It’s time again to update you on my progress in our reading challenge.
I challenged myself to read 100 books in 2013, as you may remember. I invited you to join the challenge and was thrilled by those who agreed to participate. As we start May, it seems like a good time to review our progress.
As you remember, January was a productive reading month for me. I made my list of 10 books to read and stuck to it pretty well. I ended up adding a couple of books to the list and not finishing some on the original slate. I finished nine books by the end of the month, which I considered to be on target for accomplishing my long-term goal.
January = 9 books read
Then life got busy. I knew it would happen as soon as the academic year began for myself and my children.
I created February’s list of books to read in mid-January, but I didn’t accomplish a lot. Instead, I read more mandatory items for work and school.
February = 6 books read
I noticed in February how difficult it was to stick to my reading list with so much reading I needed to do for my dissertation and for teaching.
The not-so-surprising trend continued through March. I say it’s not a surprise because the more work I get done on my dissertation, the less time I have to read other stuff. However, my March number still was pretty good because I finished books that I started in February.
March = 8 books read
April has been a crazy busy month with finishing up the academic year and tons of travel for my daughter’s basketball team. The positive thing was that the travel resulted in listening to three audiobooks. This really helped my numbers in April, although I didn’t get a ton of actual reading done outside of studies for my research.
April = 7 books read
I have posted my reading list for May. An interesting note about this month is that I am rereading two books. I don’t usually do that. However, I listened to The Last Lecture on audiobook the first time. I really felt like I “missed out” by not actually reading it, so I picked it up to try again. I also am rereading a primary text in my research, Covering Violence, just to make sure I’m not missing anything in my dissertation. I expect that both of these will be quick and helpful reads.
I also expect my reading to pick up since next week is finals. I’ll have a much more flexible schedule for the summer. I can’t wait!
Overall, I still consider the challenge a success. I am making much more time to read (here’s my advice for that) and loving spending my leisure time that way.
Wanna talk about a challenge? My friend Doug has challenged himself to read 1,000 books by 2020! He also created a #1000Books Facebook page so we all can discuss books we read.
douglaserice says
Thanks for the shout-out, Kenna! And great job so far! I say it counts even if it’s for research–perhaps even ESPECIALLY if it’s for research. I’m into three really broad topics right now–neuroscience, technology, and gastronomy–and am thinking about focusing on a research issue in of them for a writing a future book. Reading is amazing thing, but INTERPRETING is all the better.
profkrg says
douglaserice It certainly counts if it’s for research, but reading 10-30 studies a day isn’t documented on my reading list. It just makes me super more impressive. 😉
I agree that there is a big difference between reading and interpreting. You can see that I’m typically reading something a bit heavier when I slow down. This means I’m spending more time thinking about what I’m reading. I fly through fiction.
Thanks for being my reading buddy!
Kenna
TammyL says
After reading your post at the beginning of the year, I started a reading challenge for the year. Mine was not as ambitious as yours – a mere 2 books a month. I started out like gang busters! Eight days ago, however, I started a new job. A very all consuming job in a new-to-me field. I don’t know if I’ll be able to meet my goal, but I still find some time each day for me to read.
Thanks for being the inspiration for reading more. And good luck with your research.
profkrg says
TammyL Tammy, I am SO happy that my reading challenge encouraged you to read more. I love that I’m focusing more on reading. Just recognizing how much I love it and want to spend time on it has resulted in me spending more time. Isn’t that wonderful? If nothing else, find 30 minutes or so in the morning, at lunch or right before bed where you can just read a few pages. It’s so relaxing!
Good luck with your new job!
Kenna
dbvickery says
I’m trying to shut down my computer, on this beautiful Friday afternoon in Denver, so I can go crack open my newly purchased Influence Marketing by Danny and Sam!
profkrg says
dbvickery I hope you enjoyed your reading!