But not this year.
I set a goal, but for the first time, I've decided to ignore my Goodreads goal. I'll add books as I go, but I'm not going to strive to make it. For those of you involved in yearly reading challenges, I know you understand the internal conflict this causes a bibliophile (the rest of you can feel free to laugh at me). As I started to think about doing this, more reasons popped up, making it easier and easier.
1. I fell behind on my challenge between the crazy months of March and April. Ugh, do I want to read just for the sake of catching up?
2. I have some big books I really wanted to read this year. Namely, Far From the Madding Crowd and The Outlander series, all big books! The bigger the books, most likely, the fewer you end up reading. And that's not good for a reading challenge based on number of books read. Besides, reading the whole Outlander series in two or so months would be an accomplishment in itself!
3. My friends. I have a few close friends who find themselves in a tight spot right now, specifically in the next few months. A couple of them will have a more stressful and tiring summer than usual due to circumstances or changes in their lives, while another friend will be fighting for his life. The school year restricts not only my daily time, but also my time outside of school with planning, grading, and attending activities (my students' and my kids'). Summertime is free time for me and it is the only time I can be at the beck and call of those who need me. Also, there are my other obligations, like the day-to-day time with my kids and some family events we have planned.
Obviously, the last reason is the one that sealed the deal. With the addition of each person I felt I needed to be there for, it became abundantly clear the reading goal would have to go. I know it's the right thing to do because I feel completely at ease about it. But you better believe I'll still be reading - it will help keep me sane - and the blog will keep going strong.
Have you ever decided to give up something you love or enjoy because something more important came along?
It's no longer fun to read if you feel like you are only reading to make a goal! That's turning it into a chore. And you have some chunksters to get through - I agree that reading the entire Outlander series in the space of a couple of months would be a massive achievement. I'm finishing the third book right now - it's taken just about a month to read two of them.
ReplyDeleteBut mostly I admire you for being such a great friend. As you say, it's a no brainer when people you love need you.
Thank you. Yea, who wants reading to be a chore when it's wow thing you completely love?! I'm starting sensibly, I only bought the first three Outlander books! It's going to be a no pressure summer!
DeleteI've given up on my goodreads challenge this year too, for much the same reasons. There are now whole days where I havent read a page! gasp! means I am running low on book reviews mind....
ReplyDeleteYep. I do feel the need to read, it's what keeps me sane, but I foresee some days of no reading too. I've started collecting fun, non-review ideas for the blog to keep it going if I run dry on reviews.
DeleteI do like having goals but not when they become negative which can happen with GR. And I certainly don't have anything as serious as your friend but I am trying to fix up a home so we can move out of a rental and it's taking up so much of my time and brain space that I'm not reading as much I like to.
ReplyDeleteExactly, life comes up and we can't let a reading challenge stress us out more when it's supposed to be relaxing. Hope the fix up is coming along!
DeleteI'm sorry your friends are having a rough time right now. They're lucky to have helpful people like you in their lives.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people put too much pressure on themselves over book goals. It's just impossible to be able to predict how any given year will go, in terms of reading time and desire. Goals like "read X books this year" are great, don't get me wrong, but there is nothing wrong with acknowledging when that goal becomes unobtainable.
I like using the Goodreads Challenge thing because it helps me keep track of which books I read and when. I almost didn't make my goal last year, but I was glad to have that challenge widget to help me remember what I'd been reading in January... I have a terrible memory!
Thanks. I agree, I do like it to keep track of books I've read, regardless of the setting a challenge part.
DeleteMy reading goal has fallen to the wayside as well. It's just probably not gonna happen and that's ok. Life and all. :)
ReplyDeleteLife. Exactly. My uncle passed away two days after I posted this and it reaffirms for me the need to be with people this summer. He lived with my parents, so I'm planning on spending extra time with them as they readjust to their new normal.
DeleteI think it's fun to set a reading goal, but I try not to stress about it too much. Over the last few years I've found that I read about the same number of books over a whole year, regardless of whether I'm trying to read more or read less. It all goes in ebbs and flows and I'm ok with that.
ReplyDeleteThat's true. I've kept track of books read for over a decade and except for a few big years where I had a new baby, my numbers stayed pretty close.
DeleteI like using my goodreads goal, but I always make sure it's low enough to be very attainable. I drop it if I'm falling behind and raise it if I'm getting ahead. I suppose that makes it a less meaningful goal, but it makes me happy :) It's really just a way to see how many books I'm likely to get through in the year.
ReplyDeleteI have recently started doing a big challenge through The Seasonal Reading Challenge group on goodreads and I may have to drop it, because completing the challenge would require reading ~75 books in three months. This is definitely not possible for me without drastically changing the types of books I'm reading, so it's been stressing me out a bit.
I like using it as a list and plain old counter as well. 75 in three months? I've never reached that in a year! I'd like to see what they're reading.
DeleteOh Jennine, I was just talking about this on twitter with the girls, and now I read your post!
ReplyDeleteLast year I was always behind schedule on GoodReads, and it was annoying, so I perfectly understand you. It's not for feeling under pressure, just for fun, so if you aren't having fun, it's better to forget about it.
BTW, now that we are talking about Outlander :))
Let me know when you start the books, because I might think about re-reading via audiobook, now that the TV series has finished (the first term) and I'm in need for Jamie Fraser
Haha! I will make sure to announce my reading of Outlander. I've got two I want to get through first. But Outlander is my goal.
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