I was really terrible about keeping up with it daily and often would play catch-up a few weeks at a time. At least once, I had more than a month of poems backlogged! And while I'm glad I did finish the whole thing and I enjoyed a majority of the poems, it definitely was not the ideal reading experience the way I did it. By not sticking to one poem each day, I often found myself reading too hurriedly, impatient to catch-up to the current date. I'm sure I would have understood some of the poems much better if I took the time for multiple readings -- and while I did sometimes re-read, other times I just moved on. I was more likely to re-read poems that really resonated with me, but others that didn't strike me right away or that I had trouble following I didn't always give a second chance to sink in.
The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction and (parts of) Slow Reading in a Hurried Age have inspired me to slow down and savor my reading more. For someone who is a fairly slow reader of novels, it's ironic that I have a tendency to speed through poetry and other shorter works -- the very pieces that generally benefit from more time, attention, and contemplation. But lucky for me, I can try again in 2018 with this lovely new companion collection :)
I know life happens and the likelihood of never falling behind is slim, but I'm going to make sure this volume stays on my nightstand this year. I had gotten into the unfortunate habit of catching up, getting a few days ahead, and then sticking the volume back on the shelf -- where I promptly forgot about it until I was behind again! So in 2018, I'm going to make a sincere effort at a establishing a daily(-ish) poetry habit. I'm not going to beat myself up if I miss a few days, but hopefully I won't get a month behind this time around!
P.S. I wasn't planning on reading through the "Every Night" collection again in 2018, but picked it back up around January 3rd -- I shall have to see if I stick with both or revert to just the new collection -- either way is OK by me :)
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Have you ever tried to keep up with any kind of specified daily reading? Do you have any tips or tricks? I'd love to know!
Those both look like beautiful books! I'm reading Dante's Divine Comedy for the Classics Club right now, one canto a day. I've been doing that since November, and I'm due to finish at the beginning of February. I don't allow myself to pick up my "regular" book until I've read my canto for the day, which is probably the only reason I've been able to keep up with it! :)
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful! And that's a great idea! I'm not sure I could really stick with it without making the poems feel like homework, but maybe some sort of a "rule" could work for me -- say, by lunchtime or something like that... I'll have to mull it over :)
DeleteI feel like for me if I got too far behind I would just call it quits. I started a bullet journal this year and I have a daily log for water intake, reading for fun, etc. and that has really helped me stay committed and see what I am doing. I just hope I stick with it. Week one was a success! Also, that cover of the poetry book is GORGEOUS!
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely motivating to see progress like that! The beginning of establishing a habit is always the hardest -- hopefully it gets easier the more you do it "_
DeleteThese books look lovely! I'm terrible at poetry, but maybe really tackling one a day would help me stop and focus and try to understand, instead of rushing through everything like I usually do. :)
ReplyDeleteSlowing down and focusing is definitely helpful here! If you don't want to get into poetry, that's OK too, but if you do, a change of approach is definitely useful :)
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