Reading Habits and Goals

I had every intention of getting something done this weekend. I promise!

By Monday, I had realized without a doubt that my Sunday was spent doing nothing more than reading. In fact, I read three books on Sunday! I’m going to share those with you. Don’t worry. But this got me to thinking: What are healthy reading habits and should we set reading goals?

There is a lot to be said for reading. Reading and puzzles keep our minds sharp. It helps to strengthen our brain, and if you are older, you start to realize that brain function is a huge deal. Trust me! The first time I hit that wall of forgetting common words I used everyday, I freaked out, but as you get older, it is more common. Reading has helped me with this. It hasn’t fixed it, but it has improved it.

This year I set out to keep track of all the books I read. Since January 1st, I’ve read 125 books. The year before, I was reading at least a chapter each night. It wasn’t about reading with those chapters, but it was about leaving technology alone and decompressing for the day because I was at the mercy of my anxiety and depression at the time. I had to find ways to allow my brain to focus on something other than what was happening in my daily life, and reading was one of my coping mechanisms. Once January hit, though, I was in full reading mode. Every spare moment was about reading.

When I posted online about my one day 3 book marathon, many were concerned. I’m not concerned. When I was in college, I learned how to read quickly. I do have moments where I can’t concentrate. I do have moments where I can’t get into a book the way I’d like. Then there are days where I can completely flip quickly through the pages. It’s a gift. I’m aware.

Reading also builds our stamina for reading, so that’s another plus.

As for goals?

I could have set a 30 book or 50 book goal for myself.

Wait.

I did. I set a 30 book goal and met that in 40 days. Then I set another 30 book goal. After 60 books, I stopped keeping track of reading goals. I still kept track of the books I’ve read, but not with a goal in mind. At this point, it is all about titles so I don’t repeat a book unless I want to.

My next thing will be to leave room in my list to make notes about authors and styles. Some authors I just don’t want to read again. It’s a personal decision. Example, the Fifty Shades of Gray series. People enjoyed that book. I couldn’t get into it because the female lead felt too childish. Not inexperienced, but childish. I couldn’t get past it.

Now. The books that kept me entertained enough to read three of them in a day…

1. Ruthless Little Games by Lane Hart: I started this series and this is the 2nd book. It’s a good read. When the male lead says to the father of his arranged marriage bride, “Please, tell me where she is. I need something good in my life,” you think he’s referring to the bombing that he’s being sued for from the first book, but by the end of the book, you realize there’s a lot more to that statement.
2. Dating the Defensive Back by Lisa Suzanne: This was supposed to be a lighthearted romance to get me out of the dark feels of the dark mafia romance above, but the love story in this was too sweet.
3. Mine to Take by Jennifer Sucevic: I started reading this to get over the overly sweet of the previous one. It was a nice transition.
4. **Bonus** God of Vengeance by Michelle Heard: I wasn’t going to start another book after those three. Instead, I read this yesterday. It’s the 5th book in a series by Heard, and it was perfect. I would definitely read the series, and don’t just start with this one. This was, for me, the perfect ending for this series. The male lead, after reading the prior 4 books, deserved to find his perfect happily ever after. The female lead was his perfect match on so many levels. So many feels for me.