My 2020 Reading Challenge

One of my goals for 2020 is to read one book per month. It doesn't sound like much, but as someone who can never seem to find the time to read unless I'm on holiday, this feels challenging but also achievable. I have set the same goal for the past three years and the closest I have come is seven books in 2019. I have always loved reading and I feel almost ashamed that I've read so few books in my adult life so far, so I'm excited to work towards my goal this year and get back into the swing of reading instead of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram.

My 'to read' list is already ten books long thanks to my friends and family gifting me some lovely books for my birthday and Christmas. 

Biographies/Autobiographies

I am a huge fan of biographies and love to read about the people that inspire me. I feel you can learn a lot from a person's life, opinions and choices and I really enjoy challenging my own thoughts in this way. The biographies on my list are:

• Becoming - Michelle Obama 
• Me - Elton John 
• Roger Federer

I chose Michelle Obama's book for January as I started this in 2019 and stopped half way through. I'm now less than 50 pages from the end and have thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. Like Michelle, Elton John and Roger Federer are two of my inspirations for various reasons and I can't wait to get stuck into their life stories later in the year.

Personal Development

I really love to learn and reading is undoubtedly one of the best ways to expand your knowledge. I find that slotting these kind of books in between fiction really works for me. All of the books in this category were bought as presents for me - my friends and family know me well!

•  Feel the Fear and do it Anyway - Susan Jeffers
•  Is Butter a Carb? - Rosie Saunt
•  The Body - Bill Bryson
•  The Beginner's Photography Guide

As an anxious person who definitely lets her insecurities hold her back in life, Susan Jeffers' book is one I have wanted to read for many years. I'm sure it will prompt lots of life-changing thoughts and actions so I will save it for a quiet month! 

'Is Butter a Carb?' and 'The Body' are both right up my street: science, nutrition and biology are three of my favourite things to learn about. Photography also falls in this category as a passion I have held for the majority of my life. I finally bought myself a DSLR two years ago and ashamedly still don't know the ins and outs of it so I feel it is definitely time to learn.

Fiction

Who doesn't love a good fiction book? Saying that, books in this genre that float my boat are difficult to find. Thankfully some of my favourite authors have a backlog of books I'm yet to read. Once again, these books were all gifts from my husband - someone who reads around 50 books per year and continues to encourage my reading, despite buying me many books that have sat unread!

•  How to Stop Time - Matt Haig
•  On a Beautiful Day - Lucy Diamond
•  The Starless Sea - Erin Morgenstern

Last year my husband and I listened to 'Humans' by Matt Haig. It was unlike anything I'd ever read before, but fantastic nonetheless. I was surprised to receive 'How to Stop Time' for Christmas, but thankful as I can't wait to get stuck into this one. Similarly, I was shocked to receive a new book from Erin Morgenstern. I read 'The Night Circus', a few years ago and it has remained my favourite book since so I'm hoping for similar things with 'The Starless Sea'. 

Finally, 'On a Beautiful Day' is a book I started last summer and really did enjoy. I then got distracted by a busy workload and life took over so the book went back on the shelf. I can't wait to pick it up again and find out what happens.

I have a lot of books to get through, but I am really looking forward to reading more. My hope is that by sharing this blogpost that I can come back at the end of the year and provide reviews and recommendations. I'm determined the achieve my reading goal this year!

What books are you reading at the moment?