Tag: keepreading

Daily thoughts

The Makioka Sisters

nhpureandsimple

I don’t think I have posted any thing about The Makioka Sisters, the Japanese story that I abandoned for almost a year. Have I?

Since the beginning of this month, I have been committed and determined to finish this book.

Actually, it wasn’t as boring as I first thought, and I’m delighted to announce that I have finally put my finger on the reason behind my first disappointment. 

When I first started reading the book, I couldn’t follow the narrative. By the way, this wasn’t my first time picking up a Japaneses book. I have read some, and I really found them interesting. But, I just found out that I couldn’t build any imagination of this novel’s world into my head.

I first thought it might be because there are so many characters with similar names. Still this wasn’t the first time, I had read an old book with so many characters with similar names.

So, based on the books I have recently finished, I finally found the reason behind this lack of interest: the slow, quiet rhythm of the book compared to my recent readings. 

But, the story might be worth discovering, I thought and decided to give it a second try.

As I continued reading, the book drew me into its pages bit by bit. Over the last few days, I began following the narrative and imagining its scenes. Somehow, I regained this reader’s interest and curiosity to know what’s going to happen next.

Then it just struck me, as I was writing this post, that this old Japaneses story was written in its unique culture voice, telling the story of an old world and its traditional people. The reader, me, who feels lost, bored, or disappointed at the beginning, might be the one to blame not the narrative, not the characters, and definitely not the author. 

It’s not the story’s fault that today’s pace goes faster than light. It’s the reader’s challenge to understand that, once upon a time, there were people who used their minds in a slower rhythm world, one that appreciated the virtue of patience.

With reading thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

Reading Challenge Fulfilled

nhpureandsimple

At the beginning of 2026, I set my reading challenge target to sixty books.

A month or two later, I reduced it to thirty.

I thought it was better to achieve the target than to lose track of it.

This wasn’t cheating, was it?

But at least, I’ve been honest with myself.

So over the last two, no three, days, I finished a wonderful book, and it happened to be the thirtieth one. 

This means my 2026 reading challenge is officially fulfilled.

Now I can read more, without any pressure.

My best reading challenge score was seventy-eight books in 2023, 

and I was so happy with that big harvest. 

But honestly, I’m not sure if I had followed the same strategy back then.

I mean if I had started with a target of thirty and ended up finishing seventy-eight books.

Things didn’t work with the same enthusiasm over the last few years, though.

Why? I wonder sometimes.

But, I do know why.

Mainly because of my stubbornness.

Once I set my mind to read a book, I want to finish it; even if I don’t like it, even if it gives me a headache, and even if it bores me to tears.

And I discovered another reason; the high target I set for myself.

Whenever I planned to read more books, I ended up reading far less than expected.

But we do learn from our mistakes.

So, I will stick to my old strategy; start with less and end up reading more.

And perhaps, for stubbornness, I’ll pretend to forget about the books I don’t like until the end of the year. Then I can say, “sorry but your time is out.”

So… well done, me, for achieving my reading target in August. 

And I will let you know how many more books I finish by the end of this year.

Or you can simply have a guess.

With happy- reading thoughts,

Nahla