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 8th 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 60th birthday.
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!
I love creating reading goals! This year I am aiming for 25, which is less than normal but I am trying to prioritise quality over quantity 🙂 1000 seems like a lot now, but as you break it down it definitely seems manageable. Hope it goes well <3
Thanks Caroline. I’ve been loving reading more since I retired at the end of June. I think that’s the key to any big goal. Break it down and focus on one step at a time!
I love the idea of having a reading goal and working towards it. I am currently working my way through The Stand by Stephen King (which is the largest book I have ever read), and it will eventually go towards my 50 books a year target. I am a little behind, but it’s just fun to be reading! Good luck with your goal!
Thanks, Molly. I read The Stand years ago so I don’t remember a lot about it. But, yeah….it’s long!
My joy of reading became revitalized when I retired too, Michelle. I set a goal of 52 books this year, and I’m well ahead of that pace. Not sure I’ll get to 100, but that might be a doable goal for the future.
That’s fantastic, Pete. Good for you!
There is a designated “day” for almost everything isn’t there!? My daughters and I log our reading on The Storygraph, sort of a Goodreads lite type of site. Pretty basic but it’s fun to track what we each read plus you can enter preferences and get tons of recommendations. I just started reading The Frozen River, Ariel Lawhon- part historical fiction, part crime mystery, strong female protagonist.
Yes, there is Deb. One of the first things my husband does every morning is look at the “Days of the Year” site. Some of them are funny.
I signed up for Goodreads but I find it a bit overwhelming and haven’t quite figured out what to do with it. LOL The Storygraph might be more my thing. The Frozen River sounds like just the type of book I would enjoy. Thanks for the suggestion!
Oh…you’re the second friend to mention “The Stranger Inside” to me…I think I’d better add it to my list. Thanks, Michelle! 🥰
It’s a good one. I think you’d really enjoy it, Vicki.
Thanks, Michelle! Keep the recommendations coming! 🥰
Wow, didn’t know about Paperback book day. I totally get you, I too had a good habit of reading books, then it just got lost somewhere, with all the busy life and job. But now I’m trying to give me a target for every year.
You’re doing really great in your 1000 books challenge, I can totally get some inspiration from you.
Thanks Ritish. Since scheduling this post over the weekend, I’ve completed book 8 and am well into book 9.
Thanks for sharing about this “paperback book” day. Any invention that democratizes reading and learning is a great invention in my book! I struggle to get as much reading done between all the writing, but it’s something that comes in spurts of interest for me.
I agree. Reading opens the mind to new viewpoints and that’s never a bad thing.
Great start! Paperbacks are my favourites. I do buy hardbacks but usually only signed copies or for a special reason.
Thanks, Jamie. The only hardcover books I read are ones I borrow from the library. On the rare occasion that I buy a book, it’s usually when travelling and almost always a paperback.