Welcome to November! It’s almost the end of the year already, can you believe it? Honestly, I feel like the year just started yesterday, yet—already—I’ve hit all the milestones and a lot of things have changed. The one goal I have yet to reach is, however, my reading goal. With 25 books in my pocket, I only need to read 5 more volumes before I could pat myself in the back. Thankfully, I still have plenty of books to choose from—my room is really just piling with titles I’ve hoarded over the past year.
So, this post is actually a cheeky way for me to keep track of the books I’d like to dive into before the year closes—also a chance for me to show you the titles I’ve acquired but never mentioned before. All these books are used—most of them bought, one of them was a hand-me-down. If you can, I always implore you to buy secondhand first. Without further ado, let’s get on with the books.
Currently Reading
Burmese Days
George Orwell
One of those books that I want to read thanks to the recommendations from Romancing the East. To be honest, when I picked it up, I didn’t really know what the story was going to be about—aside from, maybe, the daily life of colonisers in Burma—but I got intrigued to read a European’s point-of-view of the situation. Especially George Orwell. As you may know, I read his more famous work 1984 earlier this year, and I absolutely enjoy his writing. I’ve only started reading this one last week, but I already feel pretty much the same—although, for some reason, with a tinge of Shakespearean feel to it.
To Be Read
The Lacuna
Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver is an author that I got to know through her previous work, Flight Behavior. Since I absolutely love that eco-fiction, I thought I’d give this one a go as well. However, this one doesn’t seem to deal much with the ecology, so we’ll see what it has in store for me. Her writing, as I remember it, was really clever, though, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy it just the same. Aside from that, I also love the title—which apparently means ‘pause/break’ but sounds like it ‘Hakuna Matata,’ which is fun. So excited to crack this one open soon!
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
Here is a well-known classic everyone must have heard of. It’s kind of a must-read for everyone, at some point in time. It’s no surprise that I’ve never read it before. However, when I saw it for sale at Chepolita, I cannot resist but to grab it for myself. Actually, I think I got it together with Burmese Days above. I’m not sure what to expect from this book, but I somehow imagine it either somewhat zen like War & Peace or Machiavellian, to say the least. All I know is that I’m very excited to find out for sure.
A Passage to India
E.M. Forster
If you remember, I’ve mentioned this book earlier this year already. And, yes, apparently, I also thrifted it from Chepolita—a great place to acquire some classics, really. After putting it off for a while, I think I will definitely read this book before the year wraps up. It’ll be a great end of classics, with Burmese Days, The Art of War and this. For more details on this book, feel free to read this post.
The First Phone Call from Heaven
Mitch Albom
Last but not least is this volume that I received for free from a former colleague. It’s no secret for anyone at work—no matter which office—that I’m a big reader. One day, someone from my previous office slid into my DM and asked if I’d read this book before. I’m a regular Mitch Albom reader, but have yet to venture into his newer works—including this one. Knowing that, she decided to send this book to me, a hand-me-down. I thought at first that she was only joking, but then the book arrived and I was very, very touched. So now, I’m determined to read it before the year comes to a close.
When it comes to reading goals, we bookworms tend to be so hard on ourselves, but I’ll remind everyone over and over again not to put too much pressure on it. Many people have told me the same thing, so I’m just paying it forward. Personally, I would recommend using your yearly reading goals to be more of a tool to reflect on your reading behaviour, priorities and tendencies.
My current reading goal, for instance, is made specifically because I now realise the importance to opt for quality—in terms of subect matter and writing style—over quantity, as I have done in the past. Of course, if your goal is to develop a reading habit, quantity may be more important. So pace yourself and remember what you want to accomplish with your goal. Don’t let your goal determine your life.
What do you want to accomplish with your reading goals?
Welcome to November! It’s almost the end of the year already, can you believe it? Honestly, I feel like the year just started yesterday, yet—already—I’ve hit all the milestones and a lot of things have changed. The one goal I have yet to reach is, however, my reading goal. With 25 books in my pocket, I only need to read 5 more volumes before I could pat myself in the back. Thankfully, I still have plenty of books to choose from—my room is really just piling with titles I’ve hoarded over the past year.
So, this post is actually a cheeky way for me to keep track of the books I’d like to dive into before the year closes—also a chance for me to show you the titles I’ve acquired but never mentioned before. All these books are used—most of them bought, one of them was a hand-me-down. If you can, I always implore you to buy secondhand first. Without further ado, let’s get on with the books.
Currently Reading
Burmese Days
George Orwell
One of those books that I want to read thanks to the recommendations from Romancing the East. To be honest, when I picked it up, I didn’t really know what the story was going to be about—aside from, maybe, the daily life of colonisers in Burma—but I got intrigued to read a European’s point-of-view of the situation. Especially George Orwell. As you may know, I read his more famous work 1984 earlier this year, and I absolutely enjoy his writing. I’ve only started reading this one last week, but I already feel pretty much the same—although, for some reason, with a tinge of Shakespearean feel to it.
To Be Read
The Lacuna
Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver is an author that I got to know through her previous work, Flight Behavior. Since I absolutely love that eco-fiction, I thought I’d give this one a go as well. However, this one doesn’t seem to deal much with the ecology, so we’ll see what it has in store for me. Her writing, as I remember it, was really clever, though, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy it just the same. Aside from that, I also love the title—which apparently means ‘pause/break’ but sounds like it ‘Hakuna Matata,’ which is fun. So excited to crack this one open soon!
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
Here is a well-known classic everyone must have heard of. It’s kind of a must-read for everyone, at some point in time. It’s no surprise that I’ve never read it before. However, when I saw it for sale at Chepolita, I cannot resist but to grab it for myself. Actually, I think I got it together with Burmese Days above. I’m not sure what to expect from this book, but I somehow imagine it either somewhat zen like War & Peace or Machiavellian, to say the least. All I know is that I’m very excited to find out for sure.
A Passage to India
E.M. Forster
If you remember, I’ve mentioned this book earlier this year already. And, yes, apparently, I also thrifted it from Chepolita—a great place to acquire some classics, really. After putting it off for a while, I think I will definitely read this book before the year wraps up. It’ll be a great end of classics, with Burmese Days, The Art of War and this. For more details on this book, feel free to read this post.
The First Phone Call from Heaven
Mitch Albom
Last but not least is this volume that I received for free from a former colleague. It’s no secret for anyone at work—no matter which office—that I’m a big reader. One day, someone from my previous office slid into my DM and asked if I’d read this book before. I’m a regular Mitch Albom reader, but have yet to venture into his newer works—including this one. Knowing that, she decided to send this book to me, a hand-me-down. I thought at first that she was only joking, but then the book arrived and I was very, very touched. So now, I’m determined to read it before the year comes to a close.
When it comes to reading goals, we bookworms tend to be so hard on ourselves, but I’ll remind everyone over and over again not to put too much pressure on it. Many people have told me the same thing, so I’m just paying it forward. Personally, I would recommend using your yearly reading goals to be more of a tool to reflect on your reading behaviour, priorities and tendencies.
My current reading goal, for instance, is made specifically because I now realise the importance to opt for quality—in terms of subect matter and writing style—over quantity, as I have done in the past. Of course, if your goal is to develop a reading habit, quantity may be more important. So pace yourself and remember what you want to accomplish with your goal. Don’t let your goal determine your life.
What do you want to accomplish with your reading goals?
