Autumn

You're not going to let that go are you?! I know. You're right. It was a bit daft. I am determined to go back to said shop and purchase at least one book! Stay tuned.

I've never read anythng by either Karin Slaughter or Linwood Barclay but will definitely check them out. Thanks. As for Jeffery Deaver, I've just recently started reading his books and although I've only read a couple so far I've really enjoyed them. I am a big fan of the TV series Bones and have actually bought all (with the exception of maybe the more recent ones) of Kathy Reichs's Temperance Brennan series. I haven't read them yet though as I have heard they are very different from the TV series so I'm waiting for the series to end before making a start on the books.

I actually like big chunky books more than shorter ones. It's the shorter ones I have more difficulty with when I'm struggling like this. I find longer books hold my attention more as they tend to have a bit more depth to them story wise.

Really? I didn't know you could do that. With the amount of time I spend on that site, you'd have thought I would have figured that out. Thanks.

I don't have any social media accounts anymore. I did have a Facebook account but deleted it years ago because I very rarely used it, and although I think I did sign up for a Twitter account at one point I don't think I've even logged in since doing so, so I don't even know if it would still be active. I am thinking of signing up on Goodreads, but other than that I don't really 'get' social media. But yeah the internet is a big time waster for me too. It's amazing how a quick 30 minute browse of even the BBC News website can lead on to other sites and before you know it the 30 minutes you had planned has suddenly turned in to a couple of hours!

Thanks for the welcome everyone. I like the sound the monthly read-a-thon so I will definitely be participating in that on a regular basis. I shall aim for the September one.

I didn't even think to look on YouTube. Thanks for the suggestion!

The funny thing is I'm a regular visitor to my local library and have no problem borrowing books from them... although if there is two copies of the book I will pick the one in the best condition.

I am most certainly willing to give anything a try, including sci-fi. If I remember correctly I think this is the book that the US television series of the same name was based on, which although a lot of people hated, I personally quite liked and was rather disappointed when it was cancelled after only one season. So I think this might definitely be worth a look at. Thanks. Athena, thanks for the tips and links to those threads. I have already tried the majority of the items listed above, but will definitely check out those links and have a wee read. I think I'm just going to take a break from reading for a while, maybe until the end of August and then start afresh in September. I'm not going to pick up or even attempt to start a new book until then and hopefully (fingers crossed) it will be enough too get me out of this slump.

This is a very interesting topic. I have to admit I have never listened to an audio book before and I have no idea if I would count them as having read them, although I don't see why not. I guess this is a personal thing though. I don't know whether audio books for me personally would be a good thing or not. My worry is that they might send me to sleep - not because the books themselves are boring as such, but just the sound of someone's voice in my ear for hours on end could be a bit monotonous. I would be interested in giving it a go though. How does one go about finding/purchasing audio books and what kind of price are they? Are they cheaper than physical books?

I have to be honest and say there's a bit of the old green eyed monster going on over here at the sight of all these bookshelves you lot have. My poor old books are stacked up in piles all over the place - on my desk, under the desk, in cupboards, on the floor, under the bed and in crates stacked up on top of each other. It is a bit of a nightmare if I'm looking for a particular book because there's absolutely no telling where it actually is, so although I have hundreds of unread books I'm limited to which ones I can read depending on which ones I can easily get my hands on. I really do need to try and do something about this... just not quite sure where to start.

I have a few proper bookmarks - mainly ones I've purchased on Amazon when I've needed to spend a couple more pound in order to get free delivery - but for the most part I mainly use homemade bookmarks. These consist of pretty coloured/patterned paper or card which I have cut down to size. Nothing fancy. I also sometimes use page markers (or flags as they are sometimes called) as I always have a stack to hand in order to mark favourite quotes etc.

We used to have 4 or 5 charity shops in my local shopping centre, but now I think there is only one - the British Heart Foundation. I popped in for the first time a few weeks back and was a little surprised to find paperbacks selling at £2 each. It's not that I begrudge paying £2 per book as at the end of the day it's still a lot cheaper than buying brand new but I did find myself saying 'thanks, but no thanks' mainly because I picked up a book that I had been looking for for ages only to find a long hair sticking out from between the pages and for some reason it put me right off.

I love browsing book stores, and whenever I pass one I have to go in for a look. However, with the very occasional exception I tend to buy all my books online these days. Apart from anything else it's usually cheaper and as I have a habit of buying books in bulk (usually 5 or 6 at a time) it's more convenient for them to be delivered straight to my door. I have started to pick up the occasional book in my local supermarket too as I've found their prices too good to resist.

Hi everyone. I have always been a big reader, though recently I seem to have come to a bit of a standstill. I do want to read, but I can't seem to concentrate long enough to actually finish a book. I stop and start, reading half a dozen chapters before getting bored or just giving up to do something else entirely. I'm not quite sure what the problem is... I just seem to have lost my mojo. So, I thought I would try and find some like-minded people who can either give me some tips on how to find my mojo again or give me some recommendations of books to read that will keep me gripped long enough to get me out of this funk I have found myself in. I have been reading mainly crime the last few months (think Patricia Cornwell, Tess Gerritsen) but generally enjoy most genres and usually read a good mix. The only genre I don't really like is sci-fi, although in all fairness I haven't really read any... wouldn't know where to start if I'm honest. I don't watch much television - tending to stick to box sets, watching an episode or two at a time - so reading is my main passion and tends to be my main pastime, picking up a book any spare time I have. So not being able to read (or not being able to concentrate should I say) is a pretty big thing to me. It feels horrible if I'm honest and I'm finding myself at a bit of a loose end more and more often which just make me feel even worse. Sorry for sounding a bit melodramatic but hopefully with this being a book related forum you will all understand how I'm feeling. Any tips, suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.