Today is Paperback Book Day—a day set aside to celebrate a creation that changed the nature of reading forever. What better day to publish the first progress update on my retirement goal to read 1000 books!

About Paperback Book Day

When I was researching this post, I was surprised to learn that paperback books have been around since the 1800s. They date back to the golden age of train travel when a journey by rail could last several days. Paperbacks were lightweight and more affordable than hardcover books, making them well suited for travellers to pass the time during their journey.

Paperback Book Day is celebrated on July 30—the anniversary of the first Penguin paperbacks being published in England in 1935.

(Source: Days of the Year)

Why 1,000 books?

When I was young, I always loved reading. As a child in England, I read Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series. After we moved to Canada, I devoured the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series. As a young adult, I read a lot of Danielle Steel, John Saul, Steven King and Mary Higgins Clark. I sheepishly admit that, on occasion, you’d even catch me reading the odd Harlequin Romance.

Then, between work and raising a family, life got busy. For many years, the only time I read anything other than a magazine or course materials was during vacations.

Interestingly, as my daughters grew up and I got more serious about writing, I found I wanted to read more. When I put together my 60 before 60 list, I set a goal to read 30 books. I met that target with time to spare, so I decided to get more ambitious.

As I shared in an earlier post, a blog post from The Book of Awesome author Neil Pasricha inspired my retirement project to read 1,000 books. I’m not in a big rush—at a pace of 50 to 75 books a year, it will take me between 13 and 20 years to reach that goal.

I started tracking my 1,000-book reading progress at the beginning of June. Here’s how the first two months have shaped up.

My progress so far

Nonfiction reading

Achievement Addict by Rose Lounsbury

If you feel like you’ve lost control of your time and your life, this could be the book for you. In the book’s introduction, Lounsbury identifies three types of busyness, and discusses the difference between task fulfillment and personal fulfillment.

The rest of the book provides a “12 step guide to peace, presence and a life beyond doing”. It’s full of wisdom and practical tips. If you want to reduce your stress and bring more joy to your life, you’ll get a lot out of the book.

Project Unlonely by Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH

I received this book as a free giveaway after attending a workshop presented by Dr. Nobel earlier this year.

The book discusses the increase in loneliness and disconnection we are seeing in our world today. Dr. Nobel has done extensive research on the subject of loneliness and has pioneered art therapy programs as a way to bring people together.

The book is an interesting read and offers insight into the psychology of loneliness and potential solutions to address the loneliness crisis.

Lessons Learned in Retirement by Mariella Hoy

My work BFF gave this book to me as a retirement gift. Hoy is a retirement coach and life coach who developed a coaching practice after leaving her corporate career.

The book is mostly a collection of stories written by Hoy’s coaching clients about their experiences in retirement. The first part of the book addresses 10 emotional and social challenges faced in retirement, including creating a new identity, confronting illness and death, rebuilding routines, and finding meaning and well-being. The second part looks at three components for well-being and happiness in retirement—purpose, passion, and people.

It was interesting to read the stories, but I didn’t learn anything new or find any a-ha moments. Perhaps that’s a sign that I’ve prepared well.

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Fiction reading

The Uninvited by Heather Graham

I picked this book up from one of the Little Free Libraries in my neighbourhood, not realizing it’s the 8^th book in Graham’s Krewe of Hunters series.

When a series of mysterious deaths in a stately Philadelphia home leads the owners to call in the Krewe of Hunters—the FBI’s paranormal investigation unit—to investigate, docent and historian Allison Leigh finds herself in the middle of a mystery dating back to the American Revolution.

I’m a fan of historical fiction, but I’d call this one historical fiction “with a twist” because it takes place in modern day. It’s a mystery and ghost story, with a little romance weaved throughout between. Overall, a good read.

The Stranger Inside by Lisa Unger

Unger is a new author to me, and I’ll definitely look out for more of her books. This chilling tale of survival centres around new mom and former journalist Rain Winter. Rain narrowly escaped abduction as a child, but her two best friends were not so fortunate. The perpetrator killed one of Rain’s friends and tortured the other, leaving him forever scarred.

The book dives into the complexity and lifelong impact of childhood trauma and the struggle between good and evil. The story has lots of plot twists and keeps you guessing right to the end. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in two days.

The Perfect Girl by Gilly MacMillan

This is another book I picked up in one of our local Little Free Libraries. MacMillan is another author who was new to me.

This story deals with the aftermath of the sudden death of teenager Zoe Maisey’s mother, Maria. Zoe, whose life had been turned upside down following an incident that killed three of her classmates, finds herself in the middle of a police investigation into her mother’s death.

The story is told in the first person from the point of view of several of the book’s main characters. It’s full of suspense and kept me guessing right to the end.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

This is the third book I’ve read by Ruth Ware, and it’s the one I enjoyed the most. It’s a chilling, suspenseful story that follows Hannah as she investigates the 10-year-old murder case of her friend and college roommate. Hannah’s pursuit of the truth puts her life, her marriage, and the life of her unborn child, at risk.

The story weaves back and forth between the months and days leading up to the murder and present day. Many times, I thought I had figured it out, only to be shocked by the next twist in the story.

I truly couldn’t put this one down and finished it in two days.

What’s next

So, after two months, I’m off to a good start having read 7 out of my 1,000-book goal.

I’ve been gathering book recommendations and have a few things on the list that have been suggested:

• The Maid and The Mystery Guest by Canadian author Nita Prose
• Adrian McInty’s Sean Duffy series
• Generations by Jean M. Twenge (Non-fiction)
• Chicken Soup for the Soul – Age is Just a Number – Given to me by my family for my 60^th birthday.

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Whether your choice of reading material is an e-book, hardcover, or paperback, I hope you have some time today to celebrate Paperback Book Day with a good book!