I've been in a reading slump for the past week or two, which is particularly frustrating, considering I am in the middle of my most anticipated book of 2025.

It is nowhere near because of the book I'm reading. In fact, if I wasn't reading Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, I probably wouldn't be reading anything at all right now.

The world has been tough lately (and by the world, I most certainly mean living in the United States), and I recognize there are many places in the world where living is much, much harder. I think that is part of what has made it difficult lately to sit down and read for long periods of time. I feel equally strained and ashamed for feeling this way.

Why am I so anxious about the state of my home country when other places around the world have been experiencing similar, or worse, legislature and governments for years? Am I allowed to feel this way?

Yes, of course I am.

But there is this odd fighting and pulling in my brain where I consistently feel hurt for myself and protective over others who are experiencing worse than me. Perhaps this is unfair to me (it most certainly is). I should be able to allow myself to feel the unease and hurt during this time. But, I also can't let it be the only thing I feel.

So, to make a long story short, I am reading, and I enjoy what I read. But life, under circumstances beyond my control, has taken over, and I haven't been able to put forth the energy I want to read.

My head is heavy, my brain full of white noise, and my limbs are sleepy.

But I hope this reading slump resolves itself soon. Because I surely cannot wait for nearly four years of this chaos to subside.

What are you reading right now?