7 Books To Get You Out Of Your Reading Funk

Sometimes finding a good book is like trying to find a four-leaf clover; nearly impossible. I've always enjoyed reading, but like any good reader, I sometimes find myself in a reading slump. Book after book, author after author, and nothing holds my interest or keeps me wanting to turn the page.

In an attempt to help ward off the frustration that sometimes finds an avid reader, I've put together a little list of 7 books I REALLY enjoyed.
Hopefully, this list can end the drought for some and keep the dehydration from the lack of good book, at bay for others!

---

Out Of My Mind 
​Sharon M. Draper

"Everybody uses words to express themselves. Except me. And I bet most people don't realize the real power of words. But I do. Thoughts need words. Words need a voice." 

Out of My Mind is an eye-opening read about the trials and tribulations someone with disabilities faces. We've all done it whether we want to admit it or not. We see someone in a wheelchair soiling themselves with their own drool, unable to talk or walk, and we assume they're unintelligent. 

Introducing Melody.  She has Cerebral Palsy and a photographic memory. Her ability to learn, to absorb information, is far superior to others. The only difference is she can't verbalize her knowledge or her desire to learn more like the rest of us can, but that all changes when she is introduced to Elvira.

---

A Monster Calls 
Patrick Ness 

"As if Conor didn't have enough to contend with, his nights are filled with nightmares, or rather one repetitive dream filled with dread, fear and a real life monster who seeks the scariest thing of all
...the truth."

A Monsters Calls will not be everyone’s cup of tea, beer, or whatever beverage you prefer to drink, but it really pulled at my heartstrings. It's unlike anything I've ever read before. It's kind of what you would call an old-fashioned fairy tale.  Not your typical Disney rendition where everyone lives happily ever with singing birds in a big castle, but the original stories that were meant to scare kids into behaving. 

It's the type of book you pick up thinking it will be filled with predictability, and may even be a bit childish, but the reality is it's not at all what you think. 

---

A Man Called Ove 
Fredrik Backman

“He’s the kind of man who points at people he doesn’t like the looks of, as if they were burglars and his forefinger a policeman’s flashlight.”

Ove is quite literally the definition of a grumpy old man. He could be labeled as rude and withdrawn, the kind of man who yells at kids for walking on his lawn. He's methodical and logical in every sense of the words and does what is right simply because it is right. Well…he does what he thinks is right, even if it’s considered socially unacceptable. Like punching a hospital clown for being a bit too anxious to get his clown gloves on a few coins to for a magic trick.

Underneath the cranky, unapproachable exterior lies a story; a sad, heartbreaking story.  A series of terrible accidents and unfortunate events have led to the man called Ove, and rightfully so. But, despite it all, Ove is a better human being than most of us.

Every fiber of the reader in me LOVED this book. A Man Called Ove has undoubtedly earned a permanent spot on my bookshelf. 

***There is a movie adaption of this book, subtitles only.***

---

The Butterfly Garden 
Dot Hutchison

While readingThe Butterfly Garden I really wasn't sure how I felt. There were several moments when I simply closed the book and took a moment to gather my thoughts. It's a dark novel, written eloquently, but with very dark undertones. 

The Gardener's obsession with butterflies is taken to an extreme when he begins collecting young women. They are given names, different from that of their birth name, tattooed with intricate wing designs and forced to live in a preservation jar of his own creation until the night of their twenty-first birthday. 

Again, this is not a book for those who are easily disturbed or upset by...nontraditional writing. 

---

Everything, Everything
​Nicola Yoon

"Life is a gift. Don't forget to live it."

Everything, Everything is a book I picked up by accident at a local whole sale store. I read the blurb on the back cover and decided for eight bucks, it was worth a try. A book about a girl with a rare autoimmune disease that keeps her trapped in the house like a prisoner.  It could either be an amazingly entertaining book or a complete dud. I was with the ladder of these two roads after reading the last page, but I have read reviews by readers completely disappointed by the ending. It's kind of predictable, but maybe not. Give it a chance, I think you'll like it.

***There is a movie adaption of this book, I have not seen it...yet.***

---

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly 
Stephanie Oaks

“I could feel the window in which I viewed the world- no larger than a pinhole back then- broadening somewhere at the back of my mind just by looking at him.”

Minnow Bly and her family traveled to the middle of the woods when she was just a young girl, under the leadership of a prophet; to a new beginning. A beginning that would completely distort how she thought about the world she lived in.  Meteors became bombs, shooting stars’ weapons of mass destruction, and stars were the eyes of God. At least that's what the prophet said.

"Fear floated around like constant pollen, but none of us were allergic."

The prophet has been murdered, and the village set ablaze. Minnow finds herself in a juvenile detention center and missing a lot more than just her hands (you'll have to read the book to figure out what that's all about). Will she ever be able to regain her freedom? To live a life of normalcy, away from the cult.

---

Be Frank With Me 
Julia Claiborne Johnson

Be Frank With Me has so many "only in Hollywood" moments, it definitely keeps you on your toes. It will make you laugh with hilarious one-liners, and cry with sympathy for just how awkward Frank is at times, and how lonely he must feel.  You're sure to keep reading just to see what happens next.

---

Have you read any books recently that got you out of reading slump and back into the swing of things? Please share! I'd love to expand this list!