If you are a follower of mine you probably know I am an author, book lover and dyslexic. despite my dyslexia, I have always loved both reading and writing. It has an impact but I don't let it hold me back. However, I thought it might be interesting to share what is going on with my reading and my thoughts on my reading stats.
I took part in the Goodreads reading challenge for the first time last year. I started late in the year and played it safe only setting my goal to read 25 books which I exceeded. This year I chose to be more ambitious based on this, I might have set my goal too high but at the moment I am enjoying the challenge. I might choose to adjust the goal if it feels like too much pressure as reading shouldn't be a chore but for now, I feel ok. Taking part in this challenge really made me think about what kind of reader I am. I found the records of my reads really interesting and wanted to see more analysis of my reading so I joined storygraph. Mostly I wanted to get some more target suggestions for what I should read next as choosing to try a new book for me can be a bit daunting but I am finding the stats not only interesting but also unexpected.
For example, my reading emotions graph who knew I was into dark, adventurous, emotional reads. I would have expected my reading to focus more on the lighthearted and hopeful reads as this fits with my personality more but it seems my reading mood is deeper.
It was no surprise that I read mostly audiobooks. Being dyslexic I know I learn best through listening. I gain a deeper understanding and enjoyment of a book by listening to a book. There are books that I could never have fully appreciated or perhaps even managed to read if I had tried to read them traditionally. I understand that some people believe listening to a book doesn't count as reading it but I strongly disagree with this. Audiobooks simply present the text in a different medium that is more accessible to some readers.
I was pleased to learn I am not a slow reader. I don't give it a lot of thought but if asked I would have answered that I was a slow reader. So this was a nice surprise and made me feel more confident. On the whole, it doesn't matter but this confidence has made me consider offering my fellow indie authors an honest read and reviews.
While I often leave book reviews for the titles I read on GoodReads I never thought about offering to be a reviewer. I always thought the pressure would make me uncomfortable and people would find my progress too slow but now I am considering this idea more. I did test myself and despite the negative interactions with the individual who requested I read the book I still think my experience of reading and reviewing the book went well. So I am pondering this a bit more and might test myself again in the future. In closing putting my reading to the test has made me feel more confident about my reading habits and style. I also believe the impact my dyslexia has had on my reading is that my dyslexia has made me more assertive about what I read. This is good because it means my reading is all about me and my enjoyment just as it should be.
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