100 Books in a Year: Achieving an Ambitious Reading Goal

Reading is a wonderful habit that has numerous benefits for the mind and overall quality of life. One of the most ambitious reading goals that a person can set for themselves is to read 100 books in a year. That’s what I did this year, for the third year in a row. This may sound daunting, but it is definitely achievable with some dedication and planning.

How to find time for it? ??

I often hear people say that they don't have time to read or that they read too slowly. In my experience, the more you read, the faster you will become. It really helps to practice fast reading.

More importantly, eliminating distractions like social media or phone games can free up several hours a day for reading. Like most things, it's really all about setting up a habit and stick with it.

Why should YOU do the same? ??

First and foremost, reading many books can improve your knowledge and broaden your horizons. With each book you read, you will be exposed to new ideas and perspectives that can expand your understanding of the world. It will also get you to build interesting connections between apparently unrelated things (like, between Japanese food and Product Design - but that's a story for another day).?

I also noticed that reading improves your vocabulary and language skills. As you read, you will encounter new words and phrases that can expand your vocabulary and improve your ability to communicate effectively. This can be particularly useful for students and professionals who need strong language skills in their work.

Another benefit of reading frequently, is that it can enhance your concentration and focus. By setting aside dedicated time to read, you can train your mind to focus and concentrate on a single task, which can improve your productivity and overall mental health.

Furthermore, reading can be a great way to relax and unwind after a long day. By setting aside time to read each day, you can create a relaxing and restorative routine that can improve your mental well-being.?

Which objectives can you set? ??

It depends if you're already an avid reader or not. If you're just starting out, try setting a goal of reading 10 or 20 books per year. I'm confident that you'll get hooked on reading once you get started!

If you're a hard-core reader like me, I'm sharing with you the reading goals I set for myself each year:

1. Read 100 books, averaging 300 pages each
2. Achieve gender balance by reading 50 books by female authors
3. Expand my horizons by reading books from 20 different countries
4. Select a diverse range of books, including non-fiction, science fiction, contemporary novels, thrillers, and classics
5. Read in 3 languages (I typically read in French, my native language; I read many books in English; and I have started reading a few books in Spanish to improve my vocabulary)

To be adapted to your own situation, time, and interests of course ;)

Which tools can you use? ???

I mostly read e-books on my Kindle, and I also use Calibre to store my digital books (which could get some UX Design love, by the way). I'm often visiting websites such as Goodreads (in English) and Babelio (in French) for book recommendations and readers advises.

And, in true geek fashion, I must admit that I've even gone so far as to create a spreadsheet with graphs and all, to track my progress and visualise my goals... yeah ;)

So, there you have it... ??

That's it: reading 100 books in a year can make you smarter, more well-spoken, and more focused. And it will also make you the life of the party (or at least the most annoying person at the party).

So, why not challenge yourself to reach this reading goal and enjoy all the benefits it has to offer?

Still here? Here are my book recommendations ??

If you're in need of some book recommendations, here are a few of my favorites from the books I read this year. I'm putting a French flag ???? in front of the titles which, to my knowledge, have not been translated to English (yet).

Non fiction

• “Au contraire! Figuring out the French”, by Gilles Asselin & Ruth Mastron, a hilarious and helpful guide for Americans to understand French culture and mindset. Reading it, as a French person, was priceless!
• “No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War” (French: “Au nom du Japon”), the true story of Hino Onoda's experiences as a Japanese soldier in World War II. What a ride!
• “Charlie Chaplin”, a fascinating biography of the famous actor and filmmaker by Peter Ackroyd. It's always amazing to read about the man behind the genius in this type of biographies.
• “How to live”, by Derek Sivers, an unconventional, counter-intuitive and thought-provoking book about finding meaning and purpose in life. One of the very few books I'd like to read again in the future.
• Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love” (French: "Mange, Prie, Aime"), a memoir about the author's journey of self-discovery and personal growth. Didn't watch the movie, but the book was quite something. I read 2 more books of this author afterwards: "City of Girls" (French: "Au bonheur des filles") and "The Signature of All Things" (French: "L’Empreinte de toute chose"), both really good.
• Tanizaki’s “In Praise of Shadows” (French: “Eloge de l’ombre”), a beautiful and thoughtful meditation on Japanese culture and aesthetics.
• “V13” by Emmanuel Carrère, a thrilling, moving, and enlightening read about the November 13, 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. You won’t get out of it unscathed... One of the few books you will still continue to think about, for weeks.
• ???? “Trop intelligent pour être heureux”, by Jeanne Siaud-Facchin, explores the relationship between intelligence and happiness. I found her theories and analysis very interesting.
• ???? "Beauté fatale" by Mona Chollet, a feminist examination of the beauty industry, a must-read to be more conscious of that terrifying facet of the world we live in.

Classic literature

• Stefan Zweig’s “Beware of Pity” (French title: “La pitié dangereuse”), a well-written and powerful psychological novel about an impossible love on the eve of World War I. Zweig is probably my favorite classic author, his words are just incredible.
• Guy de Maupassant’s "Dear Friend" (French title: “Bel-Ami”), a glorious classic novel about love and betrayal. It was great to enter inside the psychology of the different characters. I love Maupassant.
• “Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus” (French title: “Frankenstein ou le Prométhée moderne”), a horror classic by Mary Shelley about a scientist who creates a monster, considered as the first science fiction book. An incredible ride!
• Marcel Proust's “Swann's Way” (French title: “Du c?té de chez Swann”), the first volume of his famous novel "In Search of Lost Time." Incredible, I recommend it if you love beautiful words and endless sentences :)
• “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bront?, a very moving classic novel about a young woman's search for independence and love, I read it super quickly.

Thrillers and Science Fiction

• Joel Dicker's “The Alaska Sanders Affair” (French title: “L’affaire Alaska Sanders”), a mystery novel about a journalist investigating a murder. A famous page-turner ;)
• Daphné du Maurier “Jamaica Inn” (French title: “L’auberge de la Jama?que”), a suspenseful novel about a woman who becomes embroiled in a sinister plot at a remote inn. There's really something in the atmosphere of that book.
• “Wool” (French title: “Silo”) by Hugh Howey, a fascinating science fiction novel set in a post-apocalyptic world about a community which exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. I would love it if they could make a TV show out of this book series.
• “The Last Message” (French title: “Le dernier message”) by Nicolas Beuglet, a suspenseful scientific thriller with a beautiful setting in Scotland. I found it astounding and can’t wait to read the other books of the series.

Contemporary literature

• Adam Silvera's “They Both Die at the End” a novel about two young men who are both facing their final days. Quite fun, despite the topic. A great piece of American literature.
• “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” (French title: “L’élégance du hérisson”) by Muriel Barbery, a charming and philosophical novel about a concierge and her upstairs neighbor. I recommend all books by Muriel Barbery, by the way. She's amazing.
• Laetitia Colombani “The Braid” (French title: “La tresse”), a very beautiful little novel about the complex relationships between three women. Very well written.
• “Underground Time” (French: "Les heures souterraines") by Delphine de Vigan, a novel about harassment and mental illness, by one of my favorite authors. All of her books are honestly the best.
• ???? “Paradis perdus” and “La porte du ciel” by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt are the first two volumes of his “Journey Through Time” saga (“La traversée des temps”) which tackles the formidable challenge of telling the history of humanity in the form of a series of novels. A breathtaking, thrilling, and completely immersive read, I can't wait to read the following volumes.
• ???? “Les lendemains” by Melissa Da Costa, an amazing novel about a woman rebuilding herself after a tragedy. Reading this book was a very moving experience.
• ???? "Dernière visite à ma mère" and "Les bracassées" by Marie-Sabine Roger are humorous and poignant novels about family, friendship and aging.
• ???? "Figurec" and "Samourai" by Fabrice Caro are hilarious crazy little novels. This author is originally a comic book author, and his novels are really fun.
• ???? “La toute petite reine”, by Agnès Ledig, a very moving story that brings hope and speaks of the pains of existence.
• ???? “Je ne pensais pas si fragile” by Kikka, a very powerful book about harassment in the workplace, a dark topic very well analysed.
• ???? “Ainsi gèlent les bulles de savon” by Marie Vareille, a feel-good novel about motherhood and self-discovery.
• ???? "La famille Martin" and "La délicatesse" by David Foenkinos are heartwarming and humorous novels about love and relationships.
• ???? “La décision” by Karine Tuil, an incredible novel that takes us into the daily lives of anti-terrorist judges.
• ???? “Tous les matins je me lève” by Jean-Paul Dubois, a humorous novel about a man's life in the French countryside. All books by Jean-Paul Dubois are super fun to read, this one is one of his older books. His more recent novels are also really amazing, you should discover this author if you don't know him already.

I can add more recommendations from my previous years reads, let me know in the comments if you’re interested. Also, please share with me YOUR favorite books!