100 Books...Again

I used to love to read. I could curl up on the couch with a book and just get lost in it.? For hours I would turn pages, absorbing every word. I would stay up too late with the excuse of “just one more page”. As time went on and my adult life became busier and more complicated, my priorities shifted to being a mom, an entrepreneur, a homeowner, and all those other things that prioritize my time. With this, my love of reading diminished. I began to struggle to find the time or even a book that captured my attention. This did not stop me from buying books. I still wanted to absorb the information contained inside, I just didn't have the desire to sit and read them. Apparently, I am not the only one that has experienced this phenomenon. The Japanese even have a word for it. Tsundoku is the art of buying books and never reading them. In December 2021 I got a new job that required me to be in the car a lot. I immediately saw the solution to my book problem...? Audiobooks! I have tried a few in the past and found one or two great, but some were narrated poorly and combined with tired driving eyes, threatened to put me to sleep.? But I decided to give it another try.??

Originally I signed up with Audible. This Amazon service is $15 a month and gives you unlimited “Amazon Original” and one credit to buy a book of your choice. You could then buy additional books after your one credit. There were a few reasons this didn't work for me.? The choice of “Originals” didn't really appeal to me, and I was going through one or two books a week so buying additional credits would cost a fortune.??

I then decided to try other services like Chirp. While they do have some inexpensive downloads, the mainstream books, still came with a hefty price tag.??

By this point, I was sick of spending money. Yes, my inner cheapskate won out.??

I headed to the library to check out their audiobooks on CD.? I live in a small town, which means a small library. Their onhand stock was small but still had a few good picks. I found three or four that I was looking forward to and left to only realize, my car didn't have a CD player.? Frustrated, I went back to the library and asked the librarian for advice. She suggested the Libby app and told me I could listen to audiobooks with my library card at no cost. This seemed like the perfect solution.??

The Libby app is far from perfect, but it is free, and I’m frugal. I have been introduced to new books I never would have sought out because they were “available now”. I still have a hard time when a friend recommends a specific book and the app doesn't have it, but I’m saving a small fortune and still absorbing books.??

At the end of last year, I set myself the very arbitrary goal of 100 books in 2022. It just seemed like a nice round number and I sure would impress myself if I accomplished it. I did not include genres or book sizes in my goal as I like to mix and match. For example, after reading George Orwell’s 1984, I was so depressed, and in my head, I needed something short, sweet, and uplifting, so I landed on a Betty White Biography that I was able to finish in 2 days. It was just what I needed.??

I failed.? In 2022, I completed 52 books, a far cry from my goal of 100, but still a massive accomplishment. The tally included 14 biographies, 2 business books, 15 fiction, 5 finance, 16 books on mindset (AKA self-help), and one book about plants and their historical drug use, which I had no idea how to categorize. Because I’m a fan of spreadsheets (but pretty ones) I tracked everything including my personal rankings of each book. The worst in my opinion was a biography on Elon Musk and the best was a 14-way tie. What can I say, I know how to pick some good ones.??

Throughout 2023 I decided to keep the same arbitrary goal of 100. As I finish up the year, I will have about 75 books completed, I am currently sitting at 73 with two and a half weeks to go. Of the 73 books, there have been 14 Biographies, 9 Business, 23 Fiction, 5 Finance, and 22 on Mindset. While I upped my Business Book intake during 2023, I will likely cut back in 2024. Almost zero books are geared toward the business of photography or anything creative. Plus I am building a nice little circle of entrepreneurs and my cup is filling with conversation. I am finding I prefer Biographies and Fiction. They are a nice little vacation from the everyday stress of responsibility. I have also added Audible back into rotation. Too often I want to read a specific book, usually from a glowing recommendation, and don't want to sit on a waiting list for months through Libby. As of this fall, Spotify had added an audiobook feature to their Premium members, giving 15 hours of listening time included every month, that’s the equivalent of a book or two, so I am taking advantage. The nice thing I can load up my library ahead of time and it just ticks down my time.? It does save me from having to hunt for a book when one finishes.?

So yes, 2023 will again be a “failure” but one I am happy to report. My least favorite was a two-way tie.? One sat on half a dozen Must-Read and Bestseller lists, but I just couldn't get into it…and another by an author I gave 5 stars to. The favorites are too numerous to list, let's just say I picked some good ones this year!

If you need a book recommendation, my ongoing list can be found in my Featured section.