A book a day? Try more than two

In 2013 I decided to read an average of one book per day.  That’s 365 books.  Part of the way through the year I bumped that goal up to an average of two books per day (730 titles).  By the end of November, I had completed my goal.  By the end of the year, I will hit over 750 books read. (See my 2013 reads here)

How in the world did I manage that?  There are a lot of factors contributing to this huge list.

Firstly, I usually have several books going at one time.  I’ve always had an insatiable appetite for books that could only be (nearly) quenched by reading several at any given moment, so this is a practice that is well engrained.

Speaking of having more than one book going at a time, ever since I signed up for an Audible account, my audiobook listening has increased dramatically.  Before using Audible, I would only listen to books while driving.  Now I often have one on CD in the van and one on my iPhone on the Audible app.  I often carry the phone in my pocket while doing chores at home.  If I am cooking, I will plug my phone in and set it on the kitchen counter, just so I can continue listening to a book.  Instead of watching TV, many nights I listen to a book while on the computer.  I will even listen to a bit of a book while in bed.

As a youth librarian who does preschool storytime, I read a lot of picture books. Add in the Caldecott challenge and you have a lot of books.  I once asked an esteemed colleague how she managed to read a book a day.  She replied that picture books count.  That got me thinking.  Really, why shouldn’t they?  They are a very important portion of literature, and a key part of my job.

Lastly, I decided that if picture books count, so do novellas, short stories, children’s chapter books, and beginning readers.  I think that is a logical conclusion. 

So that is how I read so many books this year.  It’s also my game plan for next year’s goal.