Almost there . . .

As I've discussed ad nauseum on here, I'm working my way through a "British reading list" to enhance my three years living abroad in the UK.  I combed through several "best of British" lists online, selecting what I thought would be quality and/or valuable reads, and threw in some works of personal interest to create a 129-work British reading list.  In selecting books, I tried to be as varied/well-rounded as possible- the list includes writings from categories including literature, religion, fantasy, mystery, thriller, science, history, government, memoir, poetry, ghost, and even graphic novels.

I began the list officially in 2011, though I grandfathered in relevant works I had read as far back as 2007.
I hope to complete this thing in 2014, and as of this writing, I've done 111 of 129 works (86%).  Just 18 left.  So close, yet so far.  This year, I planned to read 34 British books, and I've done 22 so far.  If 2013 ends as I hope, I'll have only 6 works left on this thing, and should finish by mid-2014 at the latest.

At this point, I'm too near the end to give up, yet I'd be lying if I said my enthusiasm is at the level I had at the start.  I feel much like the guy in the picture- it's become a bit of a chore.  That fact saddened me, until I thought about it a bit more.  Yes, reading is a bit of a chore at times, but so is working out, eating right, raising kids, etc.  As I reflect more on the matter, just because it's lost its initial allure doesn't mean it's lost its value.  There will always be days where I don't want to work out, am tired and fed up with the kids, etc, but it doesn't mean that I should walk away.  Some things in life are worth doing, even when you don't feel like it, and I count reading as among them.  While it can be tiring, it's helped me in a number of ways:
- My vocabulary has improved
- My writing ability/confidence has increased*
- My public speaking proficiency has advanced
- I've learned a good amount of history
- I've found new authors I love
- I've picked up a good amount of wisdom

You read all the time about people who have set physical workout/eating goals.  Why not set mental goals?  It's just as valuable- if not more so.

Okay, back to the grind. 

*though you wouldn't know it to read this blog