I did it! Honestly, when I moved into December needing to read 25 books, I didn’t think it was possible that I would accomplish my 2014 reading goal. But, thanks to a lot of audiobooks and some really late nights of reading, I accomplished my goal.
I read 150 books in 2014.
Accomplishing this goal comes on the tails of having met my goal to read 100 books in 2013. I actually read 108 books that year.
Adding 50 books to my reading goal didn’t change much about my reading habits. Here’s what I noticed this year:
- I still read mostly non-fiction books. I love true crime, and I read a lot of books for work and research. Also, I like non-fiction best on audio, and I relied heavily on audiobooks to reach this goal.
- I read fiction books more quickly. I get so entranced by the storyline that I can’t put them down. Unfortunately, since I do most of this type of reading before I go to sleep, this means a lot of late nights fighting to stay awake so I can read what happens next.
- Some books took longer to read, but not because of length. Books that I read for learning take longer to finish than those I read for pleasure. This is because I spend more time highlighting, reading and rereading. I also probably only read these when I can focus.
- I still don’t believe in finishing bad books, but I had to finish several because I’d already bought them or because I was too far in once I realized how much I disliked them. I hated this about the 150 book challenge. I couldn’t just stop reading something because I needed the number.
- Reading 150 books is expensive. I relied heavily on the library for digital and audiobooks to complete this challenge. I prefer physical books, but it just wasn’t possible when reading so much. I don’t know how much I spent to complete this challenge. It’s probably best not to think about it.
- Sometimes I felt like I’d read everything. There were times during the challenge that I struggled to find the next book to read. It was difficult to find something to grab my attention because books began seeming similar.
- Convenience is critical. I read audiobooks and digital books much more quickly because I always had them with me. Convenience is key when it comes to developing an active reading habit.
- I still have a stack. Despite reading all of those books and feeling like I’d read everything, I still have a stack of books waiting to be read. I’m thrilled to dive in.
- Staying current on reviews is impossible. I try to post book reviews on this site, but it’s not possible to stay current with all of the reviews when I’m reading three or four books a week. That’s all I’d ever write. You’d be sick of reading reviews.
I still love to read and believe in the importance of daily reading. I’m absolutely going to continue being intentional about make time for all types of reading. However, I am not setting a reading challenge for 2015. I’ve hardly read in this new year, I think because I burnt out from so much reading at the end of 2014. Reading is a pleasure for me. I don’t want it to become a chore. After reading 258 books in two years, I have established that I can read a lot, even with my busy schedule.
So, for 2015, I will continue reading for me, but not for a challenge. I also will continue tracking my monthly reading and posting my list and reviews for you. I know you like reading recommendations, so the 2015 Reading List will assist you with those.
Thank you to all of you who supported me in my 2014 reading challenge. Keep those book recommendations coming. I love them!
KDillabough says
Bravo to you, and to your decision for 2015! I read every day, and always have a stack of books somewhere close by, in various states of reading or readiness. I checked out your selection of “Small Victories” by Anne Lamott for January, and will add it to my list. Happy New Year to you. Cheers! Kaarina
Kenna Griffin says
Thank you, Kaarina, for being such an amazing supporter! I appreciate you!
TammyL says
Congratulations on reaching your goal! The last few months you were afraid you weren’t going to make it.
My goal for 2014 was to read the same number of books I read in 2013 – 40 (26 of the paper variety, 14 audio books). I flew past that goal in September. My goal for 2015? The same as last year for the exact reason you mentioned: I don’t want reading to become a chore. If I’m reading a book every two weeks, I’m content with that.
Kenna Griffin says
It sounds like you’re being really smart about your challenges. What have you read that I should consider?
audaciouslady says
I’m looking through my bookmark browser and I see your book review about what the most successful people do before breakfast when I see this post. Awesome! We talk on twitter and triberr yet I’ve never seen this post. This is awesome. I love that you read 150 books in 2014. I’m doing the 52 book challenge on Facebook. There’s even a group for it. But now you have me thinkin 150 books. Hmmmm…I don’t think it would be too expensive for me since I can go to the library for many of them. Love it!
Kenna Griffin says
What did you decide on the reading challenge? I’d love to support you through it.
profkrg says
directhitsfan Thank you!
ebuttscpa says
@profkrg I’m so impressed by this. Can we get some descriptive stats on the reading? mean, mode, std devigation on number of pgs, perhaps the same on time it took to read those books? Only half joking – I’m kind of a numbers guy!
Kenna Griffin says
LOL. You ask a lot! I will tell you this, I read any book that interested me. They were of average length, so I would say most were 150-200 pages. It took varying times to read the books, depending on my interest and what else was going on in my life at the time. Also, I listened to a lot of audiobooks. That’s the only way I could make this happen. Honestly, that’s one of the reasons that I’m not doing a reading challenge next year. I miss music and podcasts. There’s no time for that when you’re trying to read/listen to 150 books.
idleponderings says
profkrg Very impressive! And there was me thinking I was being ambitious with a target of 50 fiction / non ‘work’ books for this year.
profkrg says
idleponderings It doesn’t matter how much you read, as long as you do it.
idleponderings says
profkrg That’s pretty much how I feel. Making time to ‘allow’ myself to read fiction / for pure self indulgent pleasure is a big step.
idleponderings says
profkrg I have been amazed by the difference owning an ereader has made to my reading habits.
profkrg says
idleponderings I had gotten out of the habit, citing “time” as the excuse. My back-to-back reading challenges solved that.
profkrg says
idleponderings convenience makes a huge difference. I love iBooks. Great interface!