One of these was to refrain from purchasing ANY books this year (unless I was given a gift card). I did really well... until the day I didn't. In a moment of weakness, I clicked on my Amazon Kindle 'one click' order button and a new book appeared.
It's just one, I comforted myself, Chin up! It's not like this is a slippery slope or anything.
But it was.
I have failed. Miserably. I have not focused well on my List of 21 Books to Read in 2016.
How did this happen? Sometimes resolve melts away. It is similar to telling yourself you are only going to 'eat one' delectable piece of chocolate from the jumbo bar you've just purchased and then in less than 3 minutes, you find yourself crumpling up the empty wrapper and swallowing hard, having eaten every. single. piece. alone in your car. And you wonder what happened to your self discipline. Yes, it's like that with books, too. Especially one click ordering on Kindle Deals!
Looking back, I should have never allowed myself to borrow from the library or (confession) resubscribed to the What Should I Read Next? podcast. Or freely browsed through GoodReads. Then I might have actually focused on those 21 books.
But that would be harsh.. much too harsh.
So, how did I actually fare in whittling down my self imposed 'list?
I finished nine of them and am currently working through another five (Yes, I multi-read). And the others I haven't touched. I should get honest with myself and look for a good home for a few of those. When one says 'working through' in relation to reading, it's probably not a good sign.
The good news is I've enjoyed some really great books these past months... I was successful in reading more fiction than I usually do. Several I really enjoyed were:
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Wonder by R.J. Palacia
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
How do you manage your 'to read' list? Is yours becoming unmanageable?
