Reading 70 Books a Year, and How It Has Shaped My Life
Reading is a habit; it is a pleasure, a learning mechanism, a form of entertainment, inspiration, and a way to ingest ideas humans from different eras have documented for themselves or others (some already AI-generated.)
Reading more is a popular New Year’s resolution along with losing weight, and getting fitter among others. Just like so many resolutions, and good intentions, reading more ends up falling through for many. It is quite fitting New Year’s Day 2024 as I write this, and I see many related posts.
According to Google Books, as of 2010 129 million+ books have been published since Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440. That number doesn’t even account for 14 years of a sharp rise in publishing, especially around self-publishing and e-books.
So the message is clear that reading more is a good thing. We have millions of both active and potential readers around the world wanting to read more, and millions of books out there waiting to be read. So why aren’t people reading more? Is this a paradox of choice (too many books to choose from), is it a lack of time, or is it about not setting the right priorities? As with any other habit, the answer may be as simple as that last bit — reading more needs to be a priority. But what drives your priorities? In my view, a priority is set only when you realize its value, and I mean the value beyond a simplistic carrot vs the stick dichotomy. This post is my account of the value that reading constantly, avidly, and widely has brought my life unimaginable value. It has helped me shape myself into the person I want to become day in and day out. Hopefully, this account inspires you to discover what reading books can bring to your life and the true impact you never imagined is out there waiting for you.
Reading to shape yourself and become who you want to be
This post is not about how to build the habit of reading more, or me flexing about how many books I read a year. This is a post about how reading 70 books a year has molded me into the person I have become and the person I aspire to be.
In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” I am writing my account of how I have developed this habit over the years, and its impact on my life in the hopes of shedding some light on how reading — never mind the number of books, but just reading — helps get you to where you want to go; how reading helps you become the person you wish to be. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel and wonder the world by yourself. Somebody out there already has the answer to your life’s questions, you just need to read it! Not reading would be like starring in the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” show and not accepting the phone call to get someone’s help when you get stuck on the last question when you’re just about to get $1 million richer. Read, think critically, discover, and shape yourself into the person you wish to be.
My reading habit foundations
I learned how to read early in life. I was around five years old when my grandfather bought me a whole collection of Disney children’s books. I flipped through them and read along with the accompanying audio cassettes that chimed when it was time to turn the page (yes, this was early 90s, thank you for noticing.) I then remember my 7-year-old self at kindergarten graduation, I stood in front of a room full of parents, kids, and teachers as I read a gratitude speech my teacher wrote up for me (I still remember my mother working her way through a box of tissues as she saw me up there.) I was so focused on the text, that I didn’t even have time to blush or feel intimidated by the crowd (although that started happening later in life, and though it hasn’t gone away 100%, I have gotten much better at it.) Words to me were fun, a moment to imagine stories, to learn; the clarity words provided was addictive, a way to have a full day’s worth of entertainment.
You would think year after year I would read books cover to cover as I grew older. That did not happen. As I went through elementary school, I would do my homework sure, and read what I had to read to pass tests, but I stopped reading out of my own volition. It wasn’t until I got a 7th-grade assignment to read “Momo” by Michael Ende that I got hooked on reading again. To be clear, this book is a work of fiction. Some people think fiction is just for entertainment — a beach read if you will — though some readers may take some titles as such, this book made me think critically even at a young age. I analyzed the moral of the story and saw the parallels in my own life and environment. Something had clicked in my head and understood that books could help me better understand my surroundings, the people in my life, and the things I wanted to learn.
The number that inspired me to read more
I started reading one or two books a year after reading “Momo’ cover to cover, never really making it to more than five books per year through college. Then, I came across an interesting data point — the number of books people read on average at a national level all around the world. To no one’s surprise, Scandinavian countries top that list with Finland at the lead (I can’t quite find the source today, but for some reason, my memory tells me that number was 50 books per year) — although I have recently seen other sources citing India as the lead. I also came across the popular note that CEOs read on average 60 books a year.
Regardless of the number of books, the country with the most avid readers, or whether the reader is a high-power executive or not, I was more focused on the message behind this number. These are countries that are at the top of the list of — insert your quality metric here, including growth for developing nations such as India —, and so are the executives. So, I decided to challenge myself to read more. I started using Goodreads.com more and leveraged their annual challenge feature where you would pledge to read X amount of books as your New Year’s resolution, and can document, review,, rate, and share notes with friends about the the books you’re reading as you go. It was 2013 when I first pledged 20 books (remember, I had never read more than five per year of my own volition.) It has been non-stop since then, challenging myself to up the number year-over-year after meeting each challenge. Ten years later, I read 70 books in 2023.
You might notice I reached 85 books in 2022. Yes, a global pandemic and the ensuing world shutdown will give you more time indoors. When it started looking like the world would go back to normal at the end of that year, I knew I was not going to have as much time on my hands, so I lowered my expectations to read 70 books in 2023. But more than focusing on the number of books, I wanted to focus on the lessons learned, and the material changes I saw in my life attributed to the books I read. So by setting up 70 as the goal, I was prioritizing quality over quantity, while at the same time ensuring I continued pouring over knowledge. As Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a Mexican poet and writer from the 17th century, very accurately said, “I do not read more to know more, but to ignore less.”
How books have shaped my life
If you were to ask my 2013 self if she could imagine who my 2024 self would be, what she would be doing, what she would be working on, where she lives, whom she married, etc., she would miss some big key details, but she would be surprised to see how her biggest dreams have come true. A key element of that has been the way that all of these books have shaped (in no particular order) my thinking, my health, my financial well-being, my understanding of myself, my interpretation of art, my self-esteem, my professional and personal skills, my empathy, my values, and my communication skills with others. It has all enriched my personal and professional life manifold.
Going back to the quote to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote, I cannot remember word by word what each book says, but I take the lessons and apply them to my life. I build on them as some books that I read repeat the same lessons from another one — as you know, repetition is key when it comes to forming new habits, not just of reading, but the knowledge itself that you’re “downloading” from these books.
How to pick the right books and extract the key lessons
How exactly do you then take the information from books and apply it to your life for the better? Here are two key points:
Strategically speaking, when I set my goals, evaluate what I have achieved so far, or even journal, I start matching books to those areas. I look for recommendations, look at what my friends are reading on Goodreads, or do a quick search for book titles that can help me educate myself more in those areas.
Tactically speaking, I developed a great way to extract these lessons from each book — which I then also heard during a Tim Ferriss Show podcast episode with Maria Popova: underline an idea or concept from the book, regardless of whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, and build your own index on the first page of the book. If you’re using a Kindle or e-book you can highlight and then look at your Kindle notes, or bookmark on the app if it’s an audiobook. You can then revisit these notes when needed.
More importantly, as time goes by and you notice repetition, you’ll see that you naturally start making choices based on those learnings. Do things a certain way, or reshape your beliefs to a new understanding.
Enjoy and let serendipity happen: read for the mere pleasure of reading
You don’t always have to be too intentional about the books you read. Many a time I read books because someone recommended them, or I was simply curious about them when I was browsing in a bookstore. And even then, I still have a valuable lesson I take with me, even if I don’t do my index (although I rarely not do that, it just became a habit in itself.)
I hope this post inspires you about the wonders and true value of reading. You don’t have to go from zero to 70 in a year. As I mentioned earlier, I encourage gradual improvements year over year to set yourself up for success. Just start reading, enjoy it, absorb what you read, and make it a part of your life.
