Over the past few years - at least since I joined GoodReads - I’ve included a blog post about my reading habits over the course of the previous year. Typically, I included a review of a few of the books and a bunch of recommendations. I would try to read one book or more than the previous year.
2022 started similar. I set a goal to read one more book than 2021 on January 1st, 2022. I was so excited, that I picked up my first book of the year (well downloaded it - it was a digital book) and started reading. The book was on self publishing by a friend in one of my writer’s groups (Hank Quense’s Self Publish a Book in 10 Steps). He had asked a few of us to read the recently released book and provide feedback - which I did.
I quickly finished the first book and dove right into the second, followed closely by a third and forth. Occasionally, I would be reading 2-3 books at a time (I do this to give myself a “break” from books I find emotionally draining or difficult to read).
Now I am not a fast reader. The stack of books in my “to read” pile continues to grow and outpace my reading ability. I envy the TikTok posters and YouTubers who can post a new book review a week.
I just can’t do that.
What I did end up doing through 2022, was read from one book (print, digital, graph, comic, poetry, and short story collection) every day. Sometimes I was only able to read a page or two. A couple of days I could breeze through an entire poetry collection in one sitting (it helped that I was on a plane and had nothing better to do).
I didn’t even do this on purpose at first. I only noticed at some point in April that I had read every day in 2022. I thought to myself that it was an unusual thing for me to do. Which lead me to wanting to see how long I could keep up reading every single day. By September, I was determined to keep up the pace to December 31st.
New Years Eve came. I didn’t go out, staying home with my cat and finishing my annual reread of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. As I closed the 41st book of 2022, I felt a huge wave of accomplishment. I’d read every single day in 2022.
This was big for me. I was never a big reader as a kid - it was a difficult activity for me to do. I think I actually read more as an adult than I did as a child. Maybe it’s because I’m reading for my own pleasure than for some boring assignment for school. However, 2022 was the first year that I had actively dedicate so much time to reading.
Though I may have occasionally stayed up reading a little too late, I think this unexpected accomplishment was really good for me. I learned a lot, enjoyed some new adventures, and bonded with friends over what we were currently reading. The ritual (usually right before bed) was calming and may have given me some interesting dreams.
Overall, I recommend fitting in 10-15 minutes a day to read a little. It doesn’t matter what kind of book you’re reading (you saw my eclectic list) or if it’s in print or a digital download. What matters is that you enjoy yourself.
I am currently still taking the time to read a little each day, though I don’t know if I’ll do another year of reading each day. I don’t want to commit and put pressure on myself that could add stress. Instead I want this to become a part of my nightly routine to help me get ready for bed. I could always use better quality sleep.
Until next week.
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