I like lists. That simple statement of just three little words has a great impact on every aspect of my life. I have to do lists (long term and short term), I have house project lists (never-ending), and I have book lists. I adore the ease of Shelfari, (even having written about it here before) and I use it to keep track of both the books that I’ve read as well as titles that I hear about that I hope to read someday. When I first began using it on January 1, 2008, I don’t think I ever realized how obsessed with numbers I’d eventually become.
That first year saw me log in a very modest total of 31 books read, and I kept mini-reviews of each book in one post on my personal blog. By the beginning of the 2009, I was thrilled to become a part of the reviewing staff here at 5 Minutes for Books, and I happily expected my reading to increase. By year’s end, I was only mildly frustrated that I was just one book short of a nice, easily remembered total of 75 books read. I thought to myself that if I could almost make it to 75, then why not up the stakes. You know what is a nice round, way easy-to-remember number? Why, 100, of course!
So I set the goal, knowing that meant just a little over eight books that needed to be completed each month. Pshaw. I could do eight books, no problem. Right? Well, some months, it did indeed seem that I could. For a couple of months, I was even ahead of the necessary pace. During the summer when some colossal home renovations were needed due to several shocking plumbing leaks, my husband went the DIY route while the kids and I got out of Dodge. Those two and a half weeks spent at my parents’ house allowed for a lot more reading than I had expected, and I was happy to pass the six month mark ahead of schedule.
But then the fall came, and I began to think about the numbers a little too much. Sometimes when I reached for a book, I wondered if I was doing so to find enjoyment in those pages or simply to log in another number. Was I reading for the fulfillment that I had always found in words and stories, or was I simply trying to cross another title off my list? Had I actually figured out how to take the fun out of reading?
It was a rough end to the summer in our family, and the fall didn’t prove to be much easier with the start of school and the full immersion into the preschool age for my two younger children. The last two months especially haven’t allowed for a whole lot of relaxed reading time, unfortunately, and quite honestly, there have been times that I’ve felt myself not even wanting to curl up with a book. Another victim to the reading slump.
As the 2010 calendar dropped its last pages, I had to face an unmet goal. I never did make it to 100, you see. My number only got as high as 94 (or 95, if you count Mockingjay both times I read it this summer), but you know what? I think I’m over it. My 2010 list includes some classics I pushed myself to read (and surprisingly enjoyed!), a few incredible short story collections, some memoirs that inevitably made me appreciate my own humdrum life, a handful of middle-grade and YA novels that I shared with my oldest son, a couple of nonfiction books that truly made me think, and plenty of my favorites- contemporary novels with female protagonists who I grew to love as friends.
For me, perhaps the combination of my love for crossing off list items and my love for reading is just not a good one to make. While I’ll still be keeping track of my readings, I don’t feel compelled to carve a goal number in stone for 2011. This year will bring personal changes to my daily life later in the fall, and that will most likely bring “my numbers” down a bit for one thing. But really? I just want to read for the sake of reading, for the excited feeling I experience as my fingers just can’t turn the page quickly enough.
I look forward to the joy I find in 2011’s readings. Numbers, shmumbers.
Dawn’s love for reading, her obsession with NPR, and the ups and downs of parenting three wacky kids are all chronicled on her blog, my thoughts exactly.
I am a list lover as well, Dawn! I think your thoughts have great application in lots of areas. It’s so easy to get into the mode of just crossing things off the to-do list when sometimes I need to slow down and enjoy the ride! Happy New Year to you!
Lauren, ain’t that the truth! I would like to be a little less focused on lists in this way, especially when it comes to reading. I enjoy keeping track of what I’ve read (mostly because of my terrible memory), but I don’t want it to hold this significance that makes me feel like I’ve somehow failed if I don’t reach a magical number.
Happy new year to you and yours as well!
Yup. I’m anti-list and “resolution” or reading goals this coming year. I just want to read what I want to read because I want to read it. WHEN I want to read it. No looming deadlines. No pressure. Just for the love of reading and for personal edification. That’s the only plan I’m going to make!
I was getting the feeling that you would relate to this as well, Carrie! I totally hear you about wanting to read for the sake of reading… it’s a tricky balance to find in the face of reading to review, but I think it can be found.
Wishes for a lovely 2011 to you and your family!
Now Dawn, I don’t think you are being at all fair to yourself after reading 250 picture books for the Cybils in three months. I like magic numbers too (note how I rounded to 250 books) but sometimes you’ve got to realize that a number is just a number.
Ye, I liked that rounding up! (When I get to the library tomorrow to pick up a book that finally came in through the interlibrary loan system, I’ll be even closer to that number!) I hadn’t intended to include any picture books for the year’s total, but if I had the number would have skyrocketed… we do our library’s circulation numbers right by the amount of picture books we check out every week! 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement, Pam, and happy new year to you and your book-loving family!
2011 will be the first year I’ll be keeping track of every single book I read, but I am determined to practice what I call “deliberate reading,” that it, reading for the sake of learning and pleasure instead of just reading for the sake of numbers and bragging rights.
Last year even though I wasn’t counting books, I spent too much time thinking about how I could fit more and more books into my schedule. This year I’m going to try and be a little more discerning and take the time to enjoy each book I choose. And that means being more selective about which books I accept for review!
Here’s to a year of stress-free reading!
Kate, that is stated just perfectly– I understand completely. I, too, want to focus and be even more thoughtful about what I’m reading and accepting for review, and I’m already happy with the novel that I’m starting the year off with.
Happy reading to you in this new year!
When I was doing the 100+ challenge I found myself reading smaller books at the end of the year to try to squeeze in the right number, instead of reading what I want.
Now I set a personal goal that I don’t advertise and at the end of the year, I see how I did but I don’t look at how many books I’ve read throughout the year and try to catch up or anything.
The only reason I want to read a lot of books is because there are SO many I want to read and I’ll never get to them all, especially with new books coming out but I want to read as many good books as I can.
I absolutely relate to your statements here, Callista! I was tempted to read just a few little books to get even closer to the 100 mark, but I also have an obsession about trying to read my review-books in order of receipt/publication… my two neuroses fighting head to head. 🙂
And yes, there are way too many amazing books out there, and never enough time!
I have never really kept track of how many books I have read or what books I have read.
This year I think I will keep track of what books I read but I am worried if I keep track of number I will no longer enjoy reading so much.
This is an amazing article thanks…
2011 is an amazing year full of grace and good books.
Thanks so much, Tricia. I really do have a terrible memory, so I like to keep my mini-reviews all on one page of my blog, and it’s been quite fun actually to go back and read my first impressions of some books from a couple years ago. Especially ones that I have a hard time remembering now!
Happy reading! I should add that to my 2011 to do list: To get through my to-be read list. I checked out the Shelfari. It’s cool, but my New Year’s commitment is organizing and minimizing so I’m not adding anymore online to do thingies right now.
Yup- the to-be-read list is always huge, and always growing!
Good luck with the organizing and minimizing– two very worthy goals!