"May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favour."

“I’m currently reading book number 103 of 2021”…..no not me, this is a direct quote from a friend’s blog. A friend from whom I’ve received a few book recommendations recently. Books about trees, books about fungi, books about North Korea (I wonder if Steven Spielberg would be interested in the movie adaptation of that trilogy). And I must say, I’m enjoying the intellectual ego boost I get from scrolling through my Audible wish list. I say that because I’m not someone you could say is “well-read”.

My first love affair with books came as a pre-teen when I ran my hands over the 3D front cover of a Goosebumps book; I burned through that series. After that it became more of a love-hate relationship: I loved the idea of reading, hated the effort! Probably not helped by my extremely short attention span……… Skip forward a decade (or so) and a chance encounter with a free Audible trial and a sample recording of the Hunger Games, and I was once again hooked! I completed the book in no time, my wife also became captivated by the Hunger games, and my love for books was once again rekindled. Once President Snow was put in his place, I tackled the Maze Runner, next came Divergent as I worked my way through various teen adventures. YES I was in my late 20’s, YES it was easy reading, but hey we all have to start somewhere right?!

Which brings me to the purpose of my blog. I WANT to be well read, and I want to do it for me. On the odd occasion I have read or listened to something a little more “intellectual” I’ve enjoyed it. And if I ever get invited to a swanky cheese and wine party and I feel like being a little pretentious, it would be nice to have in my armoury a “have you read the latest (insert authors name here), I found it a bit derivative of (insert second authors name here)’s work”.

So here’s my challenge, I want to read/listen to 24 books (not 103, realistic targets and all that!) in 2022 that require a little more brain power than wondering if Katniss Everdeen is going to topple the Capitol (don’t get me wrong, it’s not all been teen fiction, there’s been a smattering of Lee Child, Paula Hawkins and Clive Cussler etc, I am in my late 30’s after all!).

I haven’t decided on the list, I haven’t decided on the genre, I haven’t decided on anything yet! The idea literally came to me in the shower 20 minutes ago! But join me on my journey while I strive to be a “well read” individual. My target is two books per month, upon which I will give my opinions in a monthly blog. Don’t expect some profound revelations about the hidden meaning behind the books, expect something a little more anecdotal. Something along the lines of – “Did I enjoy it? Did I learn something? Do I recommend it? Do I regret setting myself this challenge?!”

I started my first blog with a quote, and I feel it appropriate to end with one:

“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” ― Groucho Marx

PS – Check out my aforementioned friend's blog and make sure to subscribe for some great content at stewartfenwick.com