Well, Meagan’s finally pushed me over the edge. I’m going to start my reading lists again. Hers reminded me how fun they can be.
I used to enjoy making a list of books to read and then following up with the books I’ve read. It got pretty long too. Both lists did. It helped to be able to look at the kinds of books I’d read and remember what I’d gotten from each of them. It helped to know what I would read next too, a never-ending flow of reading material.
The problem was that I ended up reading just to get books on my “have read” list. And I was reading books I might not care about otherwise, just because I thought I was supposed to read them. I’m hoping that abandoning the reading lists for a few years has helped me read more purposely and become aware of my tendencies to read for the sake of the lists alone instead of for the stories and information.
I’ve set up a dedicated page for the reading lists. At the top, you’ll see a list of books I’d like to read or am curious about (I reserve the right to quit any book no matter how much I’m invested in it already). Underneath that list, you’ll see (coming soon) the list of books I’ve read.
I’m not going back in time to recall the books I’ve read in the past. I’m starting as of my birthday this week, May 6, 2014. The “have read” list will include all the books over, say, 50 pages or so that I’ve finished after that date.
The lists are more for my own benefit than anything else. If you’re curious about the types of books I enjoy, though, or want to see where I’ve been, the lists might be something you’ll want to check out. Happy reading!
