How my reading has changed after 789 books (August Posting Challenge)
As of this week, I've read 789 books since I started keeping track. I noticed a while back that I now give favorable ratings to most of the books that I read. And I wondered if I had gotten soft and just approved every book.
But I realized that after 789 books, something had changed in how I selected books, not how I rated them.
Now I know what I like and what makes for a good book. And if I'm not going to enjoy it, then I skip it.
When I started my list, I was 15. I went to the library and looked for books in the sections I liked and then I read them. There wasn't a lot of discernment in my choices. I picked what was there and sometimes it was not good.
Now, I know the authors that I definitely love. I can get recommendations on topics that I am interested (try googling "best books on ______" to get a list of reading ideas). And I can evaluate a book pretty quickly.
Sometimes, I "cheat" and put a book down before finishing it. I did that recently on a mystery novel. I was super excited about it because it was supposed to be like the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series set in China. I didn't understand what the first sentence meant. I asked my wife, and she didn't understand. I didn't know what was happening because it was poorly worded. After about 15 pages of that, I put the book down. When I was younger, I would have finished because I believed that you had to finish a book. After 789 books, I have realized that I will never read every book that I want to read.
That's a sad thought.
But I realized that after 789 books, something had changed in how I selected books, not how I rated them.
Now I know what I like and what makes for a good book. And if I'm not going to enjoy it, then I skip it.
When I started my list, I was 15. I went to the library and looked for books in the sections I liked and then I read them. There wasn't a lot of discernment in my choices. I picked what was there and sometimes it was not good.
Now, I know the authors that I definitely love. I can get recommendations on topics that I am interested (try googling "best books on ______" to get a list of reading ideas). And I can evaluate a book pretty quickly.
Sometimes, I "cheat" and put a book down before finishing it. I did that recently on a mystery novel. I was super excited about it because it was supposed to be like the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series set in China. I didn't understand what the first sentence meant. I asked my wife, and she didn't understand. I didn't know what was happening because it was poorly worded. After about 15 pages of that, I put the book down. When I was younger, I would have finished because I believed that you had to finish a book. After 789 books, I have realized that I will never read every book that I want to read.
That's a sad thought.
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