Resolve to read more this year

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If you read my last post, you know about my goal to read 24 books in 2020. The goal was fueled with ripe enthusiasm after I had already crushed my 12-book goal in June. 

Then, life got wild. 

Riots and protests over police violence and the death of George Floyd, then family loss and conflict, then my move to a new position at work, and moving to a new state made the last half of 2020 more than busy. 

I stayed the course, but I was one book short of my 24 book goal. 

Reading wasn't the only goal I didn't meet in 2020. My goal to run 1500 miles this year didn't work out (for the same reasons). I didn't complete either of the two 50 mile ultramarathons I signed up to run. I did run a few races, including the Shoe Run Run, where I ran 20 miles three days in a row, but 20 miles was the farthest distance I ran in 2020. 

I want to share all this not to wallow in sadness about missed goals, but to instead talk about why it's ok to quit on a goal. 

Everyone faced some sort of challenge in 2020, whether it was death of loss of a job or just general frustration caused by massive lifestyle changes. 

2021 was brought its own flavor of chaos. Riots at the Capitol have many Americans in, as my mom would say, in a tizzy. 

If you're feeling weird, know that everyone else is too. People on both sides of the political aisle are feeling some sort of anxiety about the direction of our country and our society right now. 

Getting on social media is not likely to quell these fears. Social media is engineered to keep you glued and keep you upset. The anonymity makes people say things they would never say in public. 

If you must resolve to something this year, resolve to read more. You don't have to read books about history or big thick biographies, but do resolve to read a little more than you did last year. 

Instead of doomscrolling Twitter or Facebook, pick up a book. Re-read that favorite novel. Find a new series to indulge. 

In the spirit of reading more, I'm going to again resolve to read 24 books this year. Here's a taste of my reading list so far: 

  • "Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown
  • "Untamed" by Glennon Doyle
  • "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi
  • "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris
  • "The Bible Tells Me So: How defending scripture has made us unable to read it" by Peter Enns
  • "Everything is Spiritual: Who We Are and What We're Doing Here" by Rob Bell
  • "Beyond Shame" by Matthias Roberts
  • "The Color of the Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America" by Richard Rothstein
It's a bit of a loaded list. I've got add some more fiction to this list, so if you have any good fiction recommendations, I'm all ears.

When you buy these books, be sure to go to your local library or your local independent bookstore. The library is literally free. Some libraries use ebook services called Hoopla and Libby. You can read books from the library for free on your phone, tablet or other e-reader that you can download apps on. 

Follow me on Goodreads if you want to see what I've read and am planning to read this year. 

Share your reading recommendations in the comments. 



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