I already reached my goal of 31 books this year, last month in March 2018 !
Last year I failed to read 30 books as planned, so this time I had to change my technique to cater my busy lifestyle and I started early (+ I didn't slow down like I usually do every year).
What did I do ?
I started subscribing to Scribd ($8.99 per month) and used it to listen to as many audio books as I want. I download at least 2 offline books (for outing activities - which rarely happen nowadays) and I listen to audio books online most of the time when I'm at home. On my laptop while I'm working and on my iPhone when I'm cleaning the house or cooking. That's it - I stop buying books and I just rent all the audio books. By the time I'm writing this, I just finished book 33 (in April).
*
Book List 2018 (bold text are the ones that I like) :
- You & a Bike & a Road by Elianor Davis
- Anthem by Ayn Rand
- Porcelain and Pink by F Scott Fitzgerald
- The Sense if an Ending by Julian Barnes
- The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo
- The Little Book of Contentment by Leo Babauta
- What Language is That by Uwem Akpan
- The Ghost by Robert Harris
- The Noticer by Andy Andrews
- The Light Princess by George Mac Donald
- Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
- Cici's Journal by Joris Chamblain
- Mathilda by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
- Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen deGeneres
- Call Me by Your Name by Andre Aciman
- After You by Jojo Moyes
- The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
- The Magic String of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom
- Sounds Like Me by Sara Bareilles
- Rework by Jason Freid
- Yes, My Accent is Real by Kunal Nayyar
- An Unquiet Mind by Kay R. Jamison
- $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeum
- Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
- The Year of Less by Cait Flanders
- Lagom by Niki Brantmark
- The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking
- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
- The Misfit's Manifesto by Lidia Yuknavitch
- Launch Your Dream by Dale Partridge
- The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin
- Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Where Am I Now by Mara Wilson
- The Wisdom of Sundays by Oprah Winfrey
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
- Unfiltered by Lily Collins
- The Achievement Habit by Bernard Roth
- #girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
- The Joy of Less, a Minimalist Living Guide by Francine Jay
- Chakra Healing by Rosalyn L Bruyere
- Silence by Thinch Nhat Hanh
- How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere by Larry King
- How to be Everything by Emilie Wapnick
- Awkward by Ty Tashiro
- Simply Clean by Becky Rapinchuk
- Ajak Penumbra 1969 by Robin Sloan
- Madame Zero : 9 Stories by Sarah Hall
- Real Artists Don't Starve by Jeff Goins
- Talking with Confidence for the Painfully Shy by Don Gabor
- To Siri with Love by Judith Newman
- Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston
- Harvest for Hope by Jane Goodall
- 50/50 : Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days - by Dean Karnazes & Matt Fitzgerald
- The Faith of Obama by Stephen Mansfield
- Angela's Ashes by Frank Mc'Court
- Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success by Steve Harvey
- South and West by Joan Didion
- If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski
- A New Model by Ashley Graham
- Note to Self by Connor Franta
- I Got This by Jennifer Hudson
- Brave by Rose McGowan
- The Moment of Everything by Shelly King
- The Bassoon King by Rainn Wilson
- 'Tis by Frank McCourt
- Three Cups of Deceit by Jon Krakauer
- Always Eat Left-Handed by Rohit Bhargava
- Letter to my Daughter by Maya Angelou
- Reason for Hope by Jane Goodall
- The Longevity Book
- Packing My Library by Alberto Manguel
- Blue Nights by Joan Didion
- Life's Too Short to Go F*cking Slow by Susan Lacke
- My Paris Dream by Kate Betts
- 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do by Amy Morin
- Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly
- You'll Never Know Dear by Hallie Ephron
- Elon Musk Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
- Girl in the Woods : a Memoir by Aspen Matis
- A Work in Progress by Connor Franta
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
- The Audicity of Hope by Barack Obama
- Over the Garden Wall by Pat McHale *<---- i="">The moment I decided to read novel graphics---->
- Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung
- Us by Curtis Wiklund
- Giant Days 1 by John Allison
- Giant Days 2 by John Allison
- At the Shore by Jim Campbell
- Giant Days 3 by John Allison
- Goodbye, Sweet Girl by Kelly Sundberg
- Giant Days 4 by John Allison
- Giant Days 5 by John Allison
- Giant Days 6 by John Allison
- Giant Days 7 by John Allison
- Over the Garden Wall #1 (2016) by Jim Campbell
- Over the Garden Wall #2 (2016) by Jim Campbell
- Over the Garden Wall #3 (2016) by Jim Campbell
- Over the Garden Wall #4 (2016) by Jim Campbell
- Over the Garden Wall #5 (2016) by Jim Campbell
- Over the Garden Wall #6 (2016) by Jim Campbell
- Over the Garden Wall #7 (2016) by Jim Campbell
- Over the Garden Wall #8 (2016) by Jim Campbell
- Over the Garden Wall #9 (2016) by Jim Campbell
- Alibaba : The House that Jack Ma Built by Duncan Clark
- The Crossroads of Should and Must : Find and Follow Your Passion by Elle Luna
- One Sip at a Time by Keith Van Sickle
- Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (re-read)
- Men without Women by Haruki Murakami
- Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
- Onibi by Cecile Brun + Olivier Pichard
- The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (re-read)
- The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (re-read)
- The Prisoner's of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (re-read)
*
I noticed that it is easier for me to listen to self-help books and biographies (instead of fiction), so I'm using this chance to listen to as many books as I can before I bore myself out and stop consuming books for awhile.
Books for freelancer / creative souls / aspiring entrepreneur :
--
Books for minimalist / searching for a way to a simpler life :
Books for minimalist / searching for a way to a simpler life :
*
Note (in April) : I think I've decided to upgrade my next book goal to 100 books, inspired by another app developer I followed on Goodreads - he's on book 32 at this moment.
Note updated (in July) : I've already reached 100 books, so I decided to unsubscribe to Scribd at this moment and wait for January 2019 to start on a a new challenge. Currently I'm taking in super slow back. Picking physical books to reread and enjoy the typed words.
Note updated (in August) : My subscription to Scribd ended, and I started to read physical books that I already owned instead of buying new books. At this moment, I'm currently on the third book. I'm rereading the 'The Shadow of the Wind' series by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, the series that I started around 10 years ago. Enjoying slow life so far :)
Note updated (in December) : I've read all the 3 books in the 'The Shadow of the Wind' series by the end of November and I'm slowing down on reading :)
Note updated (in July) : I've already reached 100 books, so I decided to unsubscribe to Scribd at this moment and wait for January 2019 to start on a a new challenge. Currently I'm taking in super slow back. Picking physical books to reread and enjoy the typed words.
Note updated (in August) : My subscription to Scribd ended, and I started to read physical books that I already owned instead of buying new books. At this moment, I'm currently on the third book. I'm rereading the 'The Shadow of the Wind' series by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, the series that I started around 10 years ago. Enjoying slow life so far :)
Note updated (in December) : I've read all the 3 books in the 'The Shadow of the Wind' series by the end of November and I'm slowing down on reading :)
How's your book reading challenge so far ?
😁
*
Wow, congratulations on getting through so many books already! I actually only read seven books last year (that is so embarassing to admit) but I'll definitely pass that this year as I'm down five already. I changed my reading habits too and instead of just waiting for the mood to strike I actually make it a priority to spend the last half hour or so before I sleep reading.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I could do audiobooks. I find if I'm not actively listening to something it doesn't really go in my head so am not sure if I'd be able to listen to a book unless I was doing an activity that didn't require any thinking like working out or walking somewhere. Listening to it while on the computer would be impossible for me because my mind would definitely miss things while scrolling around. I'm glad it works for you though! Keep going!
Asti || atypicalnarrative.com
Hi Asti !
DeleteWell, not everyone finds listening to audio books suitable for them. You need to try it first. For me, it works the best because I always on my laptop (drawing/designing) and I can focus entirely on the audio book while doing my work (because it tends to be repetitive).
Hope you can reach your goal this year :D
That's amazing!
ReplyDeleteMy target is 12 books this year since I couldn't finish my target last year. Thanks for your recommendation of Scribd now I can listen to audiobooks during my commute to and from work :D
Yoshh, your welcome ! I'm glad my post helped you in reading/listening to more books ! :D <3
Delete