I almost never make New Year’s resolutions, and I keep them even less, but this year a resolution found me and grabbed hold: to read more.
The reason this idea resonated with me is that I’ve always considered myself a reader, but lately have found myself reading less and less, and I missed it. It didn’t take much to figure out that Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were the problem with my reading life. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how scrolling through social media can eat up your time, and it turns out that for me my reading time was what was lost.
Even when social media led to
At first, my goal was to read three books a month during 2019: my book club books plus a few others. Now that we’re a couple of months in that seems a bit ambitious. Last night I finished my fifth book of the year, so I’m thinking 24-30 books might be more like it.
For a while now I’ve been keeping track of the books I read on Pinterest. To help with my new resolution I started a Pinterest board just for books I read this year, and I find it so, so satisfying to add a pin to the board when I’m done with a book. (You can see my 2019 board here. I also have boards for books to read, bookstores and libraries, living with books (great eye candy), and other bookish stuff.)
Last week my longstanding book club (that’s our latest group photo above) chose the books we would read for the year. We do this once a year so we can read ahead, get on waiting lists at the library, etc. Here is our list in case anyone is interested:
The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum
When All is Said by Anne Griffin
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (This seems to be on everyone’s list.)
Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History by Keith O’Brien
Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult (My pick.)
Educated by Tara Westover (I just finished this one. Wow.)
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
The Dry by Jane Harper
Have you read any of these? What else are you reading?
P.S. Playing with books and a to-read shelf.
Linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Quick Lit.
I loved this post! I, too, think of myself as a “reader,” and belong to more than one book group. But I have also found myself dawdling over blog reading or IG when I coals just be reading. (And can I say that I really like to read actual books. Many friends and my kids are Kindle readers, but it just doesn’t give me the same satisfaction. I loved your comment about Educated. What a powerful book. I really enjoyed The Lilac Girls. We just read House of Broken Angels (really good) and Eleanor Elephant is Just Fine (meatier than I expected). Right now I’m reading Bel Canto, it’s been around for awhile, but I never got to it. Clearly, this winter weather and my cabin fever have been good for reading!
Janet, Bel Canto has been on my radar for a while. You’ll have to let me know how you like it!
Loved Lilac Girls
Great post! I’ve been keeping my list for a the last few years (just on paper) but I like the idea of the graphical representation! Since I’ve been keeping a list, I’ve increased my reading. I think I hit 31 last year. I am also guilty of sitting down to read and wasting time on my phone too!
In the summer (out book club doesn’t meet in summer), I made a list of the books I wanted to read (wide variety and mostly books I owned but had not read) as my own little challenge. I plan to do that again this summer.
I LOVED Where the Crawdads Sing!!! I can’t wait for my bookclub to read it. Our library system has “book club kits” of books and our group really tries to use books from the kits so we’re not all buying books, so I don’t know how long before they put together the Crawdads kit.
Educated was definitely WOW.
Does your bookclub always meet around the table? That looks so cozy and fun. We normally meet in the living room, but depending on how many attend next time I host, I think we’ll do the table!
Oh and another good/fun/easy read was Rush by Lisa Patton. It’s modern day setting of Sorority Rush at Ole Miss. Kind of reminiscent of The Help.
Eileen, such a great point about how just the act of keeping a list has increased your reading. Love that.
Yes, we almost always meet around a table…usually because we’re eating. lol. But I do like it.
The Story of Arthur Truluv was a nice book but nothing that outstanding I didn’t think. Lilac Girls had a slow start, but then really grabbed me and turned out to be a great read. Try Elinor Oliphant is Just Fine-excellent, funny, kept my attention.
Sold on Monday is another great read-has many twists.
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is what I am reading now, and it is excellent-by Robert Dugoni. I highly recommend it!!! It might resonate with several in your group, as the main character’s mother is a devout Catholic and much of the story is interwoven about her faith and how it affects his life.
Code Girls was a good read, but I also found it repetitious.
Have a good time reading!!!
Nancee, thanks so much for the recommendations. They sound great! Going to look some of them up now.