One Year, 100 Books (Hopefully)
Here goes nothing...
The Contender: Rachel, a twenty-something teaching student.
The Challenge: Read 100 books over the course of a year (2020 to be specific).
Potential Obstacles: Library holds, DNFing, falling asleep, and potentially a kitten that has been known to nibble on books.
So here's the thing: I'm a reader, always have been. I call this blog Books for Breakfast because I used to literally devour books; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But Books for Breakfast has a catchier ring to it.
I was the kid that went to the library once a week, picked up a stack of 10 books every time, and had that stack read by the next time she went to the library. I crushed every reading challenge, steamrolled my way through the Nancy Drew series, and proudly (and perhaps a little smugly) read books from the school library that were way above my reading level.
Something happened as I got older. I still read books, still loved to spend my time reading, but no longer could I sit down one afternoon and read a book cover-to-cover in one sitting. At best, I managed a couple chapters. My trips to the library became infrequent and I frequently returned books unread. I still checked out a stack of 10 but had read maybe one of them.
Now... not to point fingers or play the blame game, but I believe I'm justified in pointing a big, fat, accusatory finger at social media. It's distracting; we've (I've) become so conditioned to scroll and flip through photos and writing so quickly that I think when the time comes for us (me) to sit down and devote intentional time, we (I) get restless.
I can't say this for everyone, of course. I do believe that social media has some benefits. But I for one am done. I officially quit back in November, but this year, this month, I am choosing to delete all my accounts and get back to basics. Call me a grandma, I don't mind. I will happily be one of the few twenty-something-year-olds that do not have an active social media presence. It's just not for me anymore. (If I could go back and live with the March sisters or Nancy Drew or anyone that predated phones, email, and computers, I would. But that's a conversation for another time).
With all that said, because I am no longer on any social media platform (save for Goodreads, although I use that more for my own personal benefits rather than keeping up with anyone else), I find I have a lot of free time on my hands. Before I had a phone, I filled this time with reading mostly. So I think when I started taking up that time with Instagram and Facebook, my reading time dwindled into nothing.
I realize 100 books is an extremely lofty goal. I was thinking the other day that if I read one book a week, I'll have 52 books. One book a week seems manageable, so why is my goal not 50? Well, my reasoning is twofold. 1) If I reach the goal of 100 books I'll be so excited and feel so accomplished. I think setting a high goal for myself helps me feel motivated to keep pushing towards that. 2) Even if I cap out the year at 40, 50, 60 books, how great is that, that I read that many books in a year?
I think the main thing is that I am pushing myself to be a reader again. Who I used to be. The kind that took a book everywhere she went, that filled a free 5 minutes with reading time and didn't let a week go by without visiting the library for new reading material.
You see, I am every literary character I have ever read about.
I am Jo and Meg March, Elizabeth and Jane Bennet, Laura Ingalls, the Penderwick Sisters, Matilda, Jane Eyre, Belle, and so many others.
But I want to be more.
And so I read more.
So here goes the 100 book challenge...
The Contender: Rachel, a twenty-something teaching student.
The Challenge: Read 100 books over the course of a year (2020 to be specific).
Potential Obstacles: Library holds, DNFing, falling asleep, and potentially a kitten that has been known to nibble on books.
So here's the thing: I'm a reader, always have been. I call this blog Books for Breakfast because I used to literally devour books; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But Books for Breakfast has a catchier ring to it.
I was the kid that went to the library once a week, picked up a stack of 10 books every time, and had that stack read by the next time she went to the library. I crushed every reading challenge, steamrolled my way through the Nancy Drew series, and proudly (and perhaps a little smugly) read books from the school library that were way above my reading level.
Something happened as I got older. I still read books, still loved to spend my time reading, but no longer could I sit down one afternoon and read a book cover-to-cover in one sitting. At best, I managed a couple chapters. My trips to the library became infrequent and I frequently returned books unread. I still checked out a stack of 10 but had read maybe one of them.
Now... not to point fingers or play the blame game, but I believe I'm justified in pointing a big, fat, accusatory finger at social media. It's distracting; we've (I've) become so conditioned to scroll and flip through photos and writing so quickly that I think when the time comes for us (me) to sit down and devote intentional time, we (I) get restless.
I can't say this for everyone, of course. I do believe that social media has some benefits. But I for one am done. I officially quit back in November, but this year, this month, I am choosing to delete all my accounts and get back to basics. Call me a grandma, I don't mind. I will happily be one of the few twenty-something-year-olds that do not have an active social media presence. It's just not for me anymore. (If I could go back and live with the March sisters or Nancy Drew or anyone that predated phones, email, and computers, I would. But that's a conversation for another time).
With all that said, because I am no longer on any social media platform (save for Goodreads, although I use that more for my own personal benefits rather than keeping up with anyone else), I find I have a lot of free time on my hands. Before I had a phone, I filled this time with reading mostly. So I think when I started taking up that time with Instagram and Facebook, my reading time dwindled into nothing.
I realize 100 books is an extremely lofty goal. I was thinking the other day that if I read one book a week, I'll have 52 books. One book a week seems manageable, so why is my goal not 50? Well, my reasoning is twofold. 1) If I reach the goal of 100 books I'll be so excited and feel so accomplished. I think setting a high goal for myself helps me feel motivated to keep pushing towards that. 2) Even if I cap out the year at 40, 50, 60 books, how great is that, that I read that many books in a year?
I think the main thing is that I am pushing myself to be a reader again. Who I used to be. The kind that took a book everywhere she went, that filled a free 5 minutes with reading time and didn't let a week go by without visiting the library for new reading material.
You see, I am every literary character I have ever read about.
I am Jo and Meg March, Elizabeth and Jane Bennet, Laura Ingalls, the Penderwick Sisters, Matilda, Jane Eyre, Belle, and so many others.
But I want to be more.
And so I read more.
So here goes the 100 book challenge...
Comments
Post a Comment