I did not get much reading done in December. It was a busy month, and I found I was often too sleepy at night to read before bed. That said, here's what I finished:
This book hooked me from the very first sentence. It was unexpected and forced me right into the story. I felt really sorry for Aimee (the main character) as she navigated all the twists. She was truly tortured, though I think she came out stronger for it in the end.
I really liked this author's writing style. It flowed well, and the characters felt real. It was easy to get to know them and want to get to know them. There were some parts of the story that seemed to move a bit slow, but it was worth it in the end. I also liked reading a story set at Christmas time during the month of December. It felt right.
Full disclosure: I started this book in February and read a little bit here and there whenever I had time. I felt like this was the kind of book to absorb bit by bit, and I really did stretch it out. Sometimes I am too hard on myself and too critical of my life. This book provided me with reminders about the awesome person I am and the awesome life I have. I'll keep it around to pull out when I hit some rough times.
Maybe I didn't read much, but at least I enjoyed everything I read, right?
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The last two years, I've set specific parameters for my reading -- themes, certain types of books, a number I want to complete, etc. I found that those things didn't motivate me. They stressed me out. I struggled to get through books I wasn't really interested in (just to meet some criteria I had set). I rushed through books to meet my numbers goal. It was frustrating and disappointing.
Reading shouldn't be stressful or frustrating or disappointing.
So I'm following
Jana's lead this year. I'm just going to commit to one thing regarding reading -- continue. As long as I'm consistently reading, I'll be happy.
Great perspective on your reading life moving forward. I find it always takes me WAY longer to read non-fiction than novels. Everything we keep sounds good!
ReplyDeleteI recently read Everything We Keep and read it in 24 hours because I was sooo anxious to find out what happened. The only thing that bugged me was that I found her relationship with Ian a little unrealistic, if she truly believed her husband was still alive. I'm reading her other book right now, and thought it was going to be another suspense, but it's not so I'm a little disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI liked Everything We Keep a lot.
ReplyDeleteReading should not be frustrating or stressful or disappointing! It should be what you do when you want to do it.
i agree about setting themes or certain types of books. that always stresses me out and takes the fun out of reading. setting a number doesn't stress me out until the end of the year if i'm not gonna make it, but as long as i get to choose what i read, i'm normally pretty happy. you are a badass has been on my list for ages, need to get to it. i'm hard on myself as well. Everything We Keep has been on my list as well, getting to it soon!
ReplyDeleteI'm the same way - the moment I say I have to read something or hit a certain number I lose interest or get seriously stressed over it. Reading is supposed to be fun, so I no longer set goals. I do Erin's reading challenge but it's laid back so I don't feel so stressed or pressured. I need to read You are a Badass because I can be supremely hard on myself.
ReplyDeleteI have a fake goal, just as an easy way to keep track. But I legit do not care if I reach it or surpass it.
ReplyDeleteI keep seeing You Are a Badass in all the places so I might need to break down and read it.
I like what you said about reading goals. I used to do things like ABC challenges, and I hated putting myself in a box for what I will be reading, But I am super motivated by numbers, so I do like having a number goal every year.
ReplyDeleteI did a book challenge two years ago and read some books that I really didn't like just to fulfill a category. But I also ended up enjoying books that I otherwise would never have read. So I have mixed feelings about them. This year, I really want to read more new books. I have a tendency to binge-read a few authors then never get around to reading new bestsellers for a long, long time!
ReplyDeleteI really want to read What Light. My sister liked it too, and I'm a big fan of Jay Asher. That's great that your goal for reading this year is just to continue. I want to read more of the books I own, but that's about it for me too.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
Reading should definitely be at your own pace and everyone's time is split up into different ways.
ReplyDeleteI liked Everything We Keep a lot.
Yes, I am a book challenge fan...but I always, always, always say that my biggest goal is to encourage the love of books, stories, and reading. For the book challenge I run, I regularly "allow" participants to massage the rules or categories to work for them. I do not want someone reading something they hate. It should not be a chore. We have enough chores to do in the adulting world, don't we?
ReplyDelete