There’s nothing better than getting lost in a good book<\/a>. It’s wonderful to be so engrossed in a story you lose all sense of time and forget all your responsibilities. But try as you might, that magic can slip out of reach.<\/p>\n The dreaded reading slump can be hard to beat. To help anyone fall in love with reading again, we’ve put together a list of gripping page turners we personally recommend. These slump-busters span cosy autumnal fiction<\/a> to thrilling fantasy and sci-fi. Happy reading \u2013 and share your own recommendations in the comments!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Anyone who knows me has already been subjected to at least one monologue about how much I love Dungeon Crawler Carl<\/a>. It is, in my humble opinion, one of the best books of all time, as well as the ultimate breaker of book slumps.<\/p>\n With seven books (and counting) in the series, there\u2019s a whole lot going on, but all you need to know for book one is that it\u2019s about a guy named Carl, and his cat Donut, who enter a deadly, game show-like dungeon after an alien takeover of Earth.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not really a video game person or a cat person, but this book is so addictive that neither of these things mattered. It\u2019s really fun and fresh, and it takes no time at all for you to start rooting for all of the characters. I would also highly recommend the audiobook. This series got me out of a huge book slump, and it\u2019s one I can\u2019t wait to revisit before the next book comes out.\u00a0<\/p>\n – Talya Honebeek, Content Editor<\/p>\n You can buy Dungeon Crawler Carl from Amazon<\/a> or Waterstones<\/a> \u2013 it’s also on Kindle Unlimited<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n (Image: Talya Honebeek)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Fantasy is such a cosy genre that I find autumn is the perfect time to get lost in another world. One of the most unappreciated fantasy books of all time is the Earthsea series by Ursula K. Le Guin<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The first book follows Ged, a young boy who has incredible powers who is sent to a magical school. He unleashes a terrible shadow when trying to impress a girl that he must banish before it can possess him.<\/p>\n Many people may believe it sounds very similar, but Earthsea was first published in the 1960s long before Harry Potter<\/a>. I think Le Guin’s writing is more poetic, elegant and simply better while also including much deeper themes so it is worth reading if you have ever enjoyed reading about the J. K. Rowling\u2019s wizarding world.\u00a0<\/p>\n It is perfect to try out during a reading slump as the first book is incredibly short at only around 200 pages so can easily be finished over a weekend or even a day if you are enthusiastic.<\/p>\n – Katherine McPhillips, Reporter<\/p>\n Earthsea is available from Amazon<\/a> and Waterstones<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n (Image: Katherine McPhillips)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n The very one that inspired this list, Dark Matter is one of those books that had me reading as fast as I could move my eyeballs to find out what happened next. As much as I greedily consume sci-fi films and TV shows, it’s a book genre I’ve mostly left untouched. I made the mistake of starting Dark Matter to wind down for bed. I could’ve stayed up all night reading it.<\/p>\n Life has gotten in the way for Jason Desson, an ordinary middle-age physics professor who is kidnapped and finds himself in a world where he’s a celebrated genius. His wife isn’t his wife and his 15-year-old son doesn’t exist. This mind-bender is hard to put down \u2014 a sci-fi beach read that makes time fly by.<\/p>\n – Ketsuda Phoutinane, Content Editor<\/p>\n Dark Matter is available from Amazon<\/a> and Waterstones<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n (Image: Ketsuda Phoutinane)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n A novel, preferably one with controversial reviews and a Netflix<\/a> series starring Anya-Taylor-Joy in the making, is bound to get you out of a reading slump. How to Kill Your Family is a dark, witty crime thriller about a narcissistic anti-hero, Grace Bernard. After being abandoned by her wealthy father and left to care for her dying mother, Grace meticulously plans and executes the murders of her father’s family members to inherit his fortune.<\/p>\n To say I was unprepared for how the story unfolded would be an understatement, and is almost exactly my reason for recommending this book. That, and it is an easy, invigorating read. I am quick to judge books that get off to a slow start, and I thought that was the direction this book was taking as the deeply unlikeable protagonist commenced her killing spree.<\/p>\n However, the author’s wonderfully weird story, told in an unusual and addictive narrative from Grace’s perspective, committed me to finishing the book in just six days. That’s a personal record, considering I (ashamedly) make no time to read when life gets busy.<\/p>\n – Phoebe Cornish, Senior Reporter<\/p>\n You can purchase ‘How to Kill Your Family’ at Waterstones<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n (Image: The Borough Press)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n When you\u2019re stuck in a reading slump, one sure-fire way to pull you out of it is with a short and incredibly weird book. And that\u2019s exactly what Earthlings by Sayaka Murata<\/a> is. I\u2019m always drawn to translated fiction so when I saw this on the library shelves I immediately checked it out \u2014 and by the end of the day I was finished.<\/p>\n This story is about a lonely Japanese girl called Natsuki who feels out of place in a society obsessed with reproduction and following the rules. Fully believing she is an alien, she looks for freedom beyond the norms of society whilst pretending to be normal in a loveless marriage. And when she reconnects with a childhood companion, their journey to escape the \u2018factory\u2019 of human life leads them down a very strange and unsettling path.\u00a0<\/p>\n This book is only 256 pages long so it\u2019s perfect if you want something short and snappy to keep you entertained. Your jaw will drop at the ending \u2014 it makes your skin crawl, but guaranteed you won\u2019t be able to stop thinking about it for a long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n – Nicola Roy, Senior Reporter<\/p>\n You can buy it on Amazon here<\/a> or Waterstones<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Dungeon](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/39\/1200x712\/secondary\/dungeon-crawler-carl-6476520.jpg?r=1760360056023\" "\\"Dungeon")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/p>\nDungeon Crawler Carl\u00a0<\/h3>\n
![\"Earthsea\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/39\/1200x712\/secondary\/Earthsea-6476541.jpg?r=1760360056032\" "\\"Earthsea\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/p>\nEarthsea<\/h3>\n
![\"Dark](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/39\/1200x712\/secondary\/dark-matter-book-6486246.jpg?r=1760360056042\" "\\"Dark")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/p>\nDark Matter<\/h3>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/39\/1200x712\/secondary\/How-to-Kill-Your-Family-6476649.jpg?r=1760360056051\" "\\"How")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/p>\nHow to Kill Your Family<\/h3>\n
![\"Earthlings\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/39\/1200x712\/secondary\/Earthlings-6476635.jpg?r=1760360056061\" "\\"Earthlings\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/p>\nEarthlings<\/h3>\n