Ask Peaches: how to get your reading mojo back (without forcing it)

New here, darling? This post is part of a series called ‘Ask Peaches’ where I answer the delicious, burning questions you have about smut, sex and anything spicy inbetween. Read this for more context or send your own juicy musings straight to me at peaches@ladieswholit.co.uk Always anonymous, always answered in good faith and good fun. Take what you love and leave anything you don’t.

Dear Peaches,

I don’t know why or exactly when it started, but I’ve lost my reading mojo. I find myself watching and scrolling much more than reading, even though I know I love it. But every time I try and force myself I can barely finish a page. How do I get back into books?

Those pesky screens and their astonishing allure. One minute you’re just checking your messages before you turn the lights out. The next it’s 3am and you’re deep in a BookTok hole (the irony…)

First things first, darling: it's not just you. Search ‘reading slump’ on Reddit and you’ll find plenty of posts asking for tips to get page-turning again. Life happens. Suddenly there’s no time, or you’ve got reading fatigue from work or studying, or you just can’t seem to find a book you like.

Next, take that pressure off. No shame games around here. I care less about the last time you read something and more about what tea you can spill over a chilled Negroni. But, I also know how delicious the reading experience is, and how much I miss it when I go through low-read periods. So, here are a few of my tried and tested tips to get you into a reading rhythm again:

• Create the right mood: Try making reading part of a wider, self-care ritual. Block out some time. Put your phone on DND. Have a candlelit bath. Pour a glass of your favourite something. Open the cover. And relax.
• Re-read your favourite book: If you always crave novelty, this tip might not be for you. But if it’s unfamiliarity or potential disappointment holding you back, revisit an old favourite that you know will feel good to read again.
• Start with something short and sweet: It’s not all about size, darling: it’s what you do with it that counts… as in, an open novella in your hand is worth more than a tome gathering dust on your shelf. (What did you think I meant?) 
• Pick a book having a moment: There’s something about a sense of community that can make things easier. Knowing that when you’ve finished, there’ll be a buzzing discourse ready to dive into and relive the juiciest moments with.
• Try something spicy: I don’t know about you, but nothing gets me tearing through pages faster than the promise of my favourite trope reaching its yearning, aching climax. The perfect way to get your reading habit back and learn more about your own desire.
• Set a time or page limit: Goals can feel like pressure, even if they’re achievable. But if you set yourself a limit instead, you can either stop when you get there or get a thrill out of breaking the rules (guilty).