Reading is My Right

[image error]I’ve been on a steady decline over the past two years.  (I’m talking about number of books read…what did you think I meant??)

The year I got my very first Kindle, I decided that it was my right – nay, my duty – to read as much as I could.  I am, after all, a writer.  So using GoodReads, I set a goal for myself of 50 books, and I’m proud to say that I read 49!  The next year, I pushed myself harder and reached an amazing 62 books.  Yeah, I know that’s pretty small potatoes compared to what some people read, but before then, I’d read about five book a year if I was lucky.

This year, however, my numbers have dropped significantly.  I’m only up to a lousy 39 books.  If I want to meet my goal, I’ll need to read an additional thirteen books between now and December 31.

The problem with all of this is not that I’ve fallen behind in my reading, but that it has turned reading into a chore.  I love to read, but at the same time, I feel rushed to finish as many books as possible.  In fact, this whole reading gooal thing has sucked the fun out of my favorite pastime.

I think that in 2014, I won’t set a goal because my type A self will cruise through books without really enjoying them simply to see my numbers climb. And that kind of defeats the purpose of reading.  I want books to take away some of the stress in my life, not add to it!