Since 2008, I have digitally kept track of the number of books I’ve read annually (with the exception of 2012 and 2013 — not sure what happened those two years). From a quick glance of my “completed books” lists from the past decade, I can deduce the following about my reading habits:
- I still enjoy reading a mix of nonfiction and fiction, and tend to find myself ‘stuck’ reading a couple nonfiction books at the same time (this is my current predicament).
- I’m still interested in reading about business (marketing), productivity, and health/nutrition when it comes to nonfiction.
- In my fiction reading, I have dabbled in YA/fantasy reading in more recent years (last year I finally got around to reading the Harry Potter series, and subsequently watched all the movies).
- I am not sure why in certain years I read over 20 books, while in other years I would barely eke by with 10 books: lack of inspiration? Lack of time? Hard to say.
From Reading to Listening
In 2019, I completed 19 books, with the majority of them being audiobooks that I checked out from Denver Public Library. I have found that my ‘reading’ habit has changed over to favoring audiobooks in the past couple of years due to the multitasking nature of the format: I can listen to an audiobook and still stare out the window of a bus or focus on a knit/crochet project at the same time.
Digital Reading
I have been trying to use my Kindle more: I received it as a gift in 2010 and it is still full of many books I haven’t read yet. I signed up for a limited-time offer to check out Kindle Unlimited through mid-March, and am so far not impressed with the service (it really isn’t unlimited, so the name is a misnomer). At least I am able to check out the latest issue of Writers Digest through the service, though.
Sparse Bookshelves
My bookshelves at home used to be overflowing with many books I hadn’t had the chance to read (yet). Last summer, in the midst of my job search, I purged most of those books since they had gathered dust/taken up space and had also moved with me through several different apartment moves.
The books that still remain on my shelves are half books I still want to read, and other books that I have read already and enjoyed.
After moving so many times since 2007, I am intentionally cutting down on my purchases (especially with books), since I have experienced one too many times how heavy moving boxes of books can be.
My 2020 reading goals are simple:
- Read all fiction on my physical bookshelves.
- Check out a few more books/magazines on Kindle Unlimited, and then cancel my membership.
- Read at least five books already pre-loaded on my Kindle.
- Select a few nonfiction books from my bookshelves and read them. I’m not putting an exact number on this goal, since I tend to get bogged down with too many nonfiction books all at once.
- Limit audiobooks (checked out from the library) to one per month so that I can focus on my current collection at home/digitally.