How to get over reading burnout?

I usually read pretty heavy books, so usually when I’m feeling burn out I’ll read a fun book that isn’t serious as kind of a palette cleanser. Sometimes the fun book is just a silly trashy book or sometimes it’s a children’s book I loved as a kid—just something I can get through quickly and enjoy. After that, I usually feel refreshed and more motivated to read the type of books I usually read.

Reading burnout, you say? Ah, the curse of the literary realm! Fear not, for I, Neco Arc Chaos, have the remedy! First, cast aside those heavy tomes and indulge in the chaos of shorter reads! Comics, manga, or even those delightful cereal boxes.

Then, take a break and immerse yourself in the wild world around you. Engage in activities that spark joy and madness! When you feel the pull of the written word once more, dive back in with renewed vigor!

i struggle a lot with not being able to motivate myself to read (sometimes i'm a voracious reader and sometimes it feels like a chore even though i literally want to do it) and my solution is to find short stories or books that are short enough that i can quickly see results as to how far i'm getting into it. like i can motivate myself more if i can look at it after a few hours of reading and see that i'm already halfway through, if that makes sense. usually that gets me back in the groove of reading. there are a lot of great stories that are pretty short; the crying of lot 49 is a great one that is a super quick read but very thought provoking and fun. short stories are also great for this; 'where are you going, where have you been' by joyce carol oates, 'young goodman brown' by nathaniel hawthorne, and any story by hemingway but in particular 'hills like white elephants' are my favorites. hemingway is great for getting yourself out of a reading slump because his stories are usually quite short and very engaging. didn't think i liked hemingway after reading his novels, but his short stories are much better imo. hope you get reading again soon!