2020 was a crazy year. Between returning to grad school full-time and learning to live in quarantine with the pandemic, I got reading burnout. And depression. I took a few abrupt blogging hiatuses, but it’s been difficult to start reading again.
To help me with reading burnout, a friend suggested that I try her method of prepping her reading list. She has her own name for it. I’m calling it The Magical Book Drawing (until/unless I come up with a better name).
Step 1: Prepare Post-It Notes, Pen, and Paper (this may be your Reading Journal)
Step 2: Create 10 “Category Slips” (one per Post-It Note). These are for categories of books that you want to read. My Category Slips are: 2 Animorphs (3), 3 Free Choice, 2 Series Free Choice, 2 Review Backlist, 1 YA/MG/Children’s Book. Fold the slips twice.
Step 3: List Book Titles (one per Post-It Note) to enter into the drawing. I created entries for about 20–30 books that I own and have yet to read. You can create more or less.
Step 4: Shuffle the Book Titles entries. Draw 15. Put the rest of the Book Titles in a Ziplock bag.
Step 5: Shuffle the 10 Category Slips and 15 Book Titles.
Step 6: Draw one entry. Record the Category or Book Title on your Paper (or in your Reading Journal).
Step 7 (optional): You may draw another Book Title from the Ziplock bag and add it to the drawing. I chose to skip this step.
Step 8: Continue drawing until you have 25 entries listed on your Paper (or in your Reading Journal).
What about review books? I created a separate list for review books. For every 2–3 books from my Magical Book Drawing list, I plan to read one review book. This may change depending on my circumstances. After all, this Magical Book Drawing is meant to help me, not rule me!
10 Books on “My Magical Book Drawing” Reading List
Animorphs (3) by K. A. Applegate
The Animorphs (five humans and one Andalite) have the power to morph into any animal they choose. And they must use that power to outsmart an evil that is greater than anything the world has ever seen….
- The Decision (Animorphs #18)
- In the Time of Dinosaurs (Megamorphs #2)
- The Departure (Animorphs #19)
Why I want to read these: I grew interested in Animorphs after watching my friend, Roxanne, collect the books. One day, I found books 1–3 at our local used bookstore. I purchased them, read them, and got hooked.
Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb
The Rain Wild Chronicles #2
The dragon keepers and the fledgling dragons are forging a passage up the treacherous Rain Wild River. They are in search of the mythical Elderling city of Kelsingra. Rivalries and romances are already threatening to disrupt the band of explorers: but external forces, in a traitor and in the Rain Wilds themselves, may prove to be even more dangerous.
Why I want to read it: I’ve read and loved the first three trilogies in Robin Hobb’s Elderling books. Her books are wide in scope yet personal in nature. She has a talent for communicating the complexities of the human experience.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
The daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, Miryem has gained a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk, Miryem unwittingly spins a web that draws in a peasant girl, Wanda, and the unhappy daughter of a local lord who plots to wed his child to the dashing young tsar. But Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike.
Why I want to read it: I love fairytale retellings. And I enjoyed Naomi Novik’s take on Beauty and the Beast in Uprooted. She has a magical way of spinning words that transported me into a dark fairytale land.
Death March by Phil Tucker
Euphoria Online #1
Chris is a college lecturer and an ex-professional gamer who resides in the near future. When his brother faces the death penalty, he challenges Euphoria Online in Death March mode. If he survives six months in-game against a lethal array of wyverns, ogres, necromancers, and more, he’ll earn his brother a pardon. If he loses, he dies.
Why I want to read it: I participated in the Kickstarter for Death March back when I was reading The King’s Avatar, a Chinese webnovel. I’d also watched Sword Art Online and was excited to find a novel set in a game world.
Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn #2
It is a time of darkness, dread, and ultimate testing for the realm of Osten Ard, for the wild magic and terrifying minions of the undead Sithi ruler, Ineluki the Storm King, are spreading their seemingly undefeatable evil across the kingdom. With the very land blighted by the power of Ineluki’s wrath, the tattered remnants of a once-proud human army flee in search of a last sanctuary and rallying point—the Stone of Farewell, a place shrouded in mystery and ancient sorrow.
Why I want to read it: I read and loved The Dragonbone Chair. I think this series will become one of my all-time favorites.
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
Fatma el-Sha’arawi #2
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 returns to the alternate Cairo of Clark’s short fiction, where humans live and work alongside otherworldly beings; the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities handles the issues that can arise between the magical and the mundane. Senior Agent Hamed al-Nasr shows his new partner Agent Onsi the ropes of investigation when they are called to subdue a dangerous, possessed tram car. What starts off as a simple matter of exorcism, however, becomes more complicated as the origins of the demon inside are revealed.
Why I want to read it: I’ve heard high praise for P. Djèlí Clark.
Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
The unsolved murder of a farm family still haunts the white small town of Pluto, North Dakota, generations after the vengeance exacted and the distortions of fact transformed the lives of Ojibwe living on the nearby reservation. Through the voices of three unforgettable narrators—Evelina Harp, Mooshum, and Judge Antone Bazil Coutts—the collective stories of two interwoven communities ultimately come together to reveal a final wrenching truth.
Why I want to read it: Last year, I read Louise Erdrich’s The Round House, a literary masterpiece that has become one of my favorite books. Plague of Doves is set in the same community at an earlier time.
Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang
A mother struggling to repress her violent past,
A son struggling to grasp his violent future,
A father blind to the danger that threatens them all.
When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?
Why I want to read it: I’ve heard high praise for this book.
Note: I drew a 2 free choice books. Since I plan to choose them later, I skipped over them to the next Book Title on my reading list.
Let’s Chat
How do you combat reading burnout?
What are books are you reading this spring?
This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and Discussion Challenge, hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts at Midnight
Aj @ Read All The Things! says
I hope you love the books you chose! Your method reminds me of the TBR Jar method. I sometimes do a lazy version of the TBR Jar. All my unread books are on one shelf, so I let a random number generator pick a number. Then I count along the shelf and read that book.
Crystal says
Thanks, Aj! That’s a great idea, keeping all your unread books on one shelf!
Lindsi says
I really enjoyed Spinning Silver! I believe I listened to the audiobook, which was great (I think). Haha! I have vague memories of it. 😉 I love how organized your system is, but I think it would be too much work for my poor brain. I just grab something that sounds interesting and start reading.
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Crystal says
Great to hear you enjoyed Spinning Silver! Picking up a book that sounds interesting is a good method 🙂
Dini @ dinipandareads says
Ooh, this sounds a little bit like a TBR jar but creating your TBR all in one go. What a really fun way to tackle a slump and I’ll definitely keep it mind for the future (though hopefully there won’t be any slumps lol)! When I get slumpish I either take a break or I read from a different genre than my norm (so more mystery/thrillers)! Hope you manage to shake the slump soon 🙂
Crystal (Kester) says
It was fun to create my TBR! (Though yes, I wouldn’t wish a reading slump on anyone!) Reading a different genre sounds fun. As I grow older, I’ve gotten more fixed in the genres I read. I used to read more broadly as a child. (Maybe because all the genres are mixed on the Children’s and YA shelves.) Thanks, Dini! 🙂
ShootingStarsMag says
This is a fun method! Thankfully, I don’t get reading burnout often or for very long. However, if I’m struggling a bit, I tend to gravitate toward books and genres that I usually read pretty quick and it gets me going again.
-Lauren
Crystal (Kester) says
It was fun to make the slips and draw books! Quick reads sound like a great way to get going again. I tend to read more graphic novels when I’m burned out.
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra says
This is a great way to get more of the books you own read. I hope you enjoy all of the ones you selected. Spinning Silver is the only one I’ve read but I really enjoyed that one.
Crystal (Kester) says
Thanks, Suzanne! I’m looking forward to Spinning Silver.
CurlyGeek says
Louise Erdrich is a fantastic writer. Doing a book drawing is a nice idea for getting to books you might not otherwise. I hope you enjoy them!
Crystal (Kester) says
She is. I look forward to reading more of her books! Thanks 🙂
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction says
I’ve tried various methods like this to help me read the books I own. My favorite has been doing my Make Me Read It giveaway where someone wins the book and I have to read it so I can send it to them! This has helped me with lots of shelf-clearing. 🙂
Crystal (Kester) says
That’s a great way to read your books and clear your shelves! I love that it’s also a way to pass on books to someone who’ll read it too.
Lydia says
What a clever and fun way to decide what to read next and pare down that TBR!
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-about-fresh-starts/
Crystal (Kester) says
Thanks, Lydia. My friend is clever!