It's over. At least the calendar year of attempting to read a book a week for a year has completed.
However, I did NOT read a book each week for the year.
I tried. I read more than I have in the previous five years, combined. It rekindled my love of books that had dwindled slightly after having kids. My reading prior to this had become issues of Vanity Fair that were a year to two old and kid books. Oh, and twitter, of course. But I'm not sure if 140 character statements really count as reading...
I'm not sad that I didn't finish, I'm excited because I've already got a list of books to continue reading. Even though this year-long adventure is "officially" over, my reading journey is far from over. This is one of those goals that was definitely a stretch goal--a goal that was a little (or a lot) out of my comfort zone and I had to work hard to achieve it (or at least, come close). In that process I learned a few things about my reading self.
1. I love to read. I love to read pretty much anything. But I do get in moods and tend to read a lot of one genre before switching it up and going to another. In this process of trying to read so many books in a smaller time frame than I'm used to, I learned that I need a little break when changing genres, even just a few days. My brain needs time to decompress; for example, I do not do well when I transition from a young adult dystopian trilogy to a light fiction "beach read"--it's too jarring a switch. I spend the entire "beach read" waiting for the hunger games to start or the evil leader of the country to kidnap someone.
2. It's not just a little break that's needed when I switch genres, I also needed a little recovery time after I finished reading books that I really loved or books that were emotionally draining. The whole concept of reading a book a week for a year is really the idea of never not reading. Books are everywhere--on your nightstand, in your bag, and the next book is always ready to go. It's one book down, immediately followed by picking up another one. But I learned I just don't function that way anymore (unless it's a trilogy or series); my brain needs a little time to process what I read and sometimes even mourn. Mourn the ending of a series or the death of a character or just the end of a really good book. Or, in the case of the Divergent series, mourn the time lost on the final book (more on that in a bit).
3. Finally, the biggest lesson of all is that I don't read as fast as I used to. I used to read a book in an afternoon. I'm not kidding--I remember my mom buying me books for vacations and having to hide them because she knew if I got ahold of them too early that I'd devour them before we'd even left our driveway. It's funny, sometimes when a personality trait becomes attached to us, we hold on to it, long after it may not be applicable anymore. Because of my reading speed in my youth, I've always thought of myself of a fast reader. But I'm not. I can certainly still read fast--especially when I really like a book--but not at the rate I used to. This for a lot of reasons: being more tired in my old(er) age (and the fact that having kids is just exhausting), having more distractions available (phone, social media), and watching way too much tv (remember this post?). The biggest thing that I gained this year is becoming aware of these distractions and working to avoid them (except the tired one, because, well, mom-life).
Now that lessons have been learned and I'm loving my newfound, old love of reading again, how about some thoughts on what I was actually reading?
I love trilogies. Series. Sequels. Really any book that contains more than one standalone book. I like finishing a book and knowing the story isn't done yet; that I can start the next book and pick up where I left off. This probably stems from my childhood love of The Babysitters Club series and Sweet Valley Twins or, a little later (but probably not late enough), the Sweet Valley High books. I also love dystopian novels--books that take place in a futuristic society that is oftentimes frightening. Now, when you combine these two loves, I'm a very happy girl.
I read a few of these series over the past year: the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, the Razorland series by Ann Aguirre, the Legend series by Marie Lu, and The Giver Quartet series by Lois Lowry. On the list but not read, yet, is the Maze Runner series by James Dashner and (not a series but a dystopian standalone novel) Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (which I've heard crazy good things about and can't wait to dig into that soon).
The Divergent series was a test in will--I loved the first book (Divergent) but felt like the follow-up (Insurgent) had lost some of the magic of the first. I wasn't too worried, it was good enough, and I've found that the middle books in trilogies tend to be lacking a little. But the final book in the series, Allegiant, was bad. Not because I was disappointed with the ending (which I was) but because of the style it was written in (the author switched the point of view each chapter between the two main characters but since the characters were no longer who I knew them to be and were saying and doing things so out of character, I couldn't keep up with who's POV I was technically reading). Plus, the storyline and conclusion went against everything the first book had set up as the belief system for the main characters. But I kept reading because I really loved that first book. I kept chasing the high of it, to no avail. Recommendation--if you start it, you'll want to finish it, if you're like me. But I highly doubt I'll read more from this author in the future. It was very disappointing.
The Razorland series was a recommendation from a friend of mine who teaches middle school English and reads a ton of young adult books and has a similar love of dystopian novels. Typically when I read a trilogy in this genre the first book really grabs my attention and I can't put it down. The first in this trilogy, Enclave, took a bit (almost half?) for me to really become engrossed. But once it took hold, I couldn't put it down. Set in a post-apocalyptic world and staring some zombie-esque characters (which I'm typically not a fan of), these books follow the main characters and their journey from their underground world to above ground after being exiled. The best part was there wasn't a fall off in book two; the action kept building all the way until the conclusion. Great series, don't let the idea of zombie-like people scare you off. I would have missed out on a great story had I let that stop me.
The Legend series was another favorite; Marie Lu is a fantastic author and I was hooked from the beginning of the first book (Legend) all the way until the last page of the final book (Champion). My biggest issue with this series was the wait time I had to endure at the library because these books are so popular! If you like stories filled with adventure and set in a futuristic world (with a little love story mixed in), check this series out. You won't regret it.
The last series I read in this genre over the year was The Giver Quartet. I had read The Giver years ago and had no idea that Lois Lowry had written three other books set in that world. The three books (Gathering Blue, Messenger and Son) aren't really sequels but they are set in the same world as the original novel. It was fun to revisit this world--one that I loved as a teenager when I first read The Giver.
Another category I loved to read was humor. Or at least books by funny people. Bosseypants by Tina Fey, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak, Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham and Yes Please by Amy Poehler are my favorites that I read over the year in this vein. Each time I picked up any of these books I laughed. And not just giggled, I laughed out loud. I spent countless nights when my husband was at gigs reading these books and making my dog angry because I'd be reading in bed and I would I suddenly burst out laughing, waking my sleeping pup. He was not amused. (The dog really needs his beauty sleep, it's hard being so cute.)
I also enjoy reading books that coincide with the season or real-life events happening. I read Game Change by Mark Halperin & John Heilemann during election season (a nonfiction book that takes you behind the scenes of the 2008 election, a soap opera in it's own right). Then I picked up "Santaland Diaries"by David Sedaris (technically an essay, not a book, but a wonderfully funny account of the author's time working as a Christmas elf at Macy's during the holidays) and Matchless: A Christmas Story by Gregory Maguire (a version of--and expansion on--"The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christen Andersen) during the holidays. Maguire wrote Wicked and this is just another example of him doing what he does best--taking a well-known story and turning it around, telling it from a different perspective. I also re-read the Harry Potter series in the fall because that was when I first read that series and with each book starting with Harry's return to school at Hogwarts, a fall reading of them felt appropriate. I also tend to read more "beach reads" or "chic lit" during the summer--more on those in a bit.
A couple of biographies that I read were The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell and The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming. Both were gripping but for different reasons. While reading TheSisters, therewere several times I thought it was fiction, not a biography, that's how unbelievable the lives of these women were (connections to Hitler, the communist party, royalty and even to the Kennedy family, through marriage). Seriously better than any reality show, and that's coming from a reality tv lover. The Family Romanov was an interesting, easy-to-read narrative that really made history come alive. It was easily one of my favorites I've ever read in this genre. If you love history and reading about interesting people, I highly recommend both these books.
Finally, another genre I found myself turning to, especially if I was in need of a quick read, was "chic lit"--kind of the "romantic comedy" genre of literature. While I don't really like the term "chic lit" for several reasons, for the sake of categorizing these books in a way you're probably familiar with, I'll use it here. I read The Vacationers by Emma Staub, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin, American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, Bitter is the New Black and My Fair Lazy both by Jen Lancaster in this category. All of these were enjoyable, light reads. Sometimes you need a book that is pleasant and serves more as an escape from thinking too much than anything else. These selections are great for that purpose.
Overall, I enjoyed the majority of the books I read. I ended at completing 42 books out of 52 in the span of a year. 10 short. But let me just repeat that: I read 42 books in 52 weeks! Ultimately I'm very proud of what I accomplished.
Now that this year-long journey has finished, I have a new one I'll be starting next week. I'll be announcing it on Monday, March 30th, so come back and find out what fun adventure I'll be embarking upon. I can't wait to share it with you!
xo Sara