One of my goals this year is to finish reading at least 12 books. For some, that may be too little, while for others, maybe too much. But for me, I think this is the most attainable number, especially because I rarely read a book last year. We gotta go back to the cycle slowly but surely, yknow! Hihi
But guess what? I am so proud and happy to share that as of writing, I already finished not just 1, but 4 books, and is halfway through another one. I am honestly surprised myself!
Below is the list of books I finished for the month of January!
Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
I actually started reading this book latter part of last year, but for some reason, I couldn't get myself to finish it. I didn't pressure myself to do so though, since there's no point in reading if the reader isn't ready. So when January came, I told myself to take it slow, and read even just a chapter or a few pages a day. A few at a time is better than nothing at all!
And true enough, after around a week, I finally finished it!
This book was kind of hard for me to read, maybe because I couldn't relate much to the characters? But it is a good book! I learned a lot from it and from the lives of each character.
It taught me that each person, no matter how bad and ugly their past is, has a chance to start anew in this lifetime. There will be times when it would be so hard to see pass through a person's past. As a human being, part of us will always think about the wrongdoings a person did in the past, and assume that there's a high probability of them doing it again. This is something I also struggle, myself, and I hope I'll be better at not judging people.
Another thing that this book touched is the topic on death. I know that even though death is inevitable, most people are still not ready or comfortable talking about it. What I got from this book is that death is not that scary. What's more scary is what you would leave behind-- be it a legacy, a lesson, a story. It would make us ask ourselves, "Did I live right? Did I actually live life?"
For One More Day by Mitch Albom
Another Mitch Albom book! I got this book in a local cafe's open library area, where anyone is free to borrow or swap books! So cool, right?
Anywaaaay. I finished this book in a couple of days as well. This one was an easier read for me than Have a Little Faith because the way it was written and the plot/story seemed like a diary of a person. So reading it was like reading a person's story during one of his travels or adventures. It is based on a true story but somehow felt like a fiction.
This book made me shed tears, especially in the latter part. This would remind us to appreciate and love the people around us, and as well as ourselves. This shows how important it is to value our lives and ourselves, and to make better decisions in life.
Veronica Decides to Die by Pablo Coelho
Another book I got from the open libarary!
This is my first Paulo Coelho book, so I really didn't know what to expect. I have no idea Paulo Coelho's writing style genre.
Honestly, at first, I got a bit bored in reading this, so just like what I did with Have a Little Faith, I took it slowly.
But boooooy! When I was already somewhere in the middle of the story, it became more interesting to me. It opened my mind to a different world! There were some things mentioned here that I didn't know before!
This book taught me about perspectives... Like how we see things... how a norm becomes a norm... how weird seems weird.
And of course, it showed me how to value our now and our truth. Sometimes, we keep on finding our purpose, we aim for something better, for something exciting, when in fact, what we are looking for is actually our now.
This is also a reminder for us to live our lives like we won't have any tomorrows!
Atomic Habits by James Clear (audio book)
This was actually an audiobook, since I don't have the physical copy. There are a lot of lessons we can get from this book, but one thing I really like and got to apply is to make simple habits and be consistent at it. And if in case we do miss a day doing something, we need to pick ourselves up again and make up for those missed days, even on days when it is so hard to do it. This way, we won't get the idea that we can skip anytime we want.
After reading this book, I made 5 simple habits I would do everyday! Maybe I'll share more about them in a different post! :)
I am currently reading another book, and I am halfway though it already! Hopefully, I'll get to continue this habit of reading a few pages a day!
How about you? What books have you finished so far?
Stay sane and safe!
Let's spread happiness.
herkeepsake
❤
I think you did well for your reading goal of January. I have two books last month. I wish I read more but there no time for me. Hope to see more of your shares and I will checking out Veronica Decides to Die by Pablo Coelho. Thank you for the recommendation.
!discovery 33
Thank you so much for your kind words! I do hope i'll get to continue reading more this year! And sending virtual energy for you so you'll find time reading also!
I'm glad you were able to start this challenge, it's a good incentive for all readers. I love reading, it is and should be the goal of all of us who write, educators, those of us who want to cultivate our knowledge and enrich our vocabulary every day, but sometimes we need a 48-hour day to accomplish so many things, including reading more.
Last year I don't think I reached even 8 books completed, I only completed some books on pause from previous years, read completely about three new ones, and started many that are paused at the moment.
I like your challenge, it's wonderful. And many congratulations for that achievement in January, I didn't read any that month, and now I'm finishing one of the many that were on pause.
Greetings!
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! And yesss, I agree that it is so hard to find time to read amidst all the things we need to do!
That's why i am so happy i got to read a lot again!
Hope you'll get to finish reading something this year!
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Wow! Thank you so much!!