In January, I wrote about a
challenge I made for myself to see how many books I can read in one year. It has
now been three months and seemed like a good time for checking progress. One of
the best things a person can do for reaching a goal is setting up
accountability. Therefore, I intend to circle back to this topic several times
throughout the year. If your book challenge has gone anything like mine, you
might have gotten several surprising revelations already.
Of course, the question we all care
about most is how much progress we’ve made. To date, I have managed to finish fourteen
books. That is about a quarter of my goal which means I'm staying on track so
far. More than that, keeping a record of the books I have been reading has
brought several trends to my attention. First is the type of books I read. I'll
openly admit that I adore romance novels. What surprised me was the sheer
amount of romance I read. Ten of the fourteen books I've completed fall within
that category. Another interesting discovery was that novellas make up a much
greater percentage of my reading than I previously thought.
Although I am continuing strong
towards my goal for the end of the year, I've now developed several smaller
goals for in the meantime. The reading habits that I've noticed so far have
inspired me to make changes in how I read. The first goal is to read more. I'm
thrilled that I'm staying on track, but I am a little disappointed to find that
I read less than I thought I did. I've always had this sense of urgency when it
comes to reading. There are so many books, and I don't want to waste time.
Therefore, I want to make a more conscious effort to read something every day.
I
also wish to diversify my reading. As much as I love romance novels, I think
some branching out is in order. There's no telling what I have missed because
of my penchant for the one genre. Going forward, I want to try to read some
other types of books that will broaden my horizons and possibly give me
something to think about. Books might be about adventure in a different world,
but they are also about sharing thoughts and ideas. I want to be challenged,
and I want to have new ideas to mull over while I drink my tea.
I’m sure the next three months will supply me with more to consider about my reading habits and give me plenty of opportunities to read more. Are you enjoying this book challenge? Have you also discovered reading habits or trends? It’s not too late to start your own challenge. You can make a goal for reading during spring, which just so happens to start tomorrow. It is interesting to me how one thing can lead to another. Originally, counting books was all I had in mind. It has now become an exploration as I find new ways to branch out and challenge the reader in me.
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