The Reading has Begun!

I got this lovely journal for Christmas.

A week ago, my fellow Word Wranglers blogged about reading. Some have formally committed to reading at least 50 books in 2017. I haven’t signed up to read a set number of books this year, but I’ve been inspired by them to monitor my reading for the next twelve months.

There are couple of things I’ve noticed about my reading in the last few years. First, I don’t read near enough for pleasure anymore. At least I don’t think I read as much as I used to; I’ve never kept track. This makes me sad. Reading has always been a source of joy for me – why would I deny myself that pleasure?

The second thing I’ve noticed is that I’ve been having a hard time finishing books. This didn’t used to be a problem. I used to finish books even when I didn’t particularly enjoy them. But I currently have at least two books on my tablet and a couple of paper books I haven’t finished, not because they’re not good books, but because, well, I don’t really know why. This lack of finishing power kind of matches an issue I’ve struggled with lately in my writing. I’ve got way too many partly finished manuscripts I haven’t finished; I talked about this problem in a post couple of weeks ago. I seem to have developed a bad case of monkey-mind. Look! A shiny object over there!

My first entry in my shiny new journal!

A writer needs to write, but she also needs to read. So, I’ve decided to do a couple of things. I’m going to keep track of what I read in 2017 in the beautiful new journal I received for Christmas from my boss – thanks Andrea! And I just wrote the name of the first book I completed in my journal. So exciting! Next on my list is finishing the book I bought for myself for Christmas “GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict” by Debra Dixon. I’ve been meaning to read this book since forever.

The next book on my list

I’m also going to combat monkey-mind, both in my writing and in my reading. In my reading, I’m making a commitment to myself that unless I’m really not enjoying a book, I’m going to finish what I start in 2017 (and some left over from 2016). I’ve decided to include on my list both fiction and non-fiction. I read a fair number of research books, and books on the craft of writing. And it won’t matter how I access the book. I enjoy reading ebooks on my ereader and tablet, I love print, and I adore audiobooks. All three are legitimate ways of reading, and each has a place in my life.

So, that’s my commitment for the year. As a way to keep on track, I’ll be checking in periodically here on Word Wranglers throughout the year to see how I’m doing. Wish me luck!

What are your reading plans for the year? Do you prefer to read print books, ebooks or audiobooks?