My Reading Goal is Complete!

For as long as I can remember, I have always found myself getting lost in a good novel. It really started when I was around 16 years old, and I bought my first iPad. I can remember clicking through all of the apps and stumbling upon iBooks. Before I knew it, I had downloaded essentially every free book that they had to offer and that was how I first got lost in the world of literature.

As the years ticked by, reading was something that I would pick up and then subsequently drop depending on what else I had going on in my life at the time. It was a great filler that I could do to help occupy my mind and stop my OCD from losing track of itself.

 

 

Then it wasn’t until last year that I really stepped up my reading game and I completely blame a colleague. I had a new girl start with me at work and her biggest passion was reading. All her spare time was spent working towards her Good Reads reading challenge. At the time, I liked reading, but I certainly didn’t make it a competitive sport like she did. However, she enticed me, challenged me and at the turn of the New Year into 2024, I challenged myself to read more than I ever had before.

My target for the year was to read 52 books. One book per week seemed easily manageable and as of last week, I achieved my target. With reading becoming such a huge part of my life his year, I thought that I would sit down, share a post with you about it and let you know why I caught the reading bug.

 

How much I used to read.

I used to read a normal amount. Probably a book a month or so. If I went abroad, I could smash through a few books over the span of a week. But I certainly took things at a much more laid-back pace. From there, I would go through phases. I would every now and again read one book that ignited something inside me to keep going and to carry on read. However, generally speaking I have never made reading into a sport like I have done over the past 7 months. I would certainly say now I have crossed from casual reader into an obsessive try hard.

 

How I managed to up my reading game.

More than anything, I just made the time. I prioritised sitting down, switching off from all of the outside noise and making time to read. Whereas normally my time in an evening or weekend would be spent creating content for this site or working on my freelance contracts, I made time to sit down, switch off and write. Plus, I have been pregnant for all of 2024 so far and not going out and drinking has definitely supported my reading efforts. I have become somewhat of a hermit, especially with my painful pregnancy and reading has been a great friend to me.

 

The kind of books that I read.

I have no shame at all in saying that primarily I read light-hearted smutty books. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t seek the books that I do because of the level of smut or dirtiness. But it is certainly a nice bonus whenever I am reading. I like a sexy MMC that I can fall in love with as I delve into the novel. All I request is that the book I am reading has a happily ever after and that it isn’t going to end on a cliff hanger. Anything else can happen in the book, but I need the author to wrap everything up in a lovely bow by the end of it. I am a sucker for a happily ever after.

 

How reading makes me feel.

If you guys are familiar with this site, you will know that I have OCD. Because of that, my mind is always running at a million miles per hour, and I find it hard to keep up. That can lead me into a panic and before I know it, I am out of control and slipping into depression. Normally, it is ‘downtime’ that makes me feel like that. The more free time I have, the more opportunity there is for my mind to whirl us of control. Reading has helped me to get a handle on that. It is also one of the reasons why I like light-hearted novels that I know have the happily ever after. I don’t want fingernail biting cliff hangers, I want my mind to go to a peaceful place when I am reading and that is what my smutty romance books do for me.

 

How I record the books that I read.

I mentioned it briefly above, but I log all of the books that I read on my Good Reads account. I used to just keep a log of my books in my Apple iBooks account. However, it did used to bother me that it wouldn’t include the physical or Kindle books that I had read. Within Good Reads, I can log everything including the books that are on my list of novels to read. When I first started, I felt like a super nerd for keeping a log of everything, however it soon became addictive. I loved seeing my little virtual bookshelf growing and noticing how close I was inching to my reading goal. Strangely, it became addictive.

 

What I think the rest of my reading journey will be like.

As you guys already know, I am expecting my first baby that is due any day now. I think that will either allow me to read more, or books will either be a thing of the past. My maternity leave will be the first prolonged absence that I have ever had from work. However, I know that my hands will be extremely full having a newborn baby. While baby sleeps and while I am taking it easy after recovering from my c-section, I will either endlessly have my Kindle in my hand, or I won’t even glance at it. However, I am hoping that my reading adventure continues because I truly do think that it calms me and my mental health in a way that I never thought was possible.

 

How I think reading supported my writing.

I have shared here on my site that I am a keen writer. I am sure that much is possible to you as you read this post. Delving into so many different books this year has certainly strengthened my writing capabilities. Whether it is simply seeing how people structure their work, getting my head around whether they are using the first or third person, or even the tone of voice that is used throughout. More than anything, it has helped me look at my own work very critically and I hope that I am a better writer for spending so much time with my nose in a novel.

 

As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this post and learning more about my reading journey. As I mentioned, I know that some people would dispute that the books that I read can be classified as literature. However, the focus that reading even my smut books has helped me more than I ever thought that it would. Even though I don’t have much free time in my life, sitting down, taking time out and getting to enjoy a book has been more rewarding than I ever thought it would be.

I want to hear from you guys in the comments below. Are you a keen reader? If so, do you challenge yourself to set a goal and try to reach it. Or do you try to keep things simple by just reading as and when the feeling takes you?