February started off as a slow month of reading. By the halfway point, I had only read for six days and hadn’t finished any books.
I listened to an episode of The Nick Bare Podcast titled “How to Show Up and Crush 2024” and a shift was made in my reading reality. In the 52 min episode, Nick reviews the six ways he is approaching 2024. A handful of them concern reading including “read more” and “control what you consume.” The other four elements were meaningful too, but these two helped me center my progress in reading.
With the month of February complete, it’s time to reflect on the progress I’ve made with my 2024 Reading Goals. See below for a breakdown of Average Pages Read Per Day, Finished Books, and Book Organization.
Average Pages Read Per Day
My goal for 2024 is to read at least 10 pages per day. Here are the stats for the month:
- 10 pages per day average for the month (29 days)
- Read 14 days (48% of month)
- 21 pages per reading day
How did February compare to January?
Books
Throughout the month, I read five books.
I started three, continued reading one, and finished one. Below is a recap of the book I finished.
Helium by Rudy Francisco – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I learned about Helium from a Book Talk the school’s librarian gave to my students on a recent trip to the library. We made the trip the day before Mid Winter Break. It was my hope that students would grab a book to enjoy over break, so I decided to model that wish by grabbing a book to read.
I read Helium over the course of two sittings in one day. Rudy Francisco writes in a relatable way and has a ton of metaphorical truth bombs. My favorite poems were “Water”, “Museum”, and “Rifle II”. Anyone who picks up this book of poems and gives it a try will find a connection to a handful of them no matter what their background is and their experiences are.
I am planning on using “Windows and Mirrors” when I teach Fresh Ink in the future. I made strong connections between this piece and Lamar Giles’s “Foreword.” I also plan on pairing “Adrenaline Rush” with Chapter 2 of The Hate U Give.
Organization
One of my goals for 2024 is to organize all of the books my wife and I own. This is a large goal and task. We have a room in our home that we envision called “The Record Room.” Once completed the room will have books on the bookshelves, records organized underneath, and the record player hooked up.
This month I was able to go through two boxes of books. Box 2 had 26 books. I added 22 books the Record Room shelves. One book was placed in another bookshelf I have for education-related books. Three books are heading to my Classroom Library.
Box 3 had 24 books and all were added to the Record Room shelves.
February was a slower month for reading, but a busy month for organizing. We will see what March, Reading Month, will bring me on this journey in 2024!