books, books, books
in 2019, i wanted to get serious about reading. like many people, i grew up loving to read but liked it a little less when i was forced to read (mostly in school). there were two types of reading credentials in my education: 1) you had to read a certain amount of books, any book you wanted, and then take a small little quiz to verify that you read the book cover-to-cover and 2) required reading in class that was then dissected (usually to death), probably required to write a paper about it and then tested on as well. the latter i did not enjoy so much, as one would agree with me. when i moved to new york, i often found myself with a lot of free time when riding the subways or waiting in the laundromat and sometimes music would be too overwhelming for me and i needed something a little more soothing. my goal for 2019 was to read 20 books and for someone who often times has a hard time focusing, this was my greatest accomplishment. i don’t read titles that everyone else wants me to read, i’ve learned that the only true way for me to understand my reading preferences is to read titles that i find interesting, no matter the genre. i’ve learned that i read more when i don’t put pressure on myself to read certain types of books. i also don’t put pressure on myself to continue reading a book where i have to read the same page 5 times. all this to say, i want to start doing monthly roundups of the books i’ve read. yes, i know Goodreads exists but i suck at updating my page and find myself being judged (only by myself) because i’m still learning how to articulate my own analysis on a book…so there’s that. my website feels safer for me to vocalize my thoughts since, yes, you guessed it, i created this space for my own expression (where i use a plethora of commas and don’t utilize the caps lock button).
last year in 2020, i wanted to up the ante and added 10 more books to my reading goal. with the kind of year that 2020 ended up being, i’m not only very shocked but very proud of myself for not only hitting 30 books but going over the number as well. in a sense the goal was easier to reach because time magically felt infinite but it also was more difficult considering the numerous amounts of emotional waves i went through. while i won’t give an analysis of all the books i read last year, i will list them below just in case you fancy a look.
Little Bee
Stay with Me
Less
The Rules of Magic
The Woman in the Window
The Dutch House
Switch on Your Brain
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird
Love the One You’re With
When Breath Becomes Air
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Redeeming Love
The Upside of Being Down
The Stationary Shop
A Thousand Splendid Suns
When We Believed in Mermaids
Girl in Pieces
Holding the Universe
High Achiever
The French Bistro
The Nightengale
Everything I Never Told You
Writers and Lovers
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
Every Last Word
The Stranger
Something in the Water
The Year of Magical Thinking
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
Watch Me Disappear
Cilka’s Journey
Exciting Times
books that i have read but do not feel it necessary to read all of it in one sitting, if that makes sense…? reference books, great daily reminders, poetry, etc.
Dream Big
Women Don’t Owe You Pretty
Homebody
A Sloth’s Guide to Mindfulness
The Bible
Since it is March, i will go ahead and list below the books i read in january and february (january i was eager to read and was impressed by the number but february i was not so impressed so better to combine the two).
Garden City
A Study in Charlotte
The Last of August
A Thousand Splendid Suns (this is my favorite book and i read it every year)
The Case for Jamie
A Question of Holmes
The Hobbit
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Fire Next Time
hopefully this inspires you to pick up reading but if not, that’s fine. writing this post is as good as writing it in stone but knowing me that means nothing!