It’s not how many books you read
Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 10:39AM
My reading history according to Goodreads.
I am a long-time fan of the social networking site Goodreads. Since 2014, I have recorded 532 books “read.” I have 53 friends with whom I share titles and reviews. And I have participated in the Reading Challenge for a number of years, slowly increasing the number of books I intend to read to 52 - one per week.
While I plan to continue using Goodreads to record and share comments about the books I read, I am going to abandon the Reading Challenge. It makes me too anxious.
Motivated by watching the new Shogun streaming series, I decided to re-read Clavell’s novel on which it is based. I believe this is the third time I’ve greatly enjoyed this 1000 page tome.
The problem is that I have been reading it since April 7th - for well over two weeks. It’s completely destroyed the pace of books I need to complete to meet my 52 book challenge for 2024. Yes, I could listen to audiobooks (I still think of them as books-on-tape.) on long drives. I could purposely select short, easy-to-read titles. I suppose I could even up the number of hours each day I dedicate to reading books, cutting back on newspapers, click bait, and solitaire.
Instead I will ignore the challenge. There are just some authors (Clavell, Michener, McMurtry, Tolkien among them) who do spin very long, but very good tales I just can’t abandon. I read non-fiction titles that may not be as gripping as thrillers and so are less compelling to read and so take longer. Like walking or biking, I need to relax and enjoy the experience rather than try to meet some extrinsic, self-imposed velocity.
And I will be happier for it.
Reader Comments (4)
that's what graphic novels amd middle grade are for. 😂
Hi Jeri,
They'd probably be about right for my maturity level too!
Hope you are doing well!
Doug
I’ve never enjoyed playing a numbers game when I’m reading for that very reason. Some books just take longer than others and I don’t want to start having to think strategically about what I’m reading. I already have to do a bit of that to balance my book club books with other stuff.
The one challenge I used to sign up for (not in Goodreads, but you don’t have to sign up, you can just do it) is the TBR Challenge. The idea is to help you out with your presumably tall To Be Read pile. In this challenge, you commit to only reading previously purchased books beginning on January 1 and ending on April Fools Day. You can buy books during that time, if you must, you just can’t read them until the challenge ended. (They made exceptions for book club books).
It made you examine your TBR pile with a more serious eye. After a few years I got to know myself better and had a much more manageable pile at least.
Hi Jim,
Good to hear from you.
I like the idea of the TBR Challenge. My only problem is that I actually buy so few books anymore, I wouldn't have much to read! Our public library's Libby supplies me 90% of the books I want to read for free (for via my property taxes). I just have a long wait for some of them!
Thanks for the comment!
Doug