I have a love/hate relationship with the Goodreads Reading Challenge. I have been participating in it for about 5 years now.
The first year (I may have joined mid-year), my goal was to read 25 books for the year…I didn’t make it. I only read 7.
The second year, my goal was to read 30 books. I did make it. I read 32. But here’s the deal, I discovered you could change your goal any time throughout the year. So I started out with a goal of 50, realized you could change your goal, changed my goal to 40, and then to 30, just so I could meet the number I was currently at. And then I read 2 books over my goal. Yay for me!
But, you know what? I discovered there is nothing wrong with not meeting a goal. So the next year I set the goal for 50 and left it. I did meet the goal and exceeded the goal by 1 book.
Here’s what else I discovered, in order to give yourself some cushion toward your goal, you look for books that are fast reads – like graphic novels, cookbooks, children’s books, etc. I mean reading is reading right? And I can say I have found some really good books by branching out from what I normally read. Here are a few:
- Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh – Graphic Novel
I’m not a fan of graphic novels, I have a hard time following the illustrations and I feel I miss a lot of the story. But this was recommended so I took a stab at it. I did like it. - Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters by Mallory Ortberg, Madeline Gobbo
What it would be like if your favorite literary characters could text in their time period. - The Beach House Cookbook by Mary Kay Andrews
My favorite cookbook. Try the Shrimp and Grits. You don’t need the shrimp…the grits are heavenly all by themselves. - She Sheds: A Room of Your Own by Erika Kotite
By the way, this is my dream…to have a She Shed. Beautiful photos and instructions on how to make a few. - Letters to Santa Claus by The Elves
This book is hilarious, I highly recommend finding a copy, letters span from the 1930’s to 2010. To find a copy, try your public library. - The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden by Heather Smith, Illustrated by Rachel Wada
This is a beautifully illustrated children’s picture book. The story is also beautifully written. - A Book of Lists: A Bibliophile’s Compendium by Alex Johnson
A book of the oddest lists I have ever seen. Who thinks these up? - Notes from a Public Typewriter by Michael Gustafson, Oliver Uberti
My absolute favorite book. I loved it so much, I had to go visit the bookstore to see the typewriter.
-Kelley