Today is Road Trip Wednesday 🙂 RTW is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.
This week’s topic: About how many books do you read in a year?
Do you want to read more? Or, less?
So far, I´ve read about 72 YA (and NA) books this year (about 86 books in total). Yes. 72. And the year is not over. That seems like a lot. I see my husband rolling his eyes at the number. But…I spend a lot of time in commuting, and I´m a fast reader. You combine the two and you get a whole lot of books in a year. My commute is for both reading and writing, and when I´m deep into a draft, there will be less reading.
I don´t set a number per year, I don’t have a goal of books I feel like I need to be reading. But, since I’ve become serious about my writing, I also believe that reading a lot does improve my writing. After all, even Stephen King explained: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” It also helps me to know what’s already out there, what works for me, try to touch the elusive point on the reasons why I get lost in a book. That magical moment when it’s simply you and the story. It always leaves me in awe at the way a writer was able to create that chemistry through words.
A lot of times, I also simply enjoy reading for reading. You know getting the butterflies when a book pulls you in and doesn’t let go. It helps me de-stress, it makes me smile, and yes even when it makes me tear up, I welcome all the feelings. I even have some books, I will re-read because I know they will lift me up.
I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of books.
Sorry hubby, the shelves will continue to overflow.
So, tell me: do you set yourself a “reading goal” per year?
Elodie Nowodazkij 