Books, Books, Books
One of my goals for living more intentionally this year is to read more books.
I have always loved to read and I don't even care the subject. Fiction, non-fiction, romance, spirituality, kids books, sports, animals, history, technical... I love it all.
Some years (seasons of life?) I don't have to be intentional at all about reading. I just always have a book at hand. But other times months will go by when I don't read anything unless I have to for school or work.
Last year a friend of mine declared in January that she was going to read 15 books in 2015. That didn't sound like very many books to me. And yet, looking back, I'm not sure I can honestly say that I read that many. At least not in their entirety. (When did I develop this habit of starting books and not finishing them??) Maybe I read a dozen books last year. Maybe.
Needless to say, the last couple of years have been slow reading years for me. Mostly because of my job. When you write for a living, words suddenly become work instead of relaxation, even sometimes obligation instead of enjoyment. And at the end of the day you just want to give your brain a rest. Couple that with the fact that Randy doesn't enjoy reading, and you're much more likely to find me playing board games, watching The Bachelor, and going for hikes than you are reading a book.
One of the books that I did read last year, however, was "Clout" by Jenni Catron. The book was fabulous, about our God-given influence, and I highlighted (on Kindle) pages and pages of it. So I started following Jenni on social media and at the end of 2015 she wrote a blog post in which she claimed that she reads 52 books every year. 52 books! That's one a week! In addition to the ones she writes!
I read her blog around the time that I was thinking about INTENTION being my word of the year and I wondered: Could I read 52 books in 2016? It would be so beneficial... to stay relevant for my job, to enjoy new authors and writing styles, to spend less time in front of the TV.
So this week I started... and finished!... my first book of the year. I got hold of an advanced copy of Steven Furtick's "(Un)Qualified" which is due out the first of March. Steven is a pastor and he starts by saying that he was watching a random interview on YouTube in which the guy being interviewed mentioned his name. Sounds exciting! Yet the guy said that the word that comes to mind when he hears Steven's name is "unqualified." The book goes on to talk about how most of us feel unqualified for the things we do in this life. (I'm sure you can pick out an area in your life right now where you feel like you are a total failure, or at the very least the wrong person for the job!)
Nearing the end of the week, as I was squeezing in an hour here and an hour there to be able to finish this book, I started to wonder, Am I crazy? Maybe my goal should be to read ONCE a week, not a BOOK a week!
Just as I was having that thought I came to this statement that Steven wrote: "It's one thing to ask, 'Am I reaching my goal?' But it's another to ask, 'Is it a good goal? Is it the best goal?' In a goal-obsessed society it's important to be INTENTIONAL about asking those questions."
Ha! Touché, God, touché.
I still like the idea of reading 52 books this year. But that little incident of Divine timing reminds me that goals are meant to be evaluated, and may need to be reevaluated. And that I shouldn't beat myself up if I don't get through War and Peace in 7 days. (No one said Dr. Seuss couldn't be my book of the week!)
I have always loved to read and I don't even care the subject. Fiction, non-fiction, romance, spirituality, kids books, sports, animals, history, technical... I love it all.
Some years (seasons of life?) I don't have to be intentional at all about reading. I just always have a book at hand. But other times months will go by when I don't read anything unless I have to for school or work.
Last year a friend of mine declared in January that she was going to read 15 books in 2015. That didn't sound like very many books to me. And yet, looking back, I'm not sure I can honestly say that I read that many. At least not in their entirety. (When did I develop this habit of starting books and not finishing them??) Maybe I read a dozen books last year. Maybe.
Needless to say, the last couple of years have been slow reading years for me. Mostly because of my job. When you write for a living, words suddenly become work instead of relaxation, even sometimes obligation instead of enjoyment. And at the end of the day you just want to give your brain a rest. Couple that with the fact that Randy doesn't enjoy reading, and you're much more likely to find me playing board games, watching The Bachelor, and going for hikes than you are reading a book.
One of the books that I did read last year, however, was "Clout" by Jenni Catron. The book was fabulous, about our God-given influence, and I highlighted (on Kindle) pages and pages of it. So I started following Jenni on social media and at the end of 2015 she wrote a blog post in which she claimed that she reads 52 books every year. 52 books! That's one a week! In addition to the ones she writes!
I read her blog around the time that I was thinking about INTENTION being my word of the year and I wondered: Could I read 52 books in 2016? It would be so beneficial... to stay relevant for my job, to enjoy new authors and writing styles, to spend less time in front of the TV.
So this week I started... and finished!... my first book of the year. I got hold of an advanced copy of Steven Furtick's "(Un)Qualified" which is due out the first of March. Steven is a pastor and he starts by saying that he was watching a random interview on YouTube in which the guy being interviewed mentioned his name. Sounds exciting! Yet the guy said that the word that comes to mind when he hears Steven's name is "unqualified." The book goes on to talk about how most of us feel unqualified for the things we do in this life. (I'm sure you can pick out an area in your life right now where you feel like you are a total failure, or at the very least the wrong person for the job!)
Nearing the end of the week, as I was squeezing in an hour here and an hour there to be able to finish this book, I started to wonder, Am I crazy? Maybe my goal should be to read ONCE a week, not a BOOK a week!
Just as I was having that thought I came to this statement that Steven wrote: "It's one thing to ask, 'Am I reaching my goal?' But it's another to ask, 'Is it a good goal? Is it the best goal?' In a goal-obsessed society it's important to be INTENTIONAL about asking those questions."
Ha! Touché, God, touché.
I still like the idea of reading 52 books this year. But that little incident of Divine timing reminds me that goals are meant to be evaluated, and may need to be reevaluated. And that I shouldn't beat myself up if I don't get through War and Peace in 7 days. (No one said Dr. Seuss couldn't be my book of the week!)
Ryan and I have tracked the books we read during the year since 2011. It is fascinating to see the variety (and some repetition) we have read. I have not tracked my books for the past year, but am back on the wagon for 2016! Enjoy the journey, Katie. I hope you continue to share some of your books with us.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle! What a great idea to keep a list and reflect back on it! I'm glad you are back on the wagon and would love for you to share some of your favorites this year as well!
DeleteI will be happy to share! I tend to read anything that catches my eye on the library shelves, everything from Danielle Steel to James Patterson to any number of YA authors. My choice of material is usually lightweight by many folks' standards, but I appreciate the lighter fare after reading textbooks and stuff for work. My feeling has always been, who cares what you are reading as long as you are reading! This goes for kids, too!
ReplyDeleteI definitely hope to have some YA books on my list this year!
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