So we are now one month into the new year, and for many of us we made goals or resolutions as to how many books we wanted to read this year, maybe even what types of books we wanted to read. Have you been keeping up with your reading? Each month I’m going to review how I did and where I stand on my reading goals.
I began with the goal of reading 52 books this year, that is always my yearly goal. To me if I can read one book a week then I am successful. Most times I overachieve and I don’t do that just so I can feel good about myself, but rather it shows that I had extra time and I was able to spend that time doing what I’d love to do best which is reading. The month of January is now complete and I read six books, which is over 10% of my reading goal for the year. I feel it is a good start. The books have been in multiple genres, and most I was able to get through in good reading time, and most all of them were four or five star books. What about you? Where are you on your yearly reading goals? Maybe one of your goals is to join NetGalley and get some free books in return for honest reviews, or maybe you wanted to join Goodreads and keep track of your reading and make some new friends while you’re there. Maybe you just wanted to read for the self-satisfaction and enjoyment of reading.
It’s hard for me to say which was my favorite book, as most of them were five star rated. And that’s important, since just because I rate a book four or five stars does not mean you would like such a book. I would hope you would, but we all have different reading tastes and therefore it’s important that you read what you like to read, but you also should try and expand you’re reading to include new genres and new authors. In January I finished a book of philosophy something I rarely read. I also read a book by Mark Pryor. I had heard of his works but never read any previously. He started the new series and I was able to obtain a copy of the book and I loved it.
Not everybody goes for a literary fiction and one of my favorites is the Irish author Collum McCann. He wrote a wonderful book about different individuals who made trips to Ireland, and the women who were intersecting their lives. It was a wonderful read. So too was Deon Myers book, the first of his Benny Griessel series (Devil’s Peak). If you are into nonfiction I highly recommend the book About Time which is a history of clocks and time. It’s not for everyone, but if you give it a chance there are some fascinating stories and I regaled my family with stories about clocks during the month of January.I also read a historical fiction book about the Judean War by the wonderful author David Blixt. And I was able to start books which hopefully I will be able to complete in February.
I am currently reading five books simultaneously, something I am fortunate to be able to do, and I just finished reading three children’s books today. I like to read children’s books now and then because I want to see what’s being written, what topics are being broached in these books and if they are appropriate. One of the books was about a cockroach at a birthday party, and I must admit I was rather turned off by that book, but the other books were marvelous.
So as we begin what some people think is the longest month of the year, the dreariest month of the year, February holds a lot of promise for me. I certainly am hopeful that I’ll be able to complete at least another four or five books in addition to those children books and be well on my way to meeting my 2022 reading goal. I look forward to hearing about your goals and your thoughts on this column and my website.
