And sometimes, if it’s been a few years since I’ve read a book/series, I’ll start all over again (I’m looking at you Steven Baxter and Julie Czerneda).

If I get burned out on romance, I will pick up a sci-fi/fantasty book etc. I always run back to romance though. I think I am addicted.

I will place various types of books around the house. Fantasy in the bathroom, suspense in the dining area etc and wherever I end up sitting I will read a couple chapters. Then when I go to bed at night, my favorite book follows me.

My holdout solution is to pick a publisher I don’t usually buy from and starting from the front page, read all the excerpts for all the books in order. By the time I am done, I want to read an actual story again. :)

I do go on genre binges. Perhaps the best example of this is Raymond Feist’s Magician. I bought it back in the early 80′s when it first came out – this huge paperback the size of a hardcover book. For the life of me I couldn’t get interested in Pug and Thomas. So I set it aside. A few months later I tried again, still couldn’t get into it. Third time was the charm. I started that book and read it it cover to cover than every thing else he had out and bought many books in hardcover. Then I just stopped. I had read so much fantasy – David Eddings, Kathrine Kurtz, Anna McCaffery, Andre Norton – you name it, I got tired. The only one I followed was The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, but by book 7 I was exhausted by the story and the years between releases, so I gave up.

Then I moved to Regency historical romance for a number of years – Amanda Quick, Julie Garwood, Julia Quinn, Cathrine Coulter, etc. Then I got fed up with that. But I kept reading a few authors – Loretta Chase and a few others, but not much romance at all for a number of years.

Now I’m back and reading romance but with vampire, shifters, and what have you. I’m sure that will pass.

What has stuck is romantic suspense, mysteries, action thrillers, and good historical fiction. My TBR pile makes me look like I have multiple personality disorder. Everything from grim PI/cop/mystery to assassin to action thrillers to Regency. And every so often I still feel the need of a ‘comfort book’. The one that I know I like and can relax and enjoy. Maybe just read my favorite parts – the funny stuff or where the bag guys gets blow up and the hero walks away. Where it’s Here Kitty, Kitty or Agnes and the Hitman or I feel the need for A Time to Hunt or Lullaby Town, I keep the favorites handy. They snap me out of the reading doldrums caused by too many ‘meh’ books.

If I do get sick of reading it’s usually mid book. I don’t make myself finish it, but I have found I don’t tend to go back to books I abandon (I’m sorry, Gormenghast!) so I try and plow on a bit further if I can. I tend to switch to other hobbies and past times, or pick up a chewy bit of non-fiction. It’s nice to know from the other comments I’m not the only one!

If all else fails, a bowl of ice cream and some Food Network for a few days will kick me back into gear.

Usually I will avoid reading the new book in a series that I just love for this very reason.

Right now I have a Gena Showalter book I haven’t read because I’m saving it.

I also saved the last J.R. Ward book for about a month or maybe it was two after the release day to read it. I love doing this!

I’m also hording Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning from myself! It’s torture but I thank myself in the end.

If I’m in an overall reading slump, I go back to one of my other hobbies: games (not WOW – I’m scared of it, mostly due to the time suck factor ;-) ), anime, TV (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Joss Whedon, etc.), crochet/knitting, playing music, etc. And then I do them until I’m so burned out I want to read again.

Yeah, I get bored easily.

*grin* hmm. Nope. Even working full time and going to school full time for my Masters I was reading 3-4 “fun” books per week. Fortunately for me, I don’t have to work while finishing my Ph.D., so I can do more like 10-20/week for fun now.

You know, that sounds suspiciously like I need a 12 step program.