In fall of 2004, I found myself in a bit of a pinch. I had been listening to NPR everyday at work and got in the habit of reserving books I heard about at the library. I already had a shelf of them at my house with their due dates looming when several more arrived for me at the circulation desk. Mulling them all over at home, there weren’t any that I wanted to return without reading. I set out to read them all, and I did.
As I returned the finished books to the library, it dawned me that this was a pace I could keep. I had read a book a week, and there was no reason I couldn’t keep going. In 2005, I read 58 books. I read 61 in 2006 and repeated that number again in 2007. In 2008, I made it to 56.
And then came 2009. This year was the first that I didn’t make my goal, with only 51 total books.
I know that 51 books is still quite a lot, but it’s always disappointing to miss a goal. Looking back over the last few years, there are a few things that contributed.
- I used to read at the gym on a bike or elliptical trainer, but I’ve switched to classes and going for bike rides or cross country skiing. I’m in better shape because of this change, but I’ve lost a couple of hours of reading time every week.
- This year was also the first year that Brian and I didn’t travel internationally for our vacation. Instead, we explored Southern Utah. Being on a plane to London or China has meant getting through three or four books while I was on vacation. Driving meant more time talking, listening to music, and looking at the views.
- I also got my hands on a Kindle this spring. On the one handle, the Kindle has made me more excited about reading. It’s a great device for reading and appeals to my gadget attraction. On the other hand, Kindle books don’t come with deadlines like books from the library. There’s less reason to rush through a book because I own it.
These are small changes, but they translated into five fewer books this year than last year. Most of these changes have been pretty positive ones, so I’m not sure I’ll be changing back to my old ways. But I’ll look for little ways that I can do to build a little more reading time into my life.
