In 2024, I read 155 books. I have been a reader for as long as I can remember, but 2024 was a year like no other for my reading journey. The last year I read anywhere near as many books as this was the year I broke my wrist and was out of work for about eight weeks (2013), when I read 132. "What changed this year?" you (if anyone ever reads this) might ask. Well, back in April, I bought a stand for my Kindle and a clip-on remote page turner, and suddenly I went from reading five books in March to 19 books in April. Apparently, having to hold the Kindle in my hand and tap the screen to turn the page was the thing that was holding me back? In any case, my reading took off, and my initial Goodreads Challenge goal of 50 books for the year was achieved by the middle of June. I upped the goal to a lofty 150, and then later in the year scaled it back to 125 when I didn't think I was going to make it. Well, I ended up reading 25 books in December, which brought me to that final total of 155. One book was a Baby-sitters Club nostalgia re-read and three of the books were novellas, but I still read 151 full-length novels throughout the year. Some people run marathons and raise children. I read books.
I belong to a couple of online book clubs through social media, and at the end of the year, people shared their reading totals, and it was amazing how many people felt some kind of way about the people who read higher numbers of books throughout the year. First of all, there are the anti-trackers. "Reading is not a competition." "I don't track my books." "I just read for fun." To me, there is a little bit of an air of superiority in some of those posts, honestly, as if I am being judged for setting a goal, one that I have been setting every year since 2013, and taking enjoyment in trying to accomplish it. And then there are the disbelievers. "There's no way you can read that many books." "Don't you have a job?" "How do you even remember the books you read?" "Is that all you do?" "Did you just read a bunch of children't books?" Some of the people who shared their achievements read greater than 300 books last year, which is an amazing feat. However, maybe they are homebound. Maybe they are retired. Maybe they have no family. Maybe they read as part of their job. I happen to work three days most weeks and then prefer to spend most of my free time at home, and I have always been a fast reader. I don't read the kind of books that you have to remember. When I am reading a book, I really am enjoying it. However, most books I read are books I am enjoying while I am reading them. They are fun while they last, and when they are over, it's time for a new book.
Anyway, one exciting part of becoming a prolific reader is having the opportunity to receive advanced reader copies (ARCs) of favorite authors' books (and some newly discovered authors' books) and review them before their publication date. Never in a million years did I think I would become someone who got to do something like that. I mostly post my reviews on Goodreads and occasionally on social media, but I am going to start posting them here as well, in the event that this blog ever gets any kind of following, so that the authors and publishers who are so kind to share their books with me can get a little bit of exposure here as well. Most often, I get these advanced copies through my participation in NetGalley, but on occasion, I get advanced copies emailed to me directly from the publisher, and for someone who loves reading as much as I do, there is nothing more exhilarating.
In 2025, I really plan to lean in to my identity as a reader, and so far that has meant creating a reading journal, making a commitment to read and review every ARC I received in 2025, and maybe growing my book-themed sweatshirt collection. I used to worry that reading as a hobby was not "enough," but now that Bookstagram and BookTok have exploded so much, I realize what I wish I had been able to see all along. If staying at home with my dogs and my Kindle are what makes me happy, that is all I need. I don't need to be someone I am not. I can just be happy to be me.
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