Reading goals

The Weekly Wrap: December 29-January 4

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Reading Goals

I’ve observed there are two kinds of bibliophiles. Obviously, both types love to read. And usually, both read lots of books. But one type enjoys setting goals for themselves from pages and books read, to reading particular types of books. Meanwhile, the other type just likes to read, going where their whims take them. Personally, I don’t think there is anything wrong with being either type. After all, we’re reading when much of the world isn’t!

I tend toward the goal setters, not only in books but in other things. Goals stretch me and help me grow and I’ve lived long enough to be realistic. And they are my goals–not someone else’s.

I sign up for the Goodreads Reading Challenge every year. I set it below what I read the past year, but a little more than last year’s goal. Over time, my goals exceed what I once read, but are well within reach for me–so I don’t stress.

But the goals that matter are what make me a better reader. Probably a big one for me this year is to read with greater attention–probably to compensate for my diminishing brain cells. Probably the two things I want to work on is to not mix reading and phones. The other is to get enough sleep so that I am not reading tired.

I’d like to take at least minimal notes on more challenging books–perhaps outlining an argument for example. I might start with one or a few books. I usually don’t take written notes, just mentally reviewing as I go along.

Another thing I want to do is re-read at one book that has been significant to me in the past. The occupational hazard of reviewing is having so many new books to read. Perhaps I’ll even try for a fiction work and a non-fiction work.

Finally, I’ve been reading more poetry. I have collections of poetry of Donne, Dickinson, Sandburg, Eliot, and Langston Hughes among others. I want to read slowly through at least one of these.

Every year, I post a “reading challenge.” This year’s will go up on Monday. No doubt, some of this will be there and some others. And I’d love to hear about your reading goals!

Five Articles Worth Reading

We lost Jimmy Carter this past week, our longest-lived president, at 100. Numerous tributes have appeared about his humanitarian efforts. He was also a prolific author, publishing 32 books. “Jimmy Carter: Poet, Novelist, Memoirist, Philosopher” celebrates his literary legacy.

In 1988, Kurt Vonnegut, wrote a letter for people in 2088. Benedict Cumberbatch gives us an early preview in “Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Kurt Vonnegut’s Letter of Advice to People Living in the Year 2088.” It’s a profound letter and well-read.

Speaking of letters, Cynthia Ozick, in “Voices from the Dead Letter Office” reflects on what we’ve lost with the end of letter-writing.

Ever since my freshman year, when I read one of the coillections of Flannery O’;Connor’s short stories, I’ve been both perplexed and fascinated by her writing. I totally missed Wildcat, a film exploring her life through the lens of the period when she learned that she, like her father, was suffering from lupus, a disease that would claim both of their lives. In “The Peacock’s Tail,” Jeff Reimer reflects on the movie and the connection between O’Connor’s suffering and creativity.

Several years ago, it seemed everywhere I looked, I encountered articles about the New Atheists. Now, increasingly, I’m reading of intellectuals who are coming to faith, like historian Niall Ferguson, who recently converted from atheism to Anglican Christianity. In “How Intellectuals Found God” Peter Savodnik chronicles this trend. The professions of some may surprise you and I think for any of us, the test is “by their fruit you will know them.” But it’s a fascinating account.

Quote of the Week

J.R.R. Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892. We would do well, I think, to follow this advice from him:

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

Miscellaneous Musings

Jimmy Carter was not only a prolific author, but like many of our presidents, a prodigious reader. I enjoyed “In His Reading Life, Jimmy Carter Favored ‘Anything but Politics’” in this week’s New York Times. It’s hard to make excuses about finding time to read when we read of people like him!

I’m reading Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I’ve admired her writing but not always the endings of her books. I thought The Dutch House got it right. Hoping for two in a row. Watch for my review!

Goodreads has tweaked its Reading Challenge this year to include integration with Kindles and monthly reading challenges, cumulative challenges, and community challenges. The monthly challenge is a pretty low bar–finish one book each month–but 12 books is more than many Americans read.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Bob on Books 2025 Reading Challenge

Tuesday: David W. Swanson, Plundered: The Tangled Roots of Racial and Environmental Injustice

Wednesday: Amy Tan, The Backyard Bird Chronicles

Thursday: Ellis Peters, Brother Cadfael’s Penance

Friday: Rachel B. Griffis, Julie Ooms, and Rachel M. De Smith Roberts, Deep Reading

Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for December 29, 2024-January 4, 2025!

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Weekly Wrap: December 8-14

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One Hundred Pages a Day

I found myself chuckling while reading Matthew Walther’s “The Hundred Page Strategy.” Partly to keep up with my review schedule on the blog, I read more than that. Every day. I say that not as a point of pride. There was a time when I would not have thought Walther’s goal possible. Now I can say that it is and he offers good suggestions for those of us who want to read more.

Some are simple, like put the smartphone in a drawer. Some are sensible–don’t try to read nothing but heavy, dense books. He reads at times when other people are either sleeping or otherwise engaged. And he carries a book wherever he goes.

There’s nothing special about one hundred pages. His adherence to this goal felt a bit slavish to me. But his recognition of the ways to make space for reading, for doing something one wants to do more of, is laudable. And a stretch goal does help one become ruthless in eliminating what I would call “voluntary distractions” –the ones we choose that fritter away time.

For some, a goal of reading 30-40 pages a day might be more reasonable. You can finish most average size books in about a week. If you’ve wondered how some people read a book a week, this is how.

But the real deal is not how many pages or books we get through but what gets through to us from them. Maybe it is engaging a diverting plot. Or it could be a piece of social analysis of an issue that matters to you. And Walther’s tips can be helpful, no matter how many pages you read and no matter how consistent you are. Read on, friends!

Five Articles Worth Reading

Since I’ve piqued your interest, here’s Matt Walther’s “The Hundred Page Strategy.”

Nikki Giovanni died this week, at age 81. Veronica writes an appraisal of her work for The New York Times, exploring in “When Nikki Giovanni Was Young, Brilliant and Unafraid” how she maintained her vitality and focus over sixty years.

Rhian Sasseen reviews a new series by Solvej Balle that explores the concept of time through a character caught in a time loop in which she wakes up to November 18 every morning after going to bed on November 18 every night. Sassen’s review, “A Novel That Disrupts a Fundamental Law of the Universe,” appears online at The Atlantic.

“Sci-Fi Writer Arthur C. Clarke Predicted the Rise of Artificial Intelligence & the Existential Questions We Would Need to Answer (1978)” reprises a 1978 NOVA special including interviews with Clark and other luminaries in the history of AI. And yes, the questions we are asking now were being asked over 45 years ago.

in “American Literature and the Liberal Way of Life,” Scott M. Reznick proposes that American literature, particularly from the nineteenth century, is an important resource as we engage our politically fraught landscape.

Quote of the Week

Gustave Flaubert, born December 12, 1821, made this succinct statement for all who pursue success to consider:

“Success is a consequence and must not be a goal.”

Miscellaneous Musings

I’m totally going science geek on William Panek’s Pillars of Creation on the Webb telescope. It’s changing our understanding of the universe (and even our own solar system) as it allows us to see further back in time.

I spent one of the most wonderful hours of my life interviewing Matthew Levering a few years ago. He is a Catholic theologian at Mundelein Seminary, and my one overpowering impression was of sitting with a man who deeply loves the Triune God. It was a conversation where I felt I was beholding wonder and beauty. I just began reading his new, Why I Am Roman Catholic and felt like I was back in that interview. I posted an edited transcript of the interview in two parts: One and Two.

I’ve been reading Maigret and the Wine Merchant by Georges Simenon. The wine merchant, who is the murder victim, is a despicable man, a misogynistic womanizer who used his sexual prowess and business power to humiliate men as well as use women. Yet for Maigret, a human life has been taken, a fundamental rent in the fabric of society. I’m deeply disturbed at the valorization of the alleged killer of United Health Care’s CEO. I’m troubled by UHC’s business practices and believe them unjust. But they do not warrant this vigilante justice. And if we valorize it, there will be more such incidents, and over far more petty grievances. And where will it stop?

Next Week’s Reviews

Here’s the lineup for next week:

Monday: My “Best Books” post, the books I read that I thought best in various categories.

Tuesday: James Hely Hutchinson, Answering the Psalmist’s Perplexity.

Wednesday: Margery Allingham, The China Governess.

Thursday: William Kent Krueger, Thunder Bay

Friday: Christopher M. Hays, Eight Million Exiles.

Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for December 8-14, 2024!

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Bob on Books 2022 Reading Challenge

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This is the time of the year when reading challenges come from Goodreads and other bookish sources–libraries, bookstores, and a variety of articles. There seem to be a lot of these focused around reading harder, faster, smarter, and setting numerical goals and tracking them. I do a Goodreads challenge, but deliberately set it below what I likely will read. Interesting, even that low number is higher than what I once read.

I like goals that focus on both growth and enjoyment. I’m interested in deepening my appreciation of good books and learning more about my world and my place within it. Challenges can be good when they lead to the ends of our growth and enjoyment. Here are some ways I want to challenge myself that may be helpful as you think of your reading in 2022.

Good Writing. I not only read a good deal, but I write, and edit the good writing of others. Most of this is instinctive for me, or reflective of whatever ingrained grammar and writing instruction I received. I want to read a book on good writing, to not only better appreciate it when I see it but to do it better myself. My book____________________.

Deep Dive. It is interesting to dig deeper on a subject that is of personal interest, and perhaps read several books on different aspects or perspectives on a topic. Just don’t become “that” person who “did their own research.” To give you perspective (and ideas for further reading), read the notes or bibliographies of the books you read to grasp how much research those who write the books do! My deep dive topic______________________.

Different genre. I will probably suggest this every year to get out of my ruts. My book of a different genre_____________________.

A Work in Translation. It could be one of those great Russian novels, or a contemporary novel written by someone whose first language is other than yours. Look for reviews of works in translation. My book_____________________.

A Children’s Book. I miss read-aloud times with my son, not only as a time of closeness, but also because I loved the stories and the writing. The best children’s books are also great reading for adults. I reviewed a couple recently that whet my appetite for more. My book_____________________.

An Old Friend. Some of the best books I’ve read become richer each time I read them. Just like our best friendships go deeper with time, so can our relationships with books. My renewal of an old book friendship will be______________________.

Food. The necessity of nourishing ourselves is pretty basic. I have to admit to being fairly clueless about the elements of good nutrition. I’ve enjoyed the artistry of others who care about good food and gathering friends to eat it. I’d like to learn more about how to do that. My food book is_____________________

Finish a series. True confessions! I’ve started a number of series that I’ve enjoyed but haven’t finished any of them! This year I want to finish at least one! The series I will finish is____________________.

An Inherited or Gifted Book. I have books that have been passed down in the family. Maybe you have friends who have given you a book. I want to read one of those this year. My book is______________________.

A Long Book. Because I review books, I tend to choose books of 200-300 pages to read, to have books I’ve finished 3-4 times a week. That’s hard to do with those long 700-1000 page or more books that may take a month or longer to finish. But some of the best books are long. I want to read one. My long book is_______________________.

A Play. From the ancient Greeks to Shakespeare to contemporary Broadway, plays have been part of our cultural life. They are not a part of my reading. This year, I want to read a play, perhaps one I will see (hopefully) performed live. The play I will read________________________.

A book I will discuss with others. One of the things that has gotten me through the pandemic is talking with some friends about a book we are reading together. It’s pretty easy if you are in a book club, but you can do this with just one other person. I always see more in a book when I discuss it with others, especially if it is a challenging book to read. The book I will discuss with others is_____________________.

There are twelve challenges here. You could do one a month, or just pick a few that really fit you. This is my reading challenge after all. But if it suggests some reading challenges that you will enjoy, go for it. I’d love to hear how it goes.

The Unexamined Reading Life

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Socrates was recorded to have said that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” We could probably have a long discussion about that statement and some would argue that life is worth living, examined or not. And probably we might think of our reading life in the same way. Reading is worth it, whether examined or not. But might it be that some examination of our reading life might enrich that life and make it worth more?

That seems to be the premise of a post on Book Riot yesterday titled, “How to Audit Your Reading Life” by Kelly Jensen. She contends that “reading audits” free her from reading goals, feeling bad about what she is reading or not reading, and to make good choices about the roughly 2500 books she will be able to read in her life.

She follows five steps in her reading auditing process:

  1. Collect all your reading logs, tools, and notes.
  2. Assess your reading.
  3. Determine your reading life values.
  4. Set some goals.
  5. Determine future audit timeframes.

Her process is very detailed, making me wonder if she is a real auditor or accountant. At very least, I got the sense that she could be. She admits that not everyone might want to go as granular as she does. I suspect that is most of us, but her article has a number of helpful tips and ideas for your own reading audit, however informal or analytical you may choose.

There were a number of valuable takeaways that rang true for me. First is the realization that not only can’t I read everything, I can only read a very small portion of all the books that are out there. The question is whether I’m reading the ones that reflect what is important to me, and the answer to that is unique as each individual.

Looking at what I’ve been reading via Goodreads or my blog posts is valuable (steps 1 and 2). It’s why I started using these tools in the first place–to remember what I’ve read and what I thought about it. But it also reveals my reading patterns–the types of books I read, the publication books, etc. My Goodreads shelves are actually pretty revealing. Lots of biographies and theology and mysteries and history. Not many thrillers or popular fiction or health. Given my age, a few more books on health might be helpful!

I don’t think I’ve ever consciously determined my “reading life values” distinguished from interests. I think my values in the rest of life continue to shape what I read. Jensen suggests identifying in various ways what has brought you joy. Perhaps my version of that is that the pursuit of what I care about in life brings me joy–whether it is the knowledge of God, understanding better how to care for this world, or to learn lessons in life and leadership from others who have led well (or sometimes not so well!). Place matters to me, both where I grew up and where I live. A growing value for me is to read and commend some of Ohio’s great authors from James Thurber to Wil Haygood to Hanif Abdurraqib. I also like stories–whether good fiction or historical narratives, and when I find someone whose writing gives me joy, like Louise Penny, I want to read more of what they have written.

My “Bob on Books 2021 Reading Challenge” was actually a personal attempt to set some reading goals reflecting what I value. I’ve actually met every goal except–you guessed it–the health one! I have a month left–at very least, I ought to check my book stacks and see if there is something on health just waiting in my TBR pile or Kindle. This article sparked my thinking about other kinds of goals. I want to be more intentional about supporting some indie bookstores I care about and our local library, which does great work. I may put something along these lines into my 2022 Reading Challenge.

As to “future audit timeframes,” setting reading goals at the beginning of the year and revisiting them midyear seems to makes sense for me and again at year end seems like a good rhythm, with the year end serving to spark thoughts about directions for the coming year–something writing this post is helping me to do! Like the author, I’m not compulsive about number goals. I set a Goodreads challenge, but always below what I actually read in a year.

I liked the positive framing of this article. The purpose of this kind of audit, however loose or granular your approach, is not to beat yourself up! The focus is not failure but what is working and what you value. As we approach the last month of the year it is a good time to look back on this year’s reading, what worked and what didn’t and start thinking about what some of what you’d like to read for next year (I always leave room for serendipity!). If you are like most readers, you may already have some of these books on your TBR pile–after all, there was some reason you bought them!

I like to think of life as a seamless whole, in which my reading life is congruent with the rest of my life. Sometimes my reading life shapes the rest of my life. And the rest of my life shapes what I read. I don’t know about Socrates, but I can say that an examined reading life certainly makes life richer, and that is of considerable worth.

Reading as a Competitive Sport

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Jamie Canaves published an article today on BookRiot on “Calling a Time-Out on Reading for Sport” She speaks of tracking books read, page counts, planning your next book before finishing the one you are in, frenetic reading in the spare moments, and not reading fat books when you can read a couple thin ones.

Does any of this sound familiar? It does to me. I have a Goodreads Challenge, I do watch page counts (and have used my librarian privilege on Goodreads to add them when the publisher leaves them out!), and because I review books do think ahead about what I’m going to read. I think twice before leaning into a long book. Some of this is fun. It didn’t bother me that my reading numbers were down in 2020. After all, it was 2020. My reading challenge usually is at least 25 percent less than what I read the previous year.

I sense a certain uneasiness of readers about reading under pressure. I asked recently about how people who had set reading goals felt they were doing. I shared mine, which weren’t numerical, but about kinds of books I wanted to read to get out of my own “reading ruts.” Most of the responses I received were a pushback about numbers and simply reading for enjoyment and moving from book to book serendipitously.

Where the article hits me is that I do recognize that reading has changed for me. Some time ago, I knew someone who started making some stained glass items for a few friends, and this suddenly turned into more, and a hobby became a job. That’s what has happened with reviewing and blogging on books. While I still enjoy it, especially when I can put on some good music with a good beverage at my side, reading often seems a bit more like work. I’m aware of the pile awaiting review as well as books I’ve purchased that I wanted to read. I’m thinking about what books I’ll finish for review in the coming week. And I spend time keeping track of and requesting books that I think will be interesting to review. Some of the books I read are for work–I interview authors as part of my job, usually about a dozen a year. Other books I read, I choose for their relevance not only for me but for work colleagues

In fact, if there is anything that would bring reviewing and blogging to an end, other than a health crisis, this would be it. And that is a warning signal. Maybe I need to listen to the BookRiot writer. I want others to know the joys of a good book. If I lose that, I suspect it will come across in my reviews. It may be time to revisit the old books I’ve wanted to re-read but have deferred because of the new ones awaiting. Maybe I just have to admit that I cannot read all those new books people are buzzing about. It may be a matter of reading when, and at a pace that keeps it enjoyable. At some point, I may need to scale back the blog from six days to three or four. I’m not there yet.

I do believe reading should enrich our lives. When it doesn’t, something has gone awry. It could be pressures we feel from others or ones we place on ourselves. I appreciate the friends who push back about reading goals. I suspect most of us have enough of these in the rest of life. Sometimes we just need to lose ourselves in a book. At other times, we may read something with such challenging ideas that we need to read slowly and reflectively. As Mortimer Adler put it, “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.”

My 2021 Reading Challenge Update

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A number of you at least took a look at my Bob on Books 2021 Reading Challenge from back in December. I never heard if any of you took it on, but a query from a Facebook friend suggested it was time to pull it out and see if I’ve made any progress or if it was just a fanciful New Year’s Resolution. Turns out, I had read in a number of areas, and was reminded of things I need to look at. So here is what I wrote, with notes in vivid red on what I read:

Old. Read one book that was written before your lifetime. One of the hazards of reviewing is that many of the books I read are published in the same year I’m writing. Old books can give a sense of perspective at times. My book: Death Of a Peer by Ngaio Marsh, published in 1940. Not exactly an ancient classic, but at least before my lifetime.

New. At the same time, I tend to read authors I like and am familiar with in different genres. Most have published a number of books, so I can keep doing that for a long time. Find a new author in your favorite genre–read reviews, talk to your bookseller, or local librarian. My book: I had never read either Cormac McCarthy or Margaret Atwood. Read The Road and The Handmaid’s Tale.

Different genre. We tend to have our favorite genres. Get some recommendations and a book in a different genre. My son introduced me to graphic books, which I’m coming to like. A friend has been bugging me about reading a few thrillers. That might be the different genre for this year. My book: Thanks, James for reminding me about this one and giving me some suggestions. Dean Koontz will fill the new category for me as well!

Science or technology. I’ve observed that most people have never talked to a working scientist. The ones I’ve talked to have opened my eyes to the wonders of the world. There is so much we see but don’t really understand. I want to read something that will help me understand some part of the physical world a bit better. My book: Carl Zimmer’s Life’s Edge fills this category exploring what we mean when we say something is alive.

Issues. Go deeper on one issue in the news. If you’ve already formed an opinion, try reading something that takes a different perspective. There are people as intelligent as I am who disagree with me. I’m curious why. Are you? My book: Early this year, I read a book about reparations rather than just racial reconciliation. I wasn’t convinced before and still am not sure, but I better understand the case. The book? Dear White Christians by Jennifer Harvey.

Foreign country. Read a book about a country or a person from a country other than the one in which you reside. It could be history, biography, or even a travel book. My book: Closest I’ve gotten in this category is Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff on a rescue effort on the icecap in Greenland.

Local history. From writing about the town where I grew up, I’ve discovered that both I and many of my readers knew little about the place where we grew up. So, now I have a book about Columbus on my reading stack–I’ve lived here 30 years and don’t know that much about my current home town. My book: I read that book, The Columbus Anthology, kind of a literary review edited by Amanda Page that exposed me to a number of writers who call Columbus home. Still feel like it would be good to read a good history of this place.

Foreign fiction. Fiction written by someone not from my country of origin allows us to see the world through a person who sees it from a different perspective. My book: In addition to a couple of Louise Penny Inspector Gamache books, I’ve read Georges Simenon’s Maigret and the Old People, as well as the Atwood and Marsh books.

Re-reads. It can be a fascinating thing to re-read something we read at a different time of our lives. The book hasn’t changed but it is a mirror reflecting how we have. My book: No re-reads, I’m afraid. I’ve wanted to re-read the Chronicles of Narnia probably last read at least 25 years ago.

Religious Text. Here I have several suggestions. You could go deeper in exploring something in your own faith or you could read about a different religious tradition within your faith. You could read about another faith to understand it better. Spiritual but not religious? You might try a work of philosophy. Whatever is the case, we all could do with living up to the tenets of what we believe and understanding others better. My book: I read Thunder In the Soul by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the outstanding Jewish religious leaders and thinkers of the 20th century.

A possible new hobby or interest. Yes, I know, reading is your hobby. It is one of mine as well. But you might try reading about a hobby you might take up or an interest you could pursue. My book: None here, but there is a book on singing technique that I’d like to get into, and perhaps I ought to read a book on painting technique before joining my wife in plein air painting outings this summer.

Health. This is a year that has reminded us we can’t take our health for granted–physical, mental, or spiritual. Read a book for you. It might be to better understand your body and care for it, or perhaps books to help us understand ourselves. Books on the Enneagram have helped been helpful in my own self-understanding. Perhaps you’ve discovered how important resilience is and want to learn how to cultivate that. My book: Nothing here. My last visit to my doc suggests I might want to read something about low carb diets. Any suggestions?

Actually, that’s not bad for two and a half months and without trying too hard. Taking a look reminds me of the reading areas to take a look at and suggest some things I want to look for or just pull off the shelf and onto the TBR pile At some point, I want to read some older theology, something I’ve not done so much since I’ve not been part of the Dead Theologians group. How about you? The idea of the Reading Challenge was to suggest some goals to get out of one’s reading “ruts.” Yours will likely be different than mine, but part of the value of reading is new ideas, new perspectives to help us avoid “hardening of the attitudes.” There are still nine and a half months in 2021 to work on that!

What to Do If You Are Behind on Your Reading Challenge

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reading challenge goalReading challenges like Goodreads Reading Challenge have encouraged many people to set aside more time for something they love–reading. It’s fun to see the numbers add up, especially if you are on, or ahead of pace to meet your reading goal.

But what if you are not? You wanted to read a book a week, 52 in total and here it is, November, and you have read 20. What do you do? Here are some thoughts, facetious and otherwise.

  1. Read and count lots of children’s books. Many for younger readers are very short, and each counts as a book. You could probably binge over a weekend and reach your goal.
  2. Go on an extended reading binge for the rest of the year. Still choose relatively short, page-turners to read. At this point (November 12) you have just over six weeks. Five books a week will do get you there.
  3. Count audiobooks and listen to them while driving, working out, whenever you can.
  4. Re-define “read.” You could just skim these books, read the first sentence of each paragraph and get a sense of this.

I’ll be honest, none of this sounds like any fun, except for maybe the children’s books. Mostly, it feels pretty driven and kind of defeats the purpose of reading, which is enjoyment that grows our minds and view of the world.

I suspect that a better tack might be to look at what has hampered your reading. It might be that life has happened in a big way–an illness, a new job, a break up, or even a marriage, or a new baby. It’s probably best to forget the goals, and live in the change you are in, and be the person you hope to become amid it, which may take work. Start reading when the bandwidth and desire are there. If your are a reader, let me assure you, it’s lurking in there, just waiting for a chance to come out.

A few thoughts for the rest of us who just need to recalibrate our reading goals:

  1. Unless you are close, ditch the goal for the year. You made the goal. You are allowed to change it or set it aside.
  2. Goodreads actually allows you to change the goal. If reaching a goal means something to you, set a goal that is reasonable to reach at this point–perhaps your current total plus two. That will get you started. You might even exceed your goal. Won’t that feel good.
  3. Figure out when you will read. Fifteen minutes a day allows you to read 15 books of average size a year. That should allow you to read at least two books before the year ends. The minute a day of reading per books you want to read each year is a good rule of thumb for setting goals. If you are able to read an hour a day, then you have a chance of making that 52 book goal next year.
  4. Make reading a reward for something, and reward yourself in your favorite chair accompanied by your favorite drink. This isn’t study hall!
  5. Start with books in a genre or on a subject you enjoy, if you are getting back into the groove. That may not be War and Peace, as much as you think you should read it! Pick that up during a year when you are ahead of the pace needed to reach your goal, or after your reach your goal.

Unless you are a student or are doing work related reading, you probably just read for your own personal amusement and enrichment. If reading goals help you be more intentional in pursuing what amuses and enriches you–great! But if the goal is making you miserable, then you either need to get a better goal or just be someone who enjoys reading without goals. Maybe just keeping a tally of the books you’ve read is all you need.

Happy reading, goals or not!

 

Reading By The Numbers

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Goodreads see what your friends are reading

Accessed 12/25/2018 at 8:20 pm ET

Yesterday, I wrote about reading resolutions. I noted that of all the reading resolutions shared with me, none had to do with numbers. Nor did mine. Yet numerical reading challenges are a big deal among many bibliophiles.

The most famous is Goodreads’ yearly reading challenges. You have to have a free Goodreads account. Each year, you can set your own challenge goal beginning a few days before January 1. People set a variety of challenge goals from reading one book to hundreds. As you can see from above, the average is 60, a healthy goal of more than one per week. Your home page will show a progress bar, and whether you are ahead, behind, or on track to reach your goal. All your friends can see how you are progressing as well. You can also see how many pages you’ve read and compare your statistics to past years, what reading you’ve done in various categories and more.

LibraryThing also offers challenges at different levels (50, 75, etc.) and allows you to join groups and post what books you are reading. People make up a variety of creative challenges of reading different genres, reading through the alphabet (each book title starts with a successive letter of the alphabet), and a variety of other creative challenges.

Other groups I’ve seen offer monthly challenges. These involve the whole group reading a different type of book each month: eg. science fiction one month, a book about presidents the next. I know one group that is trying to read consecutively biographies of each U.S. president. I could see such challenges building a sense of community–physical or virtual.

I think if this sort of thing is fun and life-giving and occurs in the context of reading that enriches your life, then there is no harm in this, and even positive value in encouraging you and others in your challenge to read, and maybe get exposed to books they might not otherwise read. Personally, it is not something I pay a great deal of attention to. For the fun of it, I always set a goal on Goodreads, but it is a low one for me. I don’t want my reading driven by one of these goals.

It is interesting to me to see how people actually do on Goodreads in comparison with goals. For example, people pledged to read an average of 60 books. So far this year (as of the evening of 12/25 when I’m writing this), they’ve actually read just under 13, a bit over one a month. More striking to me is that slightly less than 0.7 percent of people have completed their challenge with a week to go. Maybe there will be a spurt in the last week. I wonder how many will read a bunch of really short books to reach their goal (I’ve heard of people doing this).

This suggests to me that this reading challenge thing isn’t working for quite a number of people. I would propose, instead, thinking about the number of minutes a day you want to read and figuring out where you will set aside that time in your day. A rough guide is that for every minute you read, you will read that many books in a year (15 minutes, 15 books; 60 minutes, 60 books; etc.). That might vary based on length of the book and the type of book.

The real point is figuring out where in your life you will make space for reading, if you share my belief that reading is a valuable, life-enriching activity. It might mean something as simple as deciding to read a book for the twenty minutes of your mass transit commute each day instead of flipping through your phone. I get 30 minutes of reading in on my Kindle each day while on my treadmill. Hopefully some of your time is in a comfortable chair with your favorite beverage.

Mortimer Adler is reputed to have said, “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” It seems to me that the only benefit of any of these number games is to set us up for books to get through to us. If that isn’t happening in our number games, it might be better to abandon them, or at least ask ourselves why we are reading. What good is it to read 52 books if we can’t express what the value of any of these was to our lives? By the same token, a single book that changes our mind, that captures our imagination, that informs a critical choice, that gives us hope, or that inspires by example counts for more than all those forgotten books.

What it comes down to for me is that I don’t want to read more; I want to read well. I hope that for you. My reviews started and continue to function as a way of helping me read well, by trying to capture the essence and significance of a book. At least some times, that seems to be helpful for others, in figuring out what is worthy of their time and attention.

So, my hope for all of us in 2019 is that we read well, however few or many books we read. It seems to me that this is what the precious gift of literacy is all about.

 

Reading Resolutions for 2019

/ rtrube54 / 4 Comments

resolutions

Over at my Bob on Books Facebook page, I asked followers what their 2019 reading goals are. Here are the responses, in the order received:

  • Read read read read
  • I’d like to branch out and try new authors and writing styles.
  • I have set the goal that I will spend 2019 reading only from my own stacks. No library books (unless needed for a class) and no new purchases. It won’t be easy.
  • To read more. And get a job at the library (for real).
  • Just to read…
  •  I’d like to read at least 2 nights or more a week. I have enough books to last a lifetime and want to get enough for 4 to 5 lifetimes so I need to catch up.
  • Read more bios and autobiographies.
  • Not to feel obligated to finish every book I start. Start more, finish the good ones.
  • Reduce my bought-not-read shelf by 5 and read a book in Spanish.

I loved every one of these goals! I identify with those whose goal is “just to read.”  I’m not sure I have much more of a program than that. It also makes good sense to read the books we already have and our families, and the family budgets probably appreciate this. I’ve sometimes wondered what it would be like to work at a library. I hope the person who shared this goal lets us know how it goes if she gets the job. I know I’d probably be broke if I worked in a bookstore. I think the aim to read more diversely, which shows up in several goals, makes sense. I like the idea of reading a book in another language to brush up one’s knowledge of the language. Perhaps I should dust off my French…

Compulsiveness can kill the joy of reading. That’s why I like the idea of not feeling obligated to finish every book we start. If it’s not working, move on. Likewise, I noted that no one set a numerical goal for the number of books they would read. This is a big deal on Goodreads. I always set a low one for me so I don’t stress out about it and can get the nice badge!

So, my reading resolutions for 2019?

  1. I want to grow in what I would call “attentive reading,” where I’m actively engaged in thinking about what I read, why I am reacting as I do to it, and what I want to carry into my life from what I want to read.
  2. I want to read at least one more book from my “Ten Books I Want to Read Before I Die” list. Leading candidates right now are Chernow’s George Washington, and Taylor’s Secular Age. Both are tomes, so if you see a drop in the number of my reviews, that’s probably why (unless I’m reading another big book).
  3. I’d like to read at least one collection of poetry this year. I have them in my TBR piles, and one on my “Ten Books…” list above.
  4. I like the idea of reading a book in another language. It had better be French, and even this is pretty dusty. Any suggestions, from those who know French literature, of something that is not too demanding?
  5. Finally, I want to be more selective in the books I request for review. Any book I request for review, I feel I need to read. In particular, I want to ask, “am I really interested in this?” and “is this saying something fresh, or is it just a repackaging of old ideas?”

I better stop there. I will probably break at least one of these resolutions as it is. And more might be an exercise in compulsiveness. It’s not a good thing to start hating something you love!

The only reason I see for reading goals is they bring focus to what gives us joy. As frustrating as it is to admit sometimes, we can’t read everything–not even everything we think we’d like. If goals can help us think about what we really want to read, what will be life-giving and world-enlarging, then they seem a good thing. If not, then just “read read read read.” As someone has said, “the way is made by walking.”

Happy walking and reading in 2019!

How Do You Read So Many Books?

/ rtrube54 / 12 Comments

My Review Stats Goodreads

My reading stats as of 11/13/2018

A friend asked that question recently over at the Bob on Books Facebook Page. Yes, I do read quite a few books, 155 so far this year. I’m far from alone. Just two examples. Teddy Roosevelt was reputed to read a book a day. Warren Buffett reads 500 pages a day (I typically read about 125). Both far exceed me. Here are a few thoughts on how that works for me:

  1. There are other things I don’t do. I don’t watch very much TV. If you cut out an hour of TV a day, you can read 60 books in a year.
  2. I try to cut out other distractions when I read, which slow me down as well as divert my attention from the text. Keeping the cell phone out of sight and hearing is key. I need to stay away from screens when I read.
  3. I try to read when I am most alert, which for me is early in the day. Sometimes, I stand when I read when I have to read closely, and might be inclined to doze off!
  4. I always have something available to read–on breaks, in airports. This is when I do some lighter reading.
  5. There is something to reading skills–reading speed, comprehension–that improve with practice. I pay attention to chapter titles, headings, first sentences in paragraphs, which tip me off to meaning.
  6. I find punctuating reading with some physical activity–say five minutes of walking–results in greater alertness.
  7. I always have books on hand to read next, the proverbial TBR (to be read) pile.
  8. I vary my reading–fiction, history, biography, sports, theology, science and more.
  9. I’ve been part of a book group, and over the years, we’ve read nearly one hundred books together.
  10. Track your progress, which is a kind of reinforcer in itself. Goodreads has a reading challenge. Be realistic and keep it fun.

The point in reading though is not how many books we read, but what happens in us as a result of what we read. Books can enlarge our world, enlarge our ideas of a life well-lived, sharpen our thinking, and feed our imagination. There are times to read quickly, times to read carefully, and times to savor the richness of wordplay in a poem or particularly well-written passage. Hopefully these ideas will help you make more space in your life for books, whatever number you read.