When I turned 35 I made a list "40 things to do before 40". I didn't list anything totally fantastic or unreasonable (my funds are limited). There was no round the world trips or learning how to fly a jet, I chose quite simple, cheap things really. Stuff like learn how to juggle three balls and go to a football match. Everything I put on the list should have been easily obtainable in five years. Even so, to date I have only crossed off five. I am totally ashamed of myself. With only two weeks until my fortieth birthday, there is no hope of completing my list.
Once again, I have let myself fail by just not trying. I could make excuses and say I was too busy but the truth is I have lots of spare time and I waste it all.
The New Year is just on the horizon and it seems the perfect time to make some promises to myself. I want to actually finish something I have started.
I recently came across a link to the Guardian's top 1000 book list. I consider myself quite the little bookworm, our house is overflowing with books, so I was shocked to find I could only cross off 35 books from this most comprehensive list.
So the challenge is set. I will read every single book on this list, even any children's ones. I will even start at zero and re-read the novels I have read before.
To make the task a little simpler and ensure I actually complete it, I have asked friends and family for Amazon vouchers for my birthday. The plan is to buy an electronic book reader. This seems the best option as we really don't have the shelf space in our house and our local library is poorly stocked. In the meantime, most of the 100 classic books for Nintendo DS are on the list so I have plenty to keep me busy until I can afford the Kindle.
I will update my blog regularly with my progress.
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