The Challenge with Reading Challenges
Does anyone else wish they loved reading challenges? Every year, I check out Pinterest and book blogs for reading challenges to take me into the new year, but I've never gone much beyond search mode. On paper, reading challenges and I are a perfect match. I love searching for new books. I love checking items off my list. I love anything remotely competitive. And of course, I love reading. So, where's the disconnect?
Reading challenges are intended to get you outside of your reading 'comfort zone' and sometimes simply to encourage you to read more. But whenever I skim through reading challenges, I find myself mentally trying to fit books that I already want to read into the challenge categories. Inevitably, there are several categories left over where nothing fits. A book about sports, a novella, a collection of essays, a retelling. That's where the 'challenge' sets in - having to seek out a book that fits a particular subject matter or genre, or sometimes a category that is completely arbitrary (a book with an animal on the cover! a book set in a country that starts with "Z"!). These are books that you otherwise might not have read, but are encouraged to do so as part of your quest to become a diversified reader. But if I'm being honest, when I see categories like this in a reading challenge, I move on. Which is why I've never completed (or even really started) a reading challenge.
Maybe as a book lover I'm not supposed to say this, but I think the reality is sometimes reading is the challenge. I've loved reading since I was really young, but I'm not exactly a voracious reader anymore. A lot of the time, I come home from work and crave mindless entertainment. I sometimes enjoy searching for new books on Goodreads more than actually reading them (am I alone in that?). I read almost exclusively on the weekends, at the nail salon, or on airplanes. So I'm not exactly whipping through books like there's no tomorrow.
This means I have to be selective. There are too many amazing books on my to-read list that need my attention to seek out a book that only somewhat interests me. When I read, I want to read a book I'm excited about. Most of the time, I'm reaching for a book recommended by a friend, or a bestseller, or a new release by a favorite author of mine. Sometimes, they fit a reading challenge. But many times, they do not. And while I definitely have room to diversify, I want to be drawn to the book I'm reading, rather than force it.
So, once again, I will not be participating in any reading challenges this year. Instead I'm going to set a few loose "goals" for my 2019 reading. I hope to challenge myself to read a bit more and a tad differently, but always with enjoyment. Happy reading!
Reading challenges are intended to get you outside of your reading 'comfort zone' and sometimes simply to encourage you to read more. But whenever I skim through reading challenges, I find myself mentally trying to fit books that I already want to read into the challenge categories. Inevitably, there are several categories left over where nothing fits. A book about sports, a novella, a collection of essays, a retelling. That's where the 'challenge' sets in - having to seek out a book that fits a particular subject matter or genre, or sometimes a category that is completely arbitrary (a book with an animal on the cover! a book set in a country that starts with "Z"!). These are books that you otherwise might not have read, but are encouraged to do so as part of your quest to become a diversified reader. But if I'm being honest, when I see categories like this in a reading challenge, I move on. Which is why I've never completed (or even really started) a reading challenge.
Maybe as a book lover I'm not supposed to say this, but I think the reality is sometimes reading is the challenge. I've loved reading since I was really young, but I'm not exactly a voracious reader anymore. A lot of the time, I come home from work and crave mindless entertainment. I sometimes enjoy searching for new books on Goodreads more than actually reading them (am I alone in that?). I read almost exclusively on the weekends, at the nail salon, or on airplanes. So I'm not exactly whipping through books like there's no tomorrow.
This means I have to be selective. There are too many amazing books on my to-read list that need my attention to seek out a book that only somewhat interests me. When I read, I want to read a book I'm excited about. Most of the time, I'm reaching for a book recommended by a friend, or a bestseller, or a new release by a favorite author of mine. Sometimes, they fit a reading challenge. But many times, they do not. And while I definitely have room to diversify, I want to be drawn to the book I'm reading, rather than force it.
So, once again, I will not be participating in any reading challenges this year. Instead I'm going to set a few loose "goals" for my 2019 reading. I hope to challenge myself to read a bit more and a tad differently, but always with enjoyment. Happy reading!
Comments
Post a Comment