Submitted by Pineapplebruh97 t3_10iqlh4 in books
[deleted] t1_j5g0o5z wrote
[deleted]
minimalist_coach t1_j5g8eje wrote
Please don't feel bad about how many books you read. I had to retire to finally get to read a lot of books. When my kids were little we were planning a vacation and I told them my one and only condition is we needed to go somewhere that would allow me enough free time to read a book cover to cover.
HappyLeading8756 t1_j5h25ey wrote
And that's okay.
In 2021 I read 48 books.
Guess how many in 2022? Around 8.
Reading is so personal, that there's no point in comparing yourself to others.
f-ingsteveglansberg t1_j5j57et wrote
A book a month is about 1 book more than 50% of the population read in a month.
scottishfoldwannabe t1_j5ghgdh wrote
You’d be surprised to know there are people who read over 150 books a year (granted they’re book bloggers but still discouraging at times).
Mom_V t1_j5iie5k wrote
My goal is to read at least one page every day. Hopefully I can read more, but if all I can muster is one page, then so be it. Last year I managed to read 13 books that way. :)
Violet2393 t1_j5ipnkx wrote
Don't worry about the number of books you read. The number is less important than what you got from those books. Personally, I try not to focus too much on how many books I read, because I find that encourages me to stay away from books that are slower or take longer, and those are usually my favorites at the end of the year.
Just like everything else, social media has turned reading into something where you compare yourself to some "ideal" of a reader. There's no such thing. The most important and valuable thing about reading is the relationship you build between yourself and the book.
Agitated-Aardvark-55 t1_j5kx5gl wrote
I set a goal one year of the number of books I wanted to read. Problem is, I like to read long books and I struggled to meet my goal. I’m not going to do that again.
mmillington t1_j5l7xwn wrote
When I read something long, like 700+, I plan to take a whole month to read it.
Though I usually finish early, it’s so nice to dedicate a whole month of reading to one book.
DeborahJeanne1 t1_j5kh9dy wrote
I don’t set reading goals. I see many readers want to top the number of books they read the previous year, but imo, that takes all the fun out of reading. I read because I love to. 2020 and 2021 I read nonstop. I don’t know how many books I read, but I always had a book open in my spare time.
2022 was totally different. I was given short notice that my rental agreement would not be renewed. I ended up buying a house (I’m so over shitty landlords), I packed up to move, then unpacked, and came out of a short-lived retirement and went back to work.
I’m still not totally unpacked, so I feel guilty if I sit down to read for even 30 minutes because there’s so much yet to do.
The other issue is, you have it in the back of your mind that it’s all about numbers. You may find yourself rushing through a book without really absorbing what you’re reading. You read just to finish the book and move on to the next one, scratching another line on the tree adding to the number of books you’ve already read.
This all defeats the purpose of reading. Read because you love to, not because you want to top yourself.
missly_ t1_j5jmt69 wrote
I wanted to do the 52 books challenge (1 per week) a couple years ago, but last year I set my goal to 24. A lot more realistic, but I still read 16 and a half. I'm trying again this year! And I'm trying not to get depressed over that :) also, somebody said some people read over 100 books a year. Lol, it must be very tiring. 150? I don't know if I believe that, unless they have eidetic memory or read short books lol
DeborahJeanne1 t1_j5kinec wrote
I totally agree with you. Some people throw out unrealistic numbers. Impossible numbers! You have to eat, sleep, most people work. How does someone read 200 books a year?
Don’t get depressed over the number of books you read or don’t read, because frankly, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.
There are only 365 days in a year. Reading 200/year sounds impossible - unless they’re third grade golden books 😁
mmillington t1_j5l8hek wrote
A lot of the high numbers I’ve seen are people who listen to a lot of pop lit audiobooks while they’re at work. And they listen at like 2X speed.
I’ve been listening to the Dresden Files books on 2X before bed, but I can’t take audiobooks for long.
DeborahJeanne1 t1_j5lzvku wrote
I thought that might be the case, but that’s not reading! Listening to a book is no different than listening to a documentary on TV. I do that when I’m cleaning the house.
I’ve tried listening to audiobooks while driving to a vacation spot, but my mind wanders and I find myself continuously rewinding. However, I never considered that reading in the true sense of the word.
In my opinion - and it’s just that - someone who listens to audiobooks and speeds it up to finish quicker- is doing it to pad their numbers. They are deluding themselves if they think it classifies as reading.
And before I’m downvoted by those who don’t agree, just look up the definition of reading: “the action or skill of reading written or printed matter silently or aloud.” Similar alternatives are “browse through, look through, glance through, leaf through, flick through, skim through” - but no “listen to.”
mmillington t1_j5msmxd wrote
Yeah, I think of it as listening to a theater performance more than “reading.”
The only time I can really follow an audiobook is if I’ve read the print version first; otherwise, like you, my mind just wanders off.
When I do long, laborious home projects like refinishing floors or painting walls/fences, I listen to some classic science fiction like Snow Crash, The Forever War, or The Doomsday Book.
Aside from the Dresden Files audiobooks, the only time I’ve listened to the audio as my first time through was last year with Finnegans Wake. I had the audio going in my headphones while I actively read along. It really helped having the Irish pronunciations. Next time I read The Wake, I’m going without the audio now that I have a feel for it.
cursed-core t1_j5k7xjw wrote
Hey it is okay despite my challenge this year I only read three last year!! It is good that you are reading either way.
Ireallyamthisshallow t1_j5gcbsc wrote
My free time to read dwindled massively over the years to the point where I was barely reading at all (especially if I wanted to relax any other way). Audiobooks really made a huge difference to me, because I can listen to them doing a lot of the more menial tasks in life (cleaning, traveling, exercising) where I can devote my attention but can't physically hold a book.
I don't do this thing where people listen to them at x500 speed, I just listen at their standard speed and get to enjoy and consider books once again. I got through 70 last year.
I still always have a physical book on the go for bed times, but it's a slow burner.
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