Hi guys! I decided it’d be fun to write a random post today. I know most of you love reading, so this will be right up your alley. Tips about eating! No, wait … reading. Sorry. I’m sick, so I haven’t eaten much today, and eating makes me sick, but I keep thinking there must be something appetizing out there …
Reading is hard. I know, ’cause I have 267 books I want to read (probably over three hundred if I were to add books I want to read just because they’re classics). Will I ever get through all those books? Probably not. I really am going to go through my to-read list on Goodreads someday and delete a good half of them.
But you know how addictive to-read lists can get … you add one, and then you add another, and then you add twenty more, and before you know it you have … *calculates* … twenty-two books on your to-read list. XD
Anyway, on to the post!
-
First, figure out what books you really want to read.
There are nearly 130 million books in existence. You can’t read them all. Pick the ones you know you’ll really enjoy or that will benefit you in some (major!) way … and that’s it. It takes a little thought, but if a book isn’t either going to bring you joy or teach you something, it’s not worth it. Read one or two to please your friends, maybe … but that’s it. There is no other reason for reading a book (unless you’re a reviewer, but still be picky about what books you accept).
-
Second, make a list and stick to it.
I know, I know. You’ve got your fancy to-read list on Goodreads. But writing it down on paper (or typing it up and printing it) is much simpler. Just list the books you want to read in the order you want to read them and follow the list. It may take a while to organize them just so, but it’s worth it. Trust me. (And no, I’ve never tried this …)
-
Third, read those books.
Surprisingly simple, right? My advice to you is read a book a week (not counting books for school and the Bible, both of which I recommend, one more so than the other … 😉 ). Seriously. That’s all there is to it. You can do it! I believe in you! (Okay, I don’t … I think you’re going to fail as badly as I am … but that’s besides the point. The point is …)
Get out there and read!
Thanks for reading … though this post doesn’t count as a book, just so you know.
~Kellyn Roth
What are you reading right now? Is it bringing you joy? Is it teaching you something? How many books to you have on your to-read list, whether on Goodreads, a scrap of paper, or elsewhere? What do you think of my tips? Could you ever try something like this? Are my books on your to-read list? (Haha … don’t answer that question, please. I’m too conceited for me own good.)
42 Responses
I have to give my childhood books away so read a whole bunch today.. (60?) LOL
It’s horrible having to go through books that I love/haven’t read in ages. And having a to-read list makes it worse… I have way too many books to read!!! 😉
I’m so sorry that you had to get rid of a bunch. I can’t imagine doing that… *cries* :'( I’ll lend you some if you want. 🙂
Oh, that’s terrible! I’ve denoted several of my childhood books to the big shelf instead of keeping them on my own shelf (it’s pitifully small), but I haven’t actually had to get rid of them. I can’t imagine not having them in the house (even though I no longer read most of them).
Same!
Oh, I have collected so many books printed in the 1800s and early 1900s that I want to read over the summer! Making a list is a great idea! Thanks Kellyn!
– Megan Joy
That’s so cool! I wish I had a collection like that. I used to have a first-edition copy of A Girl of the Limberlost from my great-grandpa (I think?) but it seems to have disappeared. Maybe my mom took it from me and hid it somewhere. It was in terrible shape, though … pages falling off, the cover not attached to the book, pages even missing, it had been rebound at some point … I got a new copy but for some reason I feel like it was edited a little, y’know? I read the old version so many times (may have contributed to its falling-apart …) that I’d memorized parts and I feel like a few phrases were changed a little … and I don’t know why. But maybe I’m wrong.
Yes! Exactly! Thanks, kell!
PS I tagged you for MMC, K? here’s the link to my post. https://thedepthofmyfaith7.blogspot.com/2017/03/beautiful-people-holdens-edition-im.html
Okayy, thanks. 🙂
Totally!
I’m currently reading Snow Like Ashes and loving it!! Great post! I should probably go through my Goodreads to read list.
*awkwardly stalks comments* Ay, my friend was reading Snow Like Ashes the other day! XD
Really? That’s awesome!!
This reminds me of a comment my friend and her sister made (we’re all friends … #homeschoolawesome). I had a book on my nightstand and Sarah went, “Oh, I read that book!” and S.I. (what? I’m using their pen names …) went, “I saw you reading that book!” XD They are just the best …
XD Friends… <3
I’ve never heard of that book. I’ll have to look it up … *glares at more books I’d like to add to my to-read list but am keeping myself from*
What are you reading right now?: I am reading A Darker Shade of Magic right now, and it is a little slow but… <3
Is it bringing you joy?: YES I WAS SO EXCITED WHEN IT CAME IN THE MAIL ON WEDNESDAY.
Is it teaching you something?: It's teaching me that adult fantasy is really similar to YA fantasy???
How many books to you have on your to-read list, whether on Goodreads, a scrap of paper, or elsewhere?: I don't even know, bean. I don't keep track of it. 😉
What do you think of my tips?: I think that tip #2 is the hardest becaude while lists are great, WHO CAN EVER STICK TO THEM??? Could you ever try something like this?: Like trying your tips? Hahahaha no. I just read whatever I remember I want most. 😉
Are my books on your to-read list?: I don't know but probably not because we have different reading styles??? XD
Okay, so, I gotta agree with you … adult fantasy/YA fantasy? I think maybe the only difference in the content? Or the magic being darker? Idk. Seems like the magic is pretty much the same in both. But … I know nothing. XD Ignore my ramblings …
Weeeell, I’m a list person. XD Like, seriously, I’m one of those persons who will make a list and stick to it. Sometimes. I mean, other times I won’t … but I can oftentimes follow a list with reading. Not with writing, though … *glares at ginormous piles of half-written projects*
Yeah, I totally don’t blame you for not having my books on your to-read list. I think they’re totally something you wouldn’t want to read. But YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION BAD MAY!!! 😛
I have no idea. XD I’ve never read adult fantasy before, and I had no idea that the book was adult. I thought it was YA. XD
Lol, I love lists! But I don’t stick o them. 😛 Omg writing is the worst. XD
I’M SOWWY KELLYN. MANGOES?
MANGOES WON’T MAKE THIS BETTER! Okay, who am I kidding? Of course they do … XD
I’m glad you came to your senses, little bean… *glare threateningly*
*cowers* I’m so sorry, Mango Mistress. It won’t happen again!
I expect so, little bean.
I’m reading a HUGE collection of the Sherlock Holmes books right now, and yes, it’s bringing me joy. 😉 I have 201 books on my TBR list right now, but I have finished all of my library books except one so I can still be proud of myself. 😉
I’ve still got I think four library books and one borrowed book to go … so you can definitely be proud of yourself! 😉 Oh, I need to read more Sherlock Holmes … my plan was to read the next three books in the series (yes, I realize I could read them in any order … I just like to do it this way) this month … but I haven’t started yet. The library wants their books back and the authors want reviews … 😛
Okay, I will be proud then. 😛 I hope you get to read them soon! 😉
Haha. I have HUGE TBR list that I desperately need to comb through. I know some of them I’m probably not going to be interested in anymore, but even cutting out those won’t help too much. On the other hand… I’m only 17, I mean, I still have the rest of my life left to read all this stuff, right? 😛
That’s what I figure! I’m only fifteen, and I have a whole life ahead of me … but there are sooo many books in the world (150 million!) and … one needs to be selective. I’ve been trying to remove as many from my list as I can, but sometimes I’m like, “What if I’m missing out on something? How can I decide?” It’s just so crazy.
Hahaha. YES! I have however, instituted a rule: one the next book that you need to read from the series. So I’ve been going back through and knocking off all the extra books for the series that I have and whenever I’m done with the current book, I’ll add the next one in the series. It’s taken a lot off of my TBR because some of the series I want to read are 20+ books. Haha.
I’ve instituted a similar rule for myself, but it hasn’t really helped a ton since most of the books on my to-read list that are in a series are from three-book series … so that’s only two less. Still, it is a bit of an improvement, I admit! I’ve also told myself to stop adding historical romance because I don’t need anymore (I mean, seriously … I could probably read historical romance until my dying day if I wanted to). Hopefully this will (eventually) encourage me to read more diverse genres … XD
Haha. I think the biggest series I knocked out was the Black Stallion series. I know it has over 20 books in it… but yeah, I’m trying to get more diversity in the books I read as well. 😛
I’ve read most of the Black Stallion series … but I’ve read many of the Elsie Dinsmore series, too. And then a lot of horse books seem to come in series …
Hahaha. That’s true.
Whatcha reading in the first pic? 😉 Right now I am reading The Iliad by Homer, and Tortured For Christ…. and more. ;D Mostly all for school, but with that reading list, I can’t handle much more right now. ;D
I think I was reading … A Noble Masquerade? Or In Perfect Time? Or When Calls the Heart? One of those. But that was actually weeks and weeks ago. My camera is broken, so I’m using old pictures. 😛 But I am reading with my cat and making huge piles of books on my nightstand still, so … they’re technically accurate pictures … just imagine them with different books! Right now I’m reading Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland and The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson (which … I haven’t really gotten into yet). I’ve got several for school, too, of course. *glares at schoolwork* 😉
Haha, I feel ya! I hope you can get your camera up and running, though…
I really do need to read. I was on a reading spree earlier this year. At a very remarkable rate too. 5 books per week.
Unfortunately, I lost that spree in mid-February and have gone to mid March without reading a single book, apart from school books that is. Thanks for this post and the realization that I need to hit the library… before reading decides I am its eternal enemy. :p
Wow, that is a lot! I’ve had just the opposite problem. All year, I haven’t wanted to read a lot. Books I assigned myself to read in January still haven’t been begun. Which is my reason for this post. I’m like, “If I tell them I’m going to do it, then it’s got to happen, right?!”
I’m reading “God’s Smuggler” by Brother Andrew. It’s own back cover describes it as a real-life thriller. I hesitate to put it in the thriller genre even if it was fiction given that the suspense element doesn’t come from lots of action. I’m more inclined to liken it to suspense. Regardless, it’s very good. At times I forget that it all really happened. And what is “it’? It’s the story of a missionary, Brother Andrew, and his missions-related adventures in 20th-century communist countries. It *does* bring me joy as it points to God’s as the gracious provider that He is, and it’s teaching me a lot about trusting Him for my physical needs with a simple, child-like trust. What are you reading now?
Aaaaah, haha. Ha. I have 51 books on my Goodreads to-read list. Now, that’s nothing like your 267, but there must be at least another 15 books that we have at home that I want to read. On top of that, if I want to read a series, I generally only list the first book. Have you cut down your Goodreads list, yet?
Your tips make me realize that this doesn’t have to be complicated. I might add the books that we have at home already to my Goodreads list – to the top of it – so that I can have everything in one place and start from the start.
That sounds interesting! Right now I’m reading a lot of books for school, but otherwise I’m reading a book called ‘The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest,’ which I’m probably going to send back to the library without finishing because I just don’t care for it, and I’m also reading ‘Structuring Your Novel’ by K.M. Weiland which is teaching me something and giving me joy. 🙂
I opened up Goodreads on my Kindle and easily got it down to 237 with just a little effort, but I wasn’t able to finish. I probably will get back to it soon and remove a ton more. 🙂
From what I know of K.M. Weiland, she seems to be a wealth of writing wisdom! I’ve benefited from her blog and would be interested in reading some of her books. Would you recommend them?
I’ve read Outlining Your Novel, Crafting Unforgettable Characters, and 5 Secrets of Story Structure, and they were all unforgettable. They taught me so much! 🙂