Getting Derailed By Things I Thought Were Fun
As a counter point to last week’s post, this week I’ve been thinking about whether I’m letting myself get off track by allowing myself to acquire books.
I read one book this week that I got from the library for a Goodreads challenge, and I started another Iibrary book for a book club. I also read another book for a Goodreads challenge that I already had. Both library books I acquired were on my “want to read but do not own” list. I also bought 8 books (7 I hadn’t read before) at a charity book sale this week. So, basically, I added 9 books to my challenge this week. Was that really okay?
In the first six months of 2025, I read 80 books. My 9 additional books are 6% of what I’m on track to read in a year. Strictly numbers-wise, it doesn’t seem like it’s overwhelming my challenge or really derailing it. Will it add another month to my challenge? Yes. Will it appreciably lengthen my challenge? Not really. Unless I do it every month.
There’s the important point. Buying 8 used books once a year to support a charity? I can absorb that. Doing it every month? My challenge goes by the wayside. There must be a balance; adding books must be a treat rather than an every day occurrence.
Now on to book clubs and Goodreads challenges: can a couple of books a month set me back? I think it can. It felt like it did this week, even though it was only a couple of books really. But I think the problem really isn’t adding books to the count. The problem is that these type of things lock you into reading the entire book. Even if I really, really, really want to stop reading a book, I finish the book so I can count it towards the challenge, or so I can participate in the book club discussion. I am forcing myself to read books I don’t want to read. Which is setting me back from all the progress I’ve made in not reading books I’m not enjoying.
So what’s to be done? I think the next step is not to stop joining in on book groups, or to not do Goodreads challenges. I do enjoy both these things – discussing books with other and reaching out of my comfort zone and choosing a book I might not read (though, to be fair, I have really only been reading books from my “want to read but do not own” list for these). What I think the solution is, is to work on giving myself permission to stop reading these books. To stop participating in the book club if I just don’t like the book. To choose a different book for that challenge, instead of pushing through it. Cutting out clubs and stopping challenges I enjoy I think should be a last resort. I successfully stopped watching bad tv, I improved in stopping reading books I’m not enjoying (in general) and I have confidence I can teach myself to feel okay with letting these things go as well.
Week 13 Update
Here are this week’s updated numbers:
And these are the books I read:
The Best of Nancy Drew Classic Collection Volume 1 by Carolyn Keene – Mystery: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
The Clue in the Diary by Carolyn Keene – Mystery: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
Nancy’s Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene – Mystery: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
Weyward by Emilia Hart – Historical Fiction: Not Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 2 stars
Final rating: 3 stars
Keep It In The Family by John Marrs – Thriller: Not Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 3 stars
Final rating: 3 stars
And until next week, happy reading!