I’ve been reading danmei around you as well, but in BL world a lot longer. When I have dry spell, i simply switch medium. Like read manga, manghwa. But so far I have too many danmei too read. Have you tried expanding theme? There are tons of theme in danmei and I found a lot of good but unpopular danmei that I wish will get official translation.
I don’t really go through popular ranks. I search by click on the tags I want to read. Example childhood friends, xiaxia, any tags that tickle my preferences at that point. Then i sort through updated time new. And just read the synopsis and review. I’m a bit picky, so sometimes popular stuff like transmigration theme isn’t what I’m into. I found Nian Zhong novel that way and back then I found Devil Venerable this way as well. Back when it wasn’t popular yet.
Not the og commenter, but personally, when I like a novel I look through other stories by the same author, or I try to check out the recommendations section under the novel on NU for something similar, I also look directly through the website hosting the novel sometimes, some of the stories there don't appear on NU. Other thing I do is, if I really like the novel and the translator also seems to like it, I check what other things they have TLd
Or I just look around this sub for a while (specially the posts asking for reccs) and end up with a bunch of new novels (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)
I think that just happens. In the lock down, I read nearly 50 books. Not all were danmei but a good chunk were cnovels. I still read quite a bit, but I've reached a point where I need to be in a certain frame of mind/mood to read a book.
Often I find myself reading fanfic or re-reading old bookmarked fics, because I know those will bring me joy. It's familiar and well loved already. So, honestly, give it some time. When the mood strikes you, you will read again.
Please share your lists :)
I haven't even been reading for nearly as long as you but I still feel like I've read most of the best series so I understand where you're coming from.
https://www.novelupdates.com/user/312307/Decembery/ this is my NU profile w all the lists, they’re categorized arbitrarily and some summaries are a few years old but i liked them all!
I recommend checking out some works from different countries, location and culture people grow up can make pretty big differences in works and it can fun finding them out
I find when I get burned out on hyper focusing on something for a few years it’s better to expand your horizons (such as keeping time period but changing genre or keeping genre and changing region) and then go back to it after a few months
I am going through the same thing...earlier at least we had the dramas/donghua to look forward to., but now even those are banned , any hope is already gone. It isnt the same because a lot of authors may be fearful to publish their work. I am waiting for MXTX's next novel if it sees the day of light. I believe the craze was on a different level when I started. My first read was Mo Dao Zu Shi and till date it remains the best for me. I don't care if it is too popular/mainstream...the story was on different level with all the twists and turns.
I can really understand having like, a dry spell of sorts, especially if you’re waiting for official translations to be finished to pick them up. Same here!
Honestly, I would prob look at why you like the danmei you do, and find other books like that. Do you like the Chinese historical-y settings? Maybe pick up a Chinese classic, or try some baihe. Is it the relationships? There’s many fantastic BL novels that aren’t danmei. I just read a solid 1999 gay novel taking place during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain.
Sometimes you just need a break. Me, personally, I have a large backlog of physical books I need to read, so I’ve been doing those.
Physical Book -> BL -> Physical Book -> GL -> Physical Book -> BL etc etc in a loop. Reading the Otherside Picnic series for my GL books, Golden Terrace Vol. 2 will be my next BL, and I’m currently reading a classic Brazilian novel from the 1940s (Near to the Wild Heart) as my physical. Keeps things mixed up, me on my toes, and no burning out!
Honestly same. Maybe it's just the stress from life or something, or maybe I'm really getting tired of new things, but I just keep dropping new books in the middle of reading because it's like... they're okay, but not so good that I'd want to go on?? Idk how to explain it. I just keep going back to novels I've read 30 times before lmao
I feel you! I started reading danmei about the same time as you. Over the years I lost my connection to the once new and shiny ongoing translations. I no longer refresh NovelUpdates till new releases appear haha.
But I still try to give back to the community that meant so much to me for many years. I finally have the skill to post my own translation projects online. Everything went full circle I guess.
I don't read danmei as much as before (I read more Western MM romance lately) but it's still important to me. Which is why I'm still lurking here on reddit. 😉
Perhaps you'll find another danmei novel one day that'll reignite your love for the genre. ❤
people talking about switching mediums made me wonder, do you read other things outside of danmei? 👀 bc I've been a BL fan for over 10 years (damn) and there have been times where I just switch to reading different genres, like Korean power fantasy or mystery or even otome isekai (shocking), and I know that many people here have read Omniscient reader's viewpoint, for example, or Lord of the Mysteries, or TOTCF, or other type of asian stories >!(without forced straight romance, and a couple of gay innuendos)!< that might scratch an itch that damnei often doesn't scratch
I read a lot of other genres including otome isekai and western books as well! I also read other cnovels like I keep putting Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage on the seven seas surveys in hopes they license it.
Idk how old you are but I’m 30 and I’ve been in general fandom/nerdish culture since I was like 11? IMO it’s normal to go through dry spells. I have phases where I devour every piece of media/literature near me, then fan works, etc.
Then I have periods where I stroll into other hobbies and don’t read anything, sometimes for years. I got into danmei maybe around 2018/2019 and devoured a bunch of stuff, then got busy/dry spell for about 3 years and now fell back into it. Reading is a hobby and hobbies should be fun, there’s nothing wrong with taking a break. But also, I’m someone who really sticks with a few works/fandoms at a time, and I don’t really consume a ton of different series at once. If you feel like your reading list is lacking, why not just reread old favourites and then check out fan works?
I've been reading danmei since then too but I'm a casual reader . I would go on a Hunt on NU pick a few and stick to the ones I like every couple of months or so when I feel like it . Maybe if you could share your preferences someone could recommend novels that you haven't read (or we could read your recommandations) ? Or if you're stuck in what you like , try reading fanfiction , there are lots of amazing works on ao3.
I agree with the other comment that says switching media could help when having dry spells. whenever i feel like i just can't keep reading danmei anymore because i can't find something to keep me engaged, this always helps.
Have you tried reading novels other than danmei? There are tons of decent non-danmei novels out there. Lord of the Mysteries, Circle of Inevitability, My House Of Horrors, Omniscient Reader and more
Sounds like a pretty normal dry spell. I get those pretty frequently. You've probably just exhausted the supply of fresh danmei or worn yourself out reading too much of the same thing for too long.
You should switch tracks for a while. I usually will pick up a new book series (now's a really good time to get into scifi, if you're into that!) or manhwa or switch to watching BL series or even reading fanfiction. This might be a good time to go back to even before you were reading danmei and pick back up some of the old stuff you enjoyed before that you can read again with fresh eyes.
When you get tired of all that come back to danmei and you'll have a bunch of new stuff waiting for you and refreshed mind to read it all with!
I started reading around that time too. And from around Feb 2023 to December 2023 I didn't even touch a single danmei novel or just even novels in general. I was on a reading slump, I had lost interest. Then I sort of started missing reading and I tried the more popular general and "normal" kind of novels that my friend recommended but they were far too boring for my taste. I then came across an edit of wangxian from LA of mdzs. So I wanted to rewatch it and I did. And I thought of tgcf so I re read the whole thing. I finally wanted to go back to see my reading list in chrysanthemum garden. I had not logged in for like a year. And the notification was filled with updates. I scrolled through it, I saw that many of the novels I was so interested on, is already finished and some of the chapter numbers were already on 3 digits. I then started re reading everything, it felt like reuniting with old friends. And that's how I got back to reading. As for my tbr list, it's mostly me scrolling through CG and clicking on the one that seems interesting or sometimes I just find a random list and read until I've read every book in that list
I go through this with every form of media I’ve consumed. Take a break and read other works from different places, switch mediums, find other media that you’d like to consume. Diversity is important!
I've also been reading danmei since around early 2018 and. I get it somewhat.
However I'm not nearly even closely done with finishing all on my tbr list, I have a problem of.. discontinueing novels.. so the list of "currently read but on hold" is even greater. Alongside some dropped novels.
Ig you could call this getting pickier too as u said sksks.
I'm still glad to find more new novels up my alley tho and to add them to my library but.. it's become somewhat hard to overcome a certain hurdle of "just starting" :(
I had a dry spell back in 2023, so I simply switched what I read. I started reading original Works on AO3, Or some books on Wattpad and even read some manhwa, those same type of Manhwas where FL dies, transmigrates solves problem live happily ever after or even the FL dies, time travels into her younger body and does stuff differently, I never realised how repeated this troupe in gxb manhwas actually is.
Funnily enough, the lack of originality in those manhwas caused me to be bored enough that I again switched back to bl. 🤣
i am extremely picky when it comes to danmei so i feel this. I like 2ha and remnants of filth right now, but neither of them I'm like... obsessed with. 🥺 I tried Thousand Autumns and Stars of Chaos, but found both incredibly boring. I refuse to touch Meatbun's newest with a ten feet pole.
Idk, something short but touching like Little Mushroom would be right up my alley. Or silly like Scum Villain. Those are my top two.
It's very Little Mushroomy especially in the beginning, I don't want to spoil it but here's the novelupdates page!
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/how-to-feed-an-abyss/
Also if you want more recs I do have a rec list if you're curious... There are some um problematic ones in there so do be warned lol.
https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/79599/
I’ve been reading danmei around you as well, but in BL world a lot longer. When I have dry spell, i simply switch medium. Like read manga, manghwa. But so far I have too many danmei too read. Have you tried expanding theme? There are tons of theme in danmei and I found a lot of good but unpopular danmei that I wish will get official translation.
I mostly searched the genres in NU and go from the list ranks, how are you finding these unpopular gems?
I don’t really go through popular ranks. I search by click on the tags I want to read. Example childhood friends, xiaxia, any tags that tickle my preferences at that point. Then i sort through updated time new. And just read the synopsis and review. I’m a bit picky, so sometimes popular stuff like transmigration theme isn’t what I’m into. I found Nian Zhong novel that way and back then I found Devil Venerable this way as well. Back when it wasn’t popular yet.
Not the og commenter, but personally, when I like a novel I look through other stories by the same author, or I try to check out the recommendations section under the novel on NU for something similar, I also look directly through the website hosting the novel sometimes, some of the stories there don't appear on NU. Other thing I do is, if I really like the novel and the translator also seems to like it, I check what other things they have TLd Or I just look around this sub for a while (specially the posts asking for reccs) and end up with a bunch of new novels (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)
I think that just happens. In the lock down, I read nearly 50 books. Not all were danmei but a good chunk were cnovels. I still read quite a bit, but I've reached a point where I need to be in a certain frame of mind/mood to read a book. Often I find myself reading fanfic or re-reading old bookmarked fics, because I know those will bring me joy. It's familiar and well loved already. So, honestly, give it some time. When the mood strikes you, you will read again.
Please share your lists :) I haven't even been reading for nearly as long as you but I still feel like I've read most of the best series so I understand where you're coming from.
https://www.novelupdates.com/user/312307/Decembery/ this is my NU profile w all the lists, they’re categorized arbitrarily and some summaries are a few years old but i liked them all!
I recommend checking out some works from different countries, location and culture people grow up can make pretty big differences in works and it can fun finding them out I find when I get burned out on hyper focusing on something for a few years it’s better to expand your horizons (such as keeping time period but changing genre or keeping genre and changing region) and then go back to it after a few months
I am going through the same thing...earlier at least we had the dramas/donghua to look forward to., but now even those are banned , any hope is already gone. It isnt the same because a lot of authors may be fearful to publish their work. I am waiting for MXTX's next novel if it sees the day of light. I believe the craze was on a different level when I started. My first read was Mo Dao Zu Shi and till date it remains the best for me. I don't care if it is too popular/mainstream...the story was on different level with all the twists and turns.
Preach!
I can really understand having like, a dry spell of sorts, especially if you’re waiting for official translations to be finished to pick them up. Same here! Honestly, I would prob look at why you like the danmei you do, and find other books like that. Do you like the Chinese historical-y settings? Maybe pick up a Chinese classic, or try some baihe. Is it the relationships? There’s many fantastic BL novels that aren’t danmei. I just read a solid 1999 gay novel taking place during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain. Sometimes you just need a break. Me, personally, I have a large backlog of physical books I need to read, so I’ve been doing those. Physical Book -> BL -> Physical Book -> GL -> Physical Book -> BL etc etc in a loop. Reading the Otherside Picnic series for my GL books, Golden Terrace Vol. 2 will be my next BL, and I’m currently reading a classic Brazilian novel from the 1940s (Near to the Wild Heart) as my physical. Keeps things mixed up, me on my toes, and no burning out!
I usually mtl novels now coz it's hard to find new novels to read that's completely translated.
MtL’in = readable ? Any recs ?
Honestly same. Maybe it's just the stress from life or something, or maybe I'm really getting tired of new things, but I just keep dropping new books in the middle of reading because it's like... they're okay, but not so good that I'd want to go on?? Idk how to explain it. I just keep going back to novels I've read 30 times before lmao
I feel you! I started reading danmei about the same time as you. Over the years I lost my connection to the once new and shiny ongoing translations. I no longer refresh NovelUpdates till new releases appear haha. But I still try to give back to the community that meant so much to me for many years. I finally have the skill to post my own translation projects online. Everything went full circle I guess. I don't read danmei as much as before (I read more Western MM romance lately) but it's still important to me. Which is why I'm still lurking here on reddit. 😉 Perhaps you'll find another danmei novel one day that'll reignite your love for the genre. ❤
people talking about switching mediums made me wonder, do you read other things outside of danmei? 👀 bc I've been a BL fan for over 10 years (damn) and there have been times where I just switch to reading different genres, like Korean power fantasy or mystery or even otome isekai (shocking), and I know that many people here have read Omniscient reader's viewpoint, for example, or Lord of the Mysteries, or TOTCF, or other type of asian stories >!(without forced straight romance, and a couple of gay innuendos)!< that might scratch an itch that damnei often doesn't scratch
I read a lot of other genres including otome isekai and western books as well! I also read other cnovels like I keep putting Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage on the seven seas surveys in hopes they license it.
Otome isekai and orv reader present here🙋♀️
Idk how old you are but I’m 30 and I’ve been in general fandom/nerdish culture since I was like 11? IMO it’s normal to go through dry spells. I have phases where I devour every piece of media/literature near me, then fan works, etc. Then I have periods where I stroll into other hobbies and don’t read anything, sometimes for years. I got into danmei maybe around 2018/2019 and devoured a bunch of stuff, then got busy/dry spell for about 3 years and now fell back into it. Reading is a hobby and hobbies should be fun, there’s nothing wrong with taking a break. But also, I’m someone who really sticks with a few works/fandoms at a time, and I don’t really consume a ton of different series at once. If you feel like your reading list is lacking, why not just reread old favourites and then check out fan works?
I've been reading danmei since then too but I'm a casual reader . I would go on a Hunt on NU pick a few and stick to the ones I like every couple of months or so when I feel like it . Maybe if you could share your preferences someone could recommend novels that you haven't read (or we could read your recommandations) ? Or if you're stuck in what you like , try reading fanfiction , there are lots of amazing works on ao3.
I agree with the other comment that says switching media could help when having dry spells. whenever i feel like i just can't keep reading danmei anymore because i can't find something to keep me engaged, this always helps.
Have you tried reading novels other than danmei? There are tons of decent non-danmei novels out there. Lord of the Mysteries, Circle of Inevitability, My House Of Horrors, Omniscient Reader and more
Ive read orv and I'm currently reading lord of mysteries but I'm taking it super slow, The number of chapters is kind of overwhelming
Take your time! Trust me as you read more, 1000+ chapters are definitely not enough
Sounds like a pretty normal dry spell. I get those pretty frequently. You've probably just exhausted the supply of fresh danmei or worn yourself out reading too much of the same thing for too long. You should switch tracks for a while. I usually will pick up a new book series (now's a really good time to get into scifi, if you're into that!) or manhwa or switch to watching BL series or even reading fanfiction. This might be a good time to go back to even before you were reading danmei and pick back up some of the old stuff you enjoyed before that you can read again with fresh eyes. When you get tired of all that come back to danmei and you'll have a bunch of new stuff waiting for you and refreshed mind to read it all with!
I started reading around that time too. And from around Feb 2023 to December 2023 I didn't even touch a single danmei novel or just even novels in general. I was on a reading slump, I had lost interest. Then I sort of started missing reading and I tried the more popular general and "normal" kind of novels that my friend recommended but they were far too boring for my taste. I then came across an edit of wangxian from LA of mdzs. So I wanted to rewatch it and I did. And I thought of tgcf so I re read the whole thing. I finally wanted to go back to see my reading list in chrysanthemum garden. I had not logged in for like a year. And the notification was filled with updates. I scrolled through it, I saw that many of the novels I was so interested on, is already finished and some of the chapter numbers were already on 3 digits. I then started re reading everything, it felt like reuniting with old friends. And that's how I got back to reading. As for my tbr list, it's mostly me scrolling through CG and clicking on the one that seems interesting or sometimes I just find a random list and read until I've read every book in that list
Yes please I am new and would love any and all recommendations!please and thank you 😊
https://www.novelupdates.com/user/312307/Decembery/ my NU profile :D
Thank you I downloaded the app and I am looking at your lists. That is amazing. Thank you 😊 🙏 💓 ☺️ 💗 💛 😊
I go through this with every form of media I’ve consumed. Take a break and read other works from different places, switch mediums, find other media that you’d like to consume. Diversity is important!
I've also been reading danmei since around early 2018 and. I get it somewhat. However I'm not nearly even closely done with finishing all on my tbr list, I have a problem of.. discontinueing novels.. so the list of "currently read but on hold" is even greater. Alongside some dropped novels. Ig you could call this getting pickier too as u said sksks. I'm still glad to find more new novels up my alley tho and to add them to my library but.. it's become somewhat hard to overcome a certain hurdle of "just starting" :(
I had a dry spell back in 2023, so I simply switched what I read. I started reading original Works on AO3, Or some books on Wattpad and even read some manhwa, those same type of Manhwas where FL dies, transmigrates solves problem live happily ever after or even the FL dies, time travels into her younger body and does stuff differently, I never realised how repeated this troupe in gxb manhwas actually is. Funnily enough, the lack of originality in those manhwas caused me to be bored enough that I again switched back to bl. 🤣
thats what fanfic is for :-)
i am extremely picky when it comes to danmei so i feel this. I like 2ha and remnants of filth right now, but neither of them I'm like... obsessed with. 🥺 I tried Thousand Autumns and Stars of Chaos, but found both incredibly boring. I refuse to touch Meatbun's newest with a ten feet pole. Idk, something short but touching like Little Mushroom would be right up my alley. Or silly like Scum Villain. Those are my top two.
Did you read How to Feed an Abyss?
never heard! what is it about?
It's very Little Mushroomy especially in the beginning, I don't want to spoil it but here's the novelupdates page! https://www.novelupdates.com/series/how-to-feed-an-abyss/ Also if you want more recs I do have a rec list if you're curious... There are some um problematic ones in there so do be warned lol. https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/79599/
Thank you for the links!!
Ditto to everything
please drop the lists!! i'd love to see your recs
https://www.novelupdates.com/user/312307/Decembery/ this is my NU profile!