Rae La Soul

At the beginning of 2017, I set a goal that I wanted to do more of what I loved to do but didn’t seem to have the chance to do. One of those things included reading. I set a reasonable goal to read at least 26 books. But in the middle of trying to deal with emotional situations, financial situations, and a renovation, I usually just ended up using my free time making sure not to exert much effort to anything. I spent more time binge-watching shows than burying my nose in a book.

Then the summer came and I promised myself again that I would read more since I’ve had some time to relax and gather myself. But when the end of the year came and I fell short.

This year, I plan is to be more proactive and actionable with the goals that I’ve set for myself. I’ve made procrastination a horrible habit last year and I’m working hard to break that. One of my goals was also to read more and learn more from what I read. I’ve been on the hunt to find new reads and I’ve noticed many others that want to do the same.

Book Girl Magic Reading Challenge

I discovered a challenge on Instagram that caught my eye so I’m definitely going to give it a try. And I wanted to share it with you all just in case you’re looking for something to read or you’re interested in doing a reading challenge. Perhaps you’re like me and you need a little motivation to get back into the habit of reading.

The goal is to read one book based on a theme set for each month, but I’ve decided to double up on this challenge. The book chosen by the creator of the group for this month is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, which is being turned into a movie, and my additional selection is to finish reading Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates that I started last year. Another part of the challenge that I’ve added for myself is to choose a book from my own library to read. (Although I did buy When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi because I HAD to add this to my MomCave.)

Aside from this challenge, I also just finished reading Truths and Freedom by Brandie Freely. Excuse the fingerprints. I’ve been following her on Instagram for some time. I’ve also frequented her blog so in my head, she was my distant homegirl that I hadn’t talked to in a while. I always loved her style of writing and the book did not disappoint. Through poetry and essays, Brandi narrates the journey from her past to where she is now and all that she has learned about life and herself along the way. It’s a short, but interesting read that could easily take about 2 hours if uninterrupted.

I’m off to a good start since I’ve already finished one book, finishing another today, and will have read at least 2-3 more before the month is over. It helps to leave the television off, even if that means missing the return of The Good Doctor. Last night, I fell asleep on Chapter 5 of The Hate U Give. That was definitely a nostalgic moment.