Reading Challenge Update: Books I've Been Enjoying Lately
“What you read when you don’t have to determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”
One of the activities I’ve been taking great solace in lately has been reading. As you all know from my blog post sharing my reading goal for 2020, I decided that this year I would make reading a priority in my life. And now that life has slowed down for a while, I have plenty of extra time to read all of the books I want to this year. I’ve been trying my best to take advantage of this bittersweet opportunity, and while other things like writing and doing schoolwork have become increasingly difficult to keep up with during quarantine, reading doesn’t feel like a challenge at all. Reading, particularly fiction, is a great distraction in tough times, so it’s quickly become my favorite past time in these last few weeks, especially when I need a break from news and social media.
I’ve read 14 books in 2020 so far, which, according to Goodreads, means I’m 3 books ahead of schedule to reach my goal of 40 books by the end of the year. With this newfound extra time on my hands, I’ve been debating if I should raise my goal from 40 to 50, but I think I’ll wait until mid year and see. Better to be pleasantly surprised if I surpass my goal, then disappointed if I don’t reach it, right?
Since we’ve been quarantined, I’ve read six books. Hopefully I will finish plenty more by the time this is over, but for now I want to share with you a few of the books I found most enjoyable.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
I thought it was fitting to begin this post with an Oscar Wilde quote since I just finished reading one of his most famous works recently, The Picture of Dorian Gray. One of the goals within my goal this year is to not only read more books, but to read more classics, so I picked up this beloved novel with that in mind. I was pleasantly surprised by the readability of this book. Many classics, although rich in their other merits, can be extremely difficult to wade through. This book, although it did have a few intense and wordy bits, was easy to glide through in just a few short days. The story was a bit confusing to me at first, but I believe it’s one of those stories you’re supposed to chew on for a bit rather than come out with a profound understanding of all it’s themes and morals. I’ve still been thinking about this novel a lot even though I finished it two weeks ago, and I think that’s what we search for in every book we read, isn’t it?
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
This guide to writing is one of the best books in the genre; simple but elegant, Lamott gives the reader basic instruction on writing that is rich with life lessons as well. I sat down and read this book in an afternoon when I was feeling a bout of writer’s block, and when I finished it, I felt rejuvenated and inspired. For any current or aspiring writer, I highly recommend this book.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
This beast of a book has been on my wishlist since I fell in love with Donna Tartt’s writing a few months ago, but I was saving it for the summer when I would have plenty of time to enjoy it. However, as soon as the social distancing restrictions in my state were extending to June and we knew we were in this for the long haul, I quickly got on Amazon and ordered it. At 800 pages, it’s certainly a big undertaking, but Tartt’s writing is so smooth and seamless that the chapters fly by. She paints an image in your mind so clear, you almost feel like you’re watching a film instead of reading a novel. I’ve been working on this book for a few days, and while I’m not quite done yet, I’m approaching the end and I almost don’t want it to be finished. The style and tone of writing is different from her previous novel, The Secret History, which surprised me at first, but the more I read, the more I can hear Tartt’s voice come through on the pages. The plot winds in a way that leaves you itching to pick the book back up even if you’ve just set it down. In fact, I’m eager to finish writing this post so I can get back to the novel and finally see how it ends.
And that’s all for today! While I have read a few others since my last reading update, these were the books that really stood out to me. If you’re looking for a way to pass the time, I highly recommend picking one of them up.
What have you been reading and loving lately?