Reading Challenges

 

I have a confession to make.

I have never, in all the years that I have been alive, based my reading on any challenge, from the internet or otherwise. And, I think if, somehow, I found myself basing my reading on a reading challenge, I would abandon it sooner or later.

If you go to Google (or any search engine of your choice), and type the words "reading challenges" into the search bar, you will be presented with a list of book bloggers, GoodReads pieces, and more bloggers suggesting ways in which you can challenge yourself this year.

And, I don't get it.

Okay, that's not completely true. I do get it. It is a pretty great way to introduce yourself to new books, new genres, and keep you reading when you are tempted to say to yourself, "I don't have the time . . ." 

But, personally, I think these challenges would suck the joy out of reading. For me. Personally.

Just sayin'.

Now, I will take up book suggestions, and if I read an article in a magazine or online where a book is suggested by an author I admire, I will add it to my "Ooh, I must look into that book now!" list of potential purchases. I peruse the list of "Also by  . . ." list at the front/back of a book I have read and enjoyed. I read book blogs and . . . 

Well, you get the idea.

I find myself with plenty of ways in which to get intrigued by one book or another out there.

And, I don't think my bookshelves are dull and lacking in diversity because of it. If you take a look there, you will find crime and fantasy, historical fiction and historical fact, writers from different corners of the globe, popular science and poetry. 

I am not writing this to tear down reading challenges. I started writing this after reading somewhere, I forget by whom, in another bookish blog, I forget which one, that a blogger felt a little shame sometimes when they compared their progress with that of other readers.

When I read that it occurred to me that, when I have told fellow bookish people in the past that I love to read, I have found myself being asked, "Oh, how many books did you read last week/month/year?" To which I don't really know how to respond. I mean, I haven't been counting. I immerse my self in books for the pleasure, the joy, the experience, the time I get considering thoughts, feelings, and life experience from another's point of view.

I have nothing against reading challenges as fun inspiration for readers, a way to get you into books you might not otherwise have picked up, etc. But, if they leave you comparing your "progress" to that of others and feeling uneasy because of it, I say, don't worry about it.

What about you? Do you enjoy reading challenges? Are you undertaking a challenge right now? And, have you found a book that you might not otherwise have picked up because you took part in a reading challenge?

Let me know!

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