What did I learn from the book challenge?

Well, I did it! I completed the Book Challenge 2017, sent to me by my auntie back in January 2017. I only swapped one of my original choices for a different book, and I definitely broadened my horizons, picking up things I would usually ignore.

If you want to follow the whole journey, the posts are here:


I wanted to share a few lessons I learned from completing the challenge, so I've kept it to a nice neat five points.


1. I need to get creative when it comes to reading challenges.

Most book challenges I see involve people setting themselves a certain number of books to read in a year, but to be honest getting through books isn't my problem. I read at a high speed, and I devour books one after the other. Yes, I could set a high number, but I don't feel like I particularly need to increase the NUMBER of books I consume. The key for me is broadening my scope and trying different styles, themes and authors. This challenge was a good example of how valuable that is.


2. I miss school and university reading lists.

I like to give anything and everything a go when it comes to reading, but there are so many books in the world that choice can become a bit overwhelming. I've realised I miss the structure academic reading lists gave me, and the guiding hand of someone directing my reading lists. I'm going to make an effort to hunt down reading lists, whether about a particular theme or of a particular style or genre. People compile reading lists and favourite book lists all over the place; it's time to use them and enjoy letting someone else make the choices and open my eyes to some new things.


3. I love using fiction to explore things I know little about.

I've always known this deep down, but being pushed to try books I may not have done otherwise confirmed this fact. Literature is the most amazing way to explore ideas, places, cultures and people you know little about. A couple of the books I read were contextually very different to anything I've read before, and it reminded me of the true power of writing and fiction to help learning and to inspire growth.


4. It's worth sticking with books you might not love immediately.

I've gone through a phase of being quick to put down books I'm not immediately gripped by, but this risks missing out of the slow-burners, those little gems that you don't realise the power of until you can view the novel as a whole. Sometimes, a novel that starts out weak stays that way, but I want to give more things a chance. Realistically, I read so quickly that an individual novel only takes a couple of hours of reading time, maximum, so it's no great loss if one every now and then isn't the greatest thing I've ever opened. I want to give more reads a chance.


5. Take book recommendations from friends whose reading habits are different to your own.

My friend Jenny is wonderful and we agree on so many things, but our reading and watching habits are pretty different, generally speaking. However, her book recommendation for this challenge (American Gods) was one of the best of the twelve. Sometimes, it's good to leave your comfort zone!


There we have it: some parting thoughts on the conclusion of my book challenge.

So far in 2018, I've not set a challenge yet, I'm working my way through a bunch of Kindle daily deals I've downloaded over the past few months.



Do let me know any good book lists or book recommendations, I'm ready to add them to my list!

Sophie x






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