Can you bear to talk about books for a second day in a row? I hope so because today I am looking back at everything I read in 2021. Thanks to GoodReads, this is a very easy thing to do. Allow me to show you the wonderful year of reading I had . . .
As for 2022, I’ve set a goal of reading 75 books again, mostly because that seems to be the number I can read comfortably. And I will continue to track them on GoodReads because it helps me to remember each book and that’s important to me, not just for my own recollection but also as part of my job as I am frequently asked to recommend a book to someone. I’ve read a few things lately on social media about cutting back or not tracking the books that you read, implying perhaps that reading a lot somehow means you aren’t savoring and ingesting the books you are reading. That couldn’t be further from the case for me! Yes, I do read quickly, but no, I don’t think it’s a race . . . I’m just always reading something. I’ve also seen a few posts about encouraging people to re-read books that they have enjoyed. That’s something I do very rarely. In fact, the only two books I think I have re-read (and I’ve read them several times each) are To Kill a Mockingbird and Pride and Prejudice. For me, there are so many books I want to read (some new and some backlist) that re-reading doesn’t really appeal to me.
As I’ve said many times, though, I am a big proponent of you-do-you. In terms of reading that means I want you to read. I don’t care what you are reading how much you are reading, if you are re-reading an old favorite or any of the above . . . so long as you are reading!
You-do-you is the best advice for most everything in life, Carole. 🙂 We don’t all need to have the same approach to . . . pretty much anything. It’s always interesting to me to watch the pendulum swings . . . from READALLTHEBOOKS to take-your-time-and-savor, from READNEWRELEASES to re-read-your-favorites. What matters? Read what you like and how you like and share good reads with your friends! XO
Amen to you-do-you! I did read an awful lot of books last year, but I can’t think of offhand of any that I read for the sake of adding to the total. I read what I wanted to read, and that did include some rereads (most of which were books that I read so long ago — think middle or high school — that I didn’t really remember them, so they may as well have been first-time reads). I’ve set a goal of 100 books because that seems really reasonable for the pace at which I read, but my goal is to read what I enjoy and that I find fulfilling, so if I read more or less than that, it doesn’t really matter.
You had a great year of reading! We have some books in common. I like to track my books just for curiosity sake – I enjoy seeing how many I read in a year and what the mix is (fiction, non-fiction, mystery, poetry, etc.). It’s definitely not a race, but like you I am always reading something. Agree with you and also Kym’s comment on “You Do You” (and I’ll do me).
I really love your reading posts, Carole. I always, always, always find something that I want to read from your reading lists. And I think that is why talking about what we’ve been reading is so important!
(but yes… everyone please just do themselves! Best advice ever!)
I agree everybody should read however they want to! I make loose reading plans and set up a short-term queue, but that often changes depending on holds that become available from the library or something new (or old) strikes me as interesting. When I worked in the library I used to tell the kids they should read whatever they liked, even if it’s the cereal box or comic books!
Fascinating to see what others read, so thanks, Carole for sharing your master list. There are a few on that list that I meant to read that I forgot about. Yep, reading for pleasure is such an individual experience, and reading expands your world more than you think, so everybody just read!
I love seeing these posts and finding overlap. I think a lot of us stretched our reading lives last year and have discovered what you-do-you means. I think those are great discoveries.
The only book on your list that I also read is the Penny/Hillary. You seem to like the Barbara Moss seaside books, so I’ll try her. Many in that genre are too cute, by far.
Looks like you really liked mysteries by Barbara Ross! I’ll have to check her out. Thx.
If you (anyone) is reading, it should be for their own enjoyment and that to me means what they like and at their own rate. Who are these book police? Reading something is what matters.
Okay, grammar is important. If you ARE reading. lol
I think you had a wonderful year of reading! Your advice, “you do you”, is spot on for reading and for many other things in life. I like tracking my books on goodreads and sharing with my goodreads friends. I don’t pay much attention to the numbers of books I read, but I have noticed that I read more since I’ve retired. The joy of reading is what it’s all about!
I’ve read every Barbara Ross Clambake book except a short kindle only one. They are a fun, quick read. I like tracking what I read just to look back or if a title comes out with a new cover but sounds familiar, I can look it up and see if I have already read it.
We read many of the same (great) books. I agree with you 100%. No matter what you read you, as a person, should be reading. Reading increases vocabulary, empathy, knowledge in general, and opens worlds to us. We are so lucky to have so many books at our fingertips. Thank you for sharing the books you read with us!