My Challenge-Free Reading Year: Reviving my Love for Books in 2023
Not setting myself a reading challenge had some interesting effects this year — let’s talk about it
After failing reading challenge after reading challenge, I finally decided that 2023 would be my challenge-free year. I admit, at first, I was scared.
I read quite chaotically (on a good day, I’d call it intuitive), so with nothing to keep me accountable and motivated, I feared my reading would plummet significantly.
This is where I was wrong. While grappling with Goodreads goals year on year, I’d forgotten how much I enjoy reading for the experience, not to tick a box or reach a set number. I’ve always loved books, and every time I read, I get this overwhelming sense of gratitude and passion for how wonderful the act of reading is.
Who did I think I was kidding when I feared I would read almost nothing without a challenge?
And while I didn’t read as much as in previous years, this year I’ve ticked off 43 books (so far), which is almost as many as last year. The difference is that I didn’t have the pressure of a challenge which, around this time last year, sent me into full obsession, thinking about all the ways in which I could tick off as many books as possible in…
