Fitting in by standing out
My goal this year was originally 75, then I changed it to 100, and now I’m at 104 books in mid-September. I read a mix of fiction and non-fiction although lately, it’s just been a TON of fiction which makes reading a lot of books pretty easy. When people ask how I can read so much, I wonder, how can you spend so much time watching TV or surfing social media on your phone? Each year, I’ve increased my goal bit by bit and here’s how I read so much.
I grew up in Charlotte reading the Charlotte Observer. My parents had the old black plastic box on a stake next to their regular mailbox. When I went to college, I continued to subscribe and they’d drop it off at my dorm room door. I grew up reading and loving Tommy Tomlinson’s column. His writing was real, just real, and always witty but not overly sarcastic.
Here is a photo of my BFF Julie holding Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover << Shameless Amazon affiliate link below>> . This photo was taken in 2011. For those don’t know, I’m not a holiday gift giver. I don’t believe in giving gifts because it’s Christmas or your birthday or whatever but that’s a whole different blog. That year, I asked Julie to give me a gift. I asked her to read this book with an open mind and open heart about her financial situation. Julie is a smart girl with a good job but it never hurts to learn more – especially in regards to your finances, right? I’d say that it impacted her life in a very positive way so I’m a big believer in the teachings and process.
Drum roll please… the book count for 2018 is 89! Well, that was anti-climatic since that’s the blog title too.
I read. A lot. And I love it. Reading is a way for me to disappear into another world and focus on something for an extended period of time. It allows me to disconnect from devices – unless it’s my Kindle but thankfully, there aren’t notifications popping up everywhere. Reading gives me something to talk about that isn’t TV or gossip.