This is where I’m at with my reading challenge this year. 163 books, which is pretty durn respectable, but out of a goal of 5,000, not so hot. 3% to be precise. 4,380 books behind schedule at this point.
Why did I pick 5,000? Well, it’s the highest number Goodreads will let you pick. That’s the quick answer.
But why did I pick the highest possible number?
There are three reasons.
For starters, I don’t think that monitoring my goals and progress has really changed my reading habits. I’m not a FitBit person either. For some reason, tracking these things doesn’t help me. I get that it helps a lot of people, but for me, it doesn’t do a whole lot. Don’t know why, and I don’t think it’s some way in which I’m superior to you. It’s just not something that does anything for me.
Second, I like messing with stats. I like that someone at Goodreads will have to account for one more failure when it comes to goals. And that the number of pledged books will be all fucked up. I like the idea, now that Goodreads and Amazon have merged, of doing my slight part to screw with Big Data. I know it’s not a lot, but it’s something, and I like doing my part.
Third, it’s in my nature. I like breaking the game more than playing the game. When I play a video game, one of my great pleasures is finding a way in which it’s a little broken, finding a corner of the in-game world that was perhaps forgotten by the creators. That’s fun for me. Board games, same way. Not cheating, but playing in a way that’s unexpected. You know how pro poker players complain about amateurs? I’m the amateur they’re talking about, the person who plays wrong.
There’s another reason. A fourth. I know I told you there were three, but I also JUST told you what a rule breaker I am.
I’m not a believer in constant progression. I read 163 last year, so this year I’ll set my goal at 164. Why? For what purpose? Eventually I’ll fail, but I’ll tell myself that I failed because I hit the ceiling. Not because I failed for real. Because it’s just a ridiculous goal.
At some point, you are reading enough books for the year. I don’t know what the exact number is. It’s different for different people. But for me, I’m there. I’m satisfied. All set. And so, for me, there’s more pleasure to be had in fucking with the system just a teeny, tiny bit.
Viva The Revolution, I guess.