My 2020 Reading Challenge

If you’ve read my past blog post about the personal choice of finally picking up a book, you know that I’m more of a “newbie” on reading for pleasure. I really became an avid reader in 2019, and continued throughout the course of 2020. I began a 2020 reading challenge with a goal to finish 12 books for the year. So far, I’ve read 9 books total, while currently reading 4 at this moment.

With a buzzing last few weeks of December, I’m confident enough to say I will not complete my challenge of reading 12 books in 2020. But, that does not hinder me from feeling fulfilled and very much accomplished to have made it this far. With more time spent at home due to the pandemic, I could have easily chosen screen time over a book. And to be honest, sometimes that was the case. Yet I committed in finding balance, and did just that!

I’ve had the delight of selecting and reading some pretty amazing (mostly fiction) books. I laughed, I cried, I felt all the emotions of experiencing a well-written piece of work.

In chronological order, I’ve read the following books in 2020 (link to each included):

1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
2. ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
3. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
4. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by
   Miguel Ruiz
5. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
6. The Shining by Stephen King
7. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
8. Carrie by Stephen King
9. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I am currently in the process of reading:

• Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
• Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
• Food Fix: How to Save Our Health, Our Economy, Our Communities, and Our Planet–One Bite at a Time by Mark Hyman
• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

If you’re a reader and enjoy organization like myself, get yourself the Goodreads app! Not only does it give you the option to set yearly challenges, you can keep track of books you’ve read, want to read, see what your friends are reading, and so much more.

As we near the end of 2020, I have the intention of setting yet another reading challenge, not with a mindset that it absolutely needs to be completed, but as a reminder to always find room for imagination, depth and knowledge. And that, is mission accomplished!