I Tried Reading a New Book Every Week for a Month and It Was More Difficult Than I Expected

I've never been an avid reader.

Sure I enjoy reading, but I would never list it as one of my pastimes if you asked me what I do for fun.

I've read plenty of books, but they were all for school. I'd say only six out of the hundreds of novels I've read throughout my school year were for my enjoyment only. Pretty sad, huh?

I've just always been turned off by the idea of reading for fun, because those two words could not be polar opposites, at least in my opinion. But because it's a new year and I'm trying to be a "new me," I thought I'd try to give reading-for-amusement another shot.

Here's what happened when I attempted to read a new book every week for an entire month.

Week One & Two

Book: #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso

Synopsis: Sophia Amoruso shares her story of how she went from dumpster-diving and hitchhiking to founding the illustrious retail store Nasty Gal. In this sort of biography, Sophia recounts plenty of interesting tales that led her to where she is today while offering advice for all the girl bosses of the world on how they can make the most out of life.

My experience: Clearly I didn't start off on the best foot with this endeavor, seeing as it took me two weeks to finish this book. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, I just got busy. Yes, that is the lamest excuse I could've possibly used to explain why I didn't stick to my schedule, but it's the truth. During the first week I was meant to complete it, I went on a trip to Austin, Texas, and completely avoided reading all together. I had better things to do, sorry not sorry.

When week two rolled around, I still had a hard time getting back into reading. I ended up completing it over the Saturday and Sunday before week three began. Hey, at least I finished it right? Not exactly. I rushed through the rest of the book, which didn't really allow me to fully soak in all the information it was giving me. And there were a ton of fantastic tidbits dispersed throughout the book.

I think my downfall during the first few weeks of this experiment was that I tried so hard to reach an unimportant deadline. Sure I was supposed to read the book within a set time, but the more important part of this assignment was easing myself back into reading for pleasure. I read #Girlboss just to read it and enjoy it, but I ended up just reading it to read it.

 

Week Three

Book: The Amateurs by Sara Shepard

Synopsis: After Aerin Kelly's older sister Helena was mysteriously murdered, Aerin reaches out to an online crime-solving community called Case Not Closed in hopes someone will help her uncover the truth about her sister's death. Aerin's cry for help is answered by Seneca Frazier, Maddy Wright and Brett Grady from the site who set out to answer what really happened to Helena Kelly.

My experience: Mystery novels hold a special place in my heart. I grew up reading Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and The Boxcar Children, among multiple other mysteries. I was super stoked on this book, too, because the author, Sara Shepard, also wrote the Pretty Little Liars novels. I had faith that she would do an extraordinary job with the first novel in the series, and she did! I couldn't put this book down. I actually finished it early Saturday morning of that week, so it took me less than a week to finish it.

I think the reason I was able to enjoy this book more than #Girlboss is because I enjoyed the subject matter much more. I was emotionally invested in the characters and the mystery they set out to solve. Like I mentioned earlier, mysteries are my thing, so it was a fun read that didn't feel at all like an unnecessary homework assignment. And after that twist at the end, I really, really, really need the next book in the series to come out ASAP!

 

Week Four

Book: The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Synopsis: Natasha is on a mission to do anything she can to prevent her family from being deported to Jamaica. Along the way, she has a chance encounter with a boy named Daniel. During their short time together, the two develop a strong relationship, proving you can't deny fate.

My experience: Normally I would be turned off by a book that's mainly about love and destiny and all that mumbo jumbo, but I decided to venture outside of my comfort zone and give this novel a chance.

Honestly, I kind of regretted doing so. The novel was incredibly well-written, but it was a bit overwrought. Though I did find myself invested in the storyline and the characters, I eventually got to a point where I didn't care. The ending was also a bit disappointing, which is a huge reason I'm not too fond of this book.

But if you're a hopeless romantic and believe that the universe has a plan for all of us, you'll thoroughly enjoy reading this novel.

 

Overall Thoughts

I'm glad I decided to force myself back into reading, though I haven't read a book since this little project has ended. I think my ultimate downfall in my venture was setting a deadline. I just ended up racing through almost the entirety of #Girlboss and even parts of The Sun Is Also a Star. It was like high school all over again.

I did, however, pick up a new book that I plan on reading, but at a pace that will better allow me to fully appreciate all the novel has to offer.

 

Because we're on the topic of books, THESE are the novels I read in high school that drastically changed my life.