Earlier this month, I started a reading journal. I watched quite a few bullet journaling videos with reading journal set-ups and then I jumped in. I actually am pretty darn proud of some of the doodling I did to set it up. Who knew I could actually draw books and bookshelves so well?
While watching those videos, I ran across a couple people who mentioned the 2021 PopSugar reading challenge. I have seen the challenge in the past, but didn’t really pay attention. My reading usually has a kind of organic flow to it, as I hear about certain books or get recommendations, I add them to my list.
A lot of the timing of my reading in the last couple years has had to do with hold lists at the library. After having to purge hundreds of books when we sold our house, I am perfectly content not accruing another collection.
In an aside, let me just send a little love into the universe for The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (and her Netflix series). Now, the books that grace my bookshelves are treasures that bring me joy. They are not guilt trips of all the books I meant to be reading or might re-read someday.
But, I digress. This year, I decided, would be a year that I take on a fun challenge and look for books to read according to the categories. I loved making the pages in my reading journal where I am keeping track of the challenge. It is fun to think about which category some of the books I am reading might fall into. But the best part is the Facebook group. I love seeing so many posts about amazing books that people are reading. It sometimes gets annoying to see how literal people are with completing the challenge, but I love the literary discourse there.
Will I finish the challenge this year? Maybe. Do I care if a book that I am reading “counts” for one of the categories? Not so much. Is it a fun experiment that is bringing me joy? Absolutely.
Now, I am off to read. May you find little pleasures that bring you joy in your life!
This post is a part of the 14th annual Slice of Life Story Challenge. After a few years away, I am challenging myself to write every day in March this year, along with an amazing community of other bloggers. You can find our writing linked up on the Two Writing Teachers blog.
