Currently reading: The Trial by Kafka.
This year, I set myself a goal of trying to read 52 books. This was partly to exercise self-discipline, partly to rebuild my attention span for non-digital things, and partly to breathe some life into a hobby that I’ve always loved and felt guilty for allowing to languish. It’s half-way through the year now (honestly, how did that happen?), so it’s a good time to share my experiences and learnings.
I’ve finished reading 23 books (full list below). That puts me at 3 books behind - I should be reading my 27th book now. But I don’t feel bad about this at all - on the contrary. When I set the goal, I half believed I’d give up in March. Getting this far and still being roughly on track is a massive, resounding success.
Reflections
I’ve hugely increased my reading, which is only a good thing. Time spent reading is time not on my phone. I’m a believer in the intrinsic value of reading as a soul-enriching experience. I am so pleased to have this impetus to read more rather than reach for my phone. It feels good. It is good.
That’s not to say that it’s been smooth sailing. Because I’ve got a target number of books to get through, for the first time in my life I’m pushing through on books that I can’t stand. And there have been a few of those this year. It’s crazy how a 150-page novella can take weeks to get through, when you can’t bear the style.
But even that has had surprising benefits. Pushing myself to read things I’m not enjoying, although very frustrating at the time, has taught me a lot. It’s like having required reading at school! These books are the point when my discipline is tested the most. And these are the ones where I discover what it is I like and don’t like.
On that note, I’ve discovered:
- I deeply prefer literary writing. I like poetic language, I like the choice of words to give me pause. I love a beautiful turn of phrase. I will happily read a book in which plot moves very little, so long as the writing is gorgeous. I did know this about myself - but what I learned this year is that I have very little patience for writing that doesn’t look like this. If the language is dull, then by golly the plot had better make up for it. (I couldn’t bear The Cat Who Saved Books)
- Just because it won a major international prize doesn’t mean it’s going to be an enjoyable read. (Orbital)
- Classics and modern classics really work. (The Trial, Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men)
- Sci fi and high fantasy have a pretty high hit rate for me. Classic sci fi and high fantasy, even more so. (This Is How You End The Time War, Earthsea series, I Who Have Never Known Men)
I set myself a guideline that books under 250 words are readable within a week. But sometimes I get ahead, and sometimes I lag behind, and it works out roughly OK on average. But the best books have been longer than 250 words. It’s hard to fall in love with something short. Which makes it all the more impressive when you read a very short piece and it punches you in the gut. (Foster)
My favourite books from this year:
Most memorable and beautiful books:
- A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1) - Ursula K. Le Guin
- Martyr! - Kaveh Akbar
- I Who Have Never Known Men - Jacqueline Harpman
Final thoughts
Would I do this challenge again? Well, ask me at the end of the year. My gut feeling at this point is no. I am really, really missing reading at a languid pace, not worrying about how many pages I “need” to read. And with the emphasis being on pure book count, I’m incentivised to book shorter books, which means I’m desperately yearning for a longer, more immersive book. I’d love to read the Dune series, which my husband’s been enjoying. I’d love to get into Lord of the Rings. I want to have a go at Anna Karenina. But those are completely off the table for me right now.
But do I regret starting this challenge? Absolutely not. As a one-off experiment, this has been a fantastic learning experience so far, and I’m grateful for all the new books I’ve discovered.
Everything I’ve read this year so far
Currently reading:
- The Trial - Franz Kafka
- The Secret World of Weather - Tristan Gooley
Finished (most recent first):
- The Honjin Murders (Detective Kosuke Kindaichi, #1) - Seishi Yokomizo
- The Cat Who Saved Books (The Cat Who…, #1) - Sōsuke Natsukawa
- Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2) - Martha Wells
- All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) - Martha Wells
- Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
- Tehanu (Earthsea Cycle, #4) - Ursula K. Le Guin
- This Is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar
- The Unmothers - Leslie J. Anderson
- Martyr! - Kaveh Akbar
- Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection - John Green
- Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel García Márquez
- Pretty Hate Machine - Daphne Carr
- The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon
- Train Dreams - Denis Johnson
- Foster - Claire Keegan
- The Farthest Shore (Earthsea Cycle, #3) - Ursula K. Le Guin
- The Tombs of Atuan (Earthsea Cycle, #2) - Ursula K. Le Guin
- Orbital - Samantha Harvey
- The Lady of the Lake (The Witcher, #5) - Andrzej Sapkowski
- I Who Have Never Known Men - Jacqueline Harpman
- The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy
- A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1) - Ursula K. Le Guin
- Cannery Row (Cannery Row, #1) - John Steinbeck