been in this position before. I have never felt so unfilled with reading until now. The overwhelming desire to just do other things won't leave me alone. I look at a book and think about starting it but then I play the Sims instead. I catch up on my YouTube subscriptions instead. I do anything instead.

In August, with a little over a week left in the month, I have finished 11 things: 7 novels and 4 graphic novels. Generally, I would consider this a good reading month. Generally. Of these 11 things, 6 of them have been rated 3 stars or less. 5 things have been rated 3.5 stars or 4 stars. I have not rated anything 5 stars this month. These aren't the worst ratings in the world. It's not like I've read 11 1-star books over the past 21 days, right?

Maybe the most surprising number of this month, however, is 3. I have started 3 books in August that I have not finished. I feel stuck. Despite these ratings, despite these 11 books, I just haven't felt that overwhelming joy in picking up a new book. That feeling of excitement and wonder when I read a synopsis that really captures my attention, a first chapter that hooks me right away. Why should I force myself to finish a book that isn't making me happy to read? Why would I dig this already terrible reading slump into a bigger hole just for the sake of adding a book to my "read" shelf?

For the longest time, I have been a firm believer of finishing everything I start. Even if I hate a book, I will finish it. I will cringe and groan and pick every sentence apart but, never fail, I will finish it. Every reader has their own policy when it comes to DNFing books. Mine was that DNFing something was just not an option. Apparently, though, that has changed.

What was the point? Why would I want to torture myself with something I was absolutely struggling to get through? Was it just to add another book to my yearly total? To come one step closer to my goal? That doesn't make sense to me now. I want my year to be full of books I enjoyed reading. But, with that sort of attitude, where is the line drawn? Do I put down a book if it's just okay? Is DNFing 3 books the start of some new phase where I only read books that are the best of the best? I just don't know.

Throughout this slump, I've tried multiple things; DNFing a book is just one of them. Hopefully, I can find a book that will inspire me all over again, that will remind me of why I read and why I enjoy reading. Until then, maybe I'll push myself through a 2-star book. Maybe I'll put it back on the shelf to come back to later. All I know is that I have a new appreciation for my "dnf" shelf on Goodreads - it might not be in use forever, but it isn't something to be ashamed of now.

How do you deal with a reading slump? Do you pick up your favorite book? Change genres? Just take a break from it all together? Let me know!