Confession: I like to read. Thankfully my subway is often delayed so I’m never on time for anything but I am well read when I finally get there.
Since 2011 I’ve been using a google spreadsheet to Fitbit my reading. (It’s one of those weird things where somebody’ll ask for a book recommendation and my brain goes I dunno. Real helpful…as such I started to write it all down.)
Starting in 2011 I’ve used my birth date (September 28) as Day 1 and I read for the year up to the day before (September 27).
I tend to knock out about 80 books in a year (plus a buttload of comics…about 400 or so single monthly issues and roughly 100 trades/graphic novels for the year).
This year I’m under slightly: at 76 books. (September 27 is Friday…I won’t start a new book; rest up instead since I just concluded 2 books today).
Which means since September 28, 2011 I’ve read a grand total of 518 books.
(Sports biographies, Stephen King novels, start-up memoirs, poetry collections and lots more.)
I don’t say this to be impressive; you know me well enough we’re way past trailers and first date manners. I’m cool with who I am; hopefully you are as well.
I share it because I often see people express the desire to read more. And what I’ve learned is that like everything else in life when I paid attention to something it improved.
If you wanna lose weight you hafta keep getting on the scale. I was startled that something as simple as pay attention would dramatically increase the amount of books I’d read. It worked so…I pass that on to those who long to read more.
Figure out what works for you…GoodReads, google spreadsheet, note thingie app on your phone…and go nuts: write it all down; track it like a focused hunter and in no time you’ll be devouring books whole like a python.
There’s so many incredible and astonishing books out there impatiently waiting to make your life better…to inject wonder into your imagination and to startle your set theories while refreshing your outdated facts.
It is a fantastic time to be an avid reader: especially if you pay attention.
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