How to get out of a reading slump: Try one of these 8 page-turner books
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.
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 cmulroy@usatoday.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
20 hours ago
- USA Today
Freida McFadden reveals new 'unhinged' thriller: See the book cover
Freida McFadden already has three new releases (and one more on the way) this year, but the queen of psychological thrillers isn't slowing down any time soon. Best known for twisty novels including 'The Housemaid,' 'The Wife Upstairs' and 'Never Lie,' McFadden has a new story up her sleeve, McFadden and publisher Poisoned Pen Press reveal to USA TODAY exclusively. 'Dear Debbie,' a 'delicious revenge story,' will publish Jan. 27, 2026. Keep reading to see the cover and what McFadden has to tease about the novel, including a few comparable thrillers to read first. New Freida McFadden book out in January: See the cover 'Dear Debbie' promises a 'twisted tale where the bad guy gets exactly what he deserves in the end,' an ode to unhinged women reclaiming their power, McFadden tells USA TODAY. 'It's incredibly satisfying when fiction can deliver the happy ending that can elude us in our lives,' McFadden said in a statement to USA TODAY. 'Like everyone else, I have experienced frustrations in my life. The little ones like the driver who cuts me off in traffic or the people who leave their dog poop in the exact perfect place to step in it. Or the big ones that still keep me awake some nights. And what do I do when those injustices happen? Like the majority of people, I do nothing. 'That's why I created Debbie Mullen. Debbie is the cool housewife slash advice columnist who has reached the end of her rope and finally starts taking back everything that was stolen from her – piece by piece, name by name. This book is a shout out to the silence that so many women live in every day. Debbie is one of my favorite protagonists of all my thrillers, and I hope you love her as much as I do," McFadden says. What is 'Dear Debbie' by Freida McFadden about? The novel follows a woman experiencing 'the mother of all crash outs,' according to McFadden. Debbie is a mother of two teenage daughters, an advice columnist for New England wives, a gardener and a wife who uses her MIT-educated math skills to design apps to track her lying husband. But when she's fired from her job, Debbie is 'officially out of buttons to push.' While you wait to unlock Debbie's story, why not check out another suspenseful tale? McFadden shared her favorite revenge stories with USA TODAY that set the tone for "Dear Debbie": Murders, ghosts and crime, oh my!: New thrillers to read this summer 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 cmulroy@
Wall Street Journal
2 days ago
- Wall Street Journal
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Review: The Best Superhero Saga of the Year
Women with astonishing abilities are an essential component of superhero movies, but as 'Thunderbolts*' proved, the more effortlessly they shoot, kick and punch their way out of every situation, generally while firing off comical wisecracks to show us how bored they are with their own coolness, the less excitement they generate. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' by contrast, zeroes in on a far more interesting superpower: creating new life. There's an extended sequence built around a hero going into labor in zero gravity while hurtling through the cosmos, and it exemplifies the movie's unusual feel: interstellar yet down-to-earth. Making your characters relatable, likable, charming and vulnerable might seem to be a fairly obvious assignment, but it conflicts with the comic-book-movie urge to make its characters completely and devastatingly awesome. In getting back to basics, 'First Steps' proves to be easily the best superhero movie of the year.
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
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. 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 cmulroy@
