My 2015 Reading Challenge: The Introduction

So the challenge is as follows.  I saw this via Facebook which was via imgur.com.  For a long time I have been looking for the proper motivation to get a lot of reading done in a year, but reading I wanted to do and enjoyed doing.  I see lists all the time like "50 books to read before you die", "15 books to read this summer" and I always feel great about these lists until I really articulate what is going on here.  Someone else is trying to prescribe my reading and I hate it.  I hated it in school and I hate it now.  I want to read what I want to read and that is the bottom line.  

The challenge, which is pictured below, requires me to read 52 books total (have to read a trilogy which means 3 books to get the full 52).  The books are not specified below, rather I am given some guidance on what to choose.  I like this method because it allows me to stretch outside my comfort zone a bit, and it's not overly specific as to deter me away from certain books.  I am still given the freedom to choose titles and authors and fit them where they can.  

I have made this challenge my own though, which I will explain.  For the past two days I have gone into my basement, where I have my collection of about 500 books (about half of which remain unread by me, I was an English teacher so these books were more for my students than me).  I had the list and went through it finding books I own, and have yet to read, to compile my list of challenge-worthy books.  I tried my best to pick books I have not read before (the only two exceptions would be The Hobbit, which I read when I was in 6th grade, and The BFG, which was read to me in elementary school.).  I tried to pick a wide range of authors and not double up (with the exceptions of JRR Tolkien, in which I am reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and Stephen King in which I am reading The Shining and Under the Dome: Part 1).  With the exception of 13 books (for now) I own all of the books that I chose for this challenge.  I have this problem where I buy a lot books and never read them, so I thought this would be a good time for that.

I have run into some issues just in picking the books.  This challenge is what it says, a challenge.  I have to read (pacing wise) one book a week.  I have 12 books, as of now that are over 400 pages in length.  Everything is my choice, so by no means am I complaining, it's just going to be a lot of reading.  Some of the books are hard to find.  With much digging, I cannot find a book that is set in Mount Vernon, IA for the book that takes place in my hometown.  My mother doesn't read, so to find a book she loves might be a stretch, and considering about every book she has read has been my recommendation it may have to be a book I have already read.  I have never cried while reading a book, so choosing a book that makes me cry is tough, so instead of trial and error, I just chose a sad book.  I also had to tweak the list multiple times.  For example, the book Unbroken can fit into about 10 categories, as can many other books.  The last issue I foresee is that fact that I may very well veer away from my list, for the very reason stated above, I don't like being prescribed reading.  Much of the best reading I have ever done has been spontaneous, so knowing what is ahead may be a struggle.  I will try my best to stick to the list, as all of these books are books I want to read.

Just as I did with my own students in my classroom, I can abandon books.  If a book is downright awful (open to opinion), then by all means stop reading it and move on.  I can read multiple books at a time.  If I am up for the challenge, why not read 2 maybe 3 books at a time.  If I don't finish the challenge, oh well.  The goal here is to read as much as possible, while still maintaining enjoyment and pleasure.  I will try my best to blog about each book on this blog.  These posts will act as sort of reviews, reflections, critiques, or whatever else the book sparks.  So far I have a pretty good list of books I have listed out which can be found here: My 2015 Reading Challenge.  Feel free to comment on my posts and give me feedback.  This whole challenge and blog are more for my personal growth, but it may spark some inspiration in others.  Thanks for reading and if you so choose to take part in this challenge yourself, good luck and happy reading.