Reading Goals and Challenges

 I love to read.  As a young child, being able to read was a wonderment.  I remember being read to from books like this —

I had this exact copy, still do, and have perused antique stores to buy copies for my grandchildren — it is that magical.  

Then I went to kindergarten at our church.  I don’t know what the “rule” was in regards to teaching children to read in school in 1955 but they taught us to read and I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

We learned to read with the “Dick and Jane” books, like the one shown here.  It was like opening a door for me.  The only downside to learning to read in kindergarten — with these books — is that the next year when we were in first grade and they were teaching us reading I was bored because they used the same books.  Also, by that time, my reading had progressed to the point that I was past this level so it was sort of an issue.

In the third grade another door was opened for me.  Our end of the year picnic was held at San Pedro Park, a historical park in San Antonio, and on the edge of this park stood the San Pedro Public Library.  

We were told that if we had turned 8 and had a parent with us we could go to the library and get a library card! Oh happy day! I mean, back in 1958 we didn’t have B&N on every corner, we didn’t have children’s books in the supermarket, we didn’t have Target, our access was limited so what was a young bibliophile to do?  Yep, the library.  So, of course my mother agreed to get the card and off we went — I was so thrilled and proud and raring to go.  I immediately latched on to some of the most popular books by the likes of Kate Seredy and Lois Lenski.  Kate Seredy was my favorite starting with “The Good Master”.  My best time in my young life was to visit the library, get a stack of books, and settle in on the couch on a rainy day to just read.  In San Antonio we had many rainy days so my mother always knew where I would be.

My love for reading never waned, my love of libraries never waned but my reading habits and methods have changed.  I visit the library digitally now, I download books on a kindle or a Nook app that I can carry with me.  I read in school pick up lines and waiting rooms.  I read in the car while waiting for my husband to shop and I read myself to sleep.  But, I still read and it is still magical.

Now one thing I have done for several years is participate in the Goodreads reading challenge but I really gave that up last year because the pressure of trying to reach an arbitrary number of books in a prescribed time just makes it less enjoyable for me.  So, in 2024 I didn’t read as many books as I have in the past but that is ok.  I try to research what I read so that I am reasonably certain that I will enjoy the book and then I do just that, enjoy the book, regardless of how long it takes me to read it. I still log my books on Goodreads and here on my blog but I no longer try to be unrealistic about it — I will never read 50 books in a year. 

So, this is what I read in 2024

I am starting out this year with the second in the Little Maudly series — “The Village Green Bookshop”.  It is good and engaging and clean and cozy — not a mystery but very human interest.  I started with the first book “The Telephone Box Library” and hope to continue with the series.

Cleaning off my desk two days ago I found a gift card I had forgotten about so I did some shopping for books.  I happened upon another series — “The Tradd House” series — so I bought the first two and hope they turn out well.  I will let you know.  They are ebooks that I downloaded to my Nook app.

So, that is all for today - it is very early and very quiet — sounds like a good time to do some page turning!