My Break from Blogging Helped Me Get Caught Up on Some Reading

Blogging, happiness, humor, lessons learned, reading, retirement, Teaching and Education, writing 2 Minutes
Stacks of books

I stopped blogging on March 31, 2022, and started up again on August 9., for a total of 130 days.

One of the tasks I informally committed myself to do during the break was to read more books.

I don’t keep track of every book I’ve read, so the following list may not be 100% accurate:

  • The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas). This is my all-time favorite novel, and one of the few books I have read more than once. At nearly 1300 pages, it’s a serious commitment, but in my mind, well worth it.
  • On Writing (Stephen King). Somewhere inside of me, I hope, is a book waiting to be written. This was a great book to get me motivated.
  • 11/22/63 (Stephen King). Phenomenal. A sort of “what would it be like if we could go back and stop the Kennedy assassination?”
  • The War on the West (Douglas Murray) A critical look at the anti-West rhetoric that Murray argu is in vogue today. Makes you think.
  • Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry). An epic novel of the early Western U.S.
  • The Book Thief (Markus Zusak). An enjoyable read.
  • A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith). Another enjoyable read.
  • A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving). I thoroughly enjoyed this one; parts of it had me laughing out loud.
  • Sirens of Titan (Kurt Vonnegut). My library app tells me I borrowed this back in June, but I don’t remember anything about it. I just read a summary of the book, and it seems vaguely familiar, but like I said, I really can’t say if I read it or not.
  • Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir). Very technical and I thought incredibly creative. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
  • The Judge’s List (John Grisham) Like all of his books, an entertaining read.
  • One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez). This is what I am currently reading, and it’s taking me a while. Plus, now that school has started, it’s going to take me even longer to finish it.
  • The WordPress Killings (Jim Borden) A tale of murder and mayhem in the high-stakes world of blogging. Lots of stats. Just checking to see if anybody read this far down in my post 🙂

My break from blogging was quite enjoyable, and it enabled me to knock some books off the lists of the best books of all time.

Summer is when I tend to do a lot of my pleasure reading, and when combined with the extra time freed up from not blogging, likely enabled me to read more books than I otherwise would have.

I may have to think about taking every summer off from blogging… 🙂

*image from Literary Hub

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

Published

77 thoughts on “My Break from Blogging Helped Me Get Caught Up on Some Reading”

  1. You don’t keep track of every book you read?! Huh! I thought you were a bookkeeper.

    But please don’t take umbrage at this comment. I’m only kidding. Please. I don’t want to become one of the many stats in the book you plan to write.

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    1. touche! wish I had thought of that line!

      it’s a story of a disngruntled blogger who is never happy with his stats; until he starts writing blogs about his murders, and his views start killing it…

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    1. it’s about a blogger who becomes so desperate for better stats that he goes on a killing spree, and starts blogging about it… staying one step ahead of the WordPRess happiness engineers…

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  3. wow, what an amazing reader you are! summers off are not such a bad idea, have to do what works for you and keeps you happy. when blogging becomes a job or slog, take a break. return when and if you are ready. p.s. I would read the word press killings as that would mean I’m not featured in it

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  4. I heard before that Stephen King’s book on writing is really good, I should read it. I really liked the Book Thief movie, but never read the book. You have reminded me that I should. The WordPress Killings sounds like a page turner, let me know when its available. 🙂
    I basically average a book a week. Reading is a wonderful thing and when I retire and live by the sea I will have my stack of books beside me. LOL!

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    1. The WordPRess killings is a bout a blogger so deperate for more views and comments and likes and followers, that he’ll do anything he can to boost those numbers. anything…

      and you are quite the prolific reader!

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      1. Sounds like a real page turner! 😉

        I don’t always get through a book in a week. It just all depends. I was averaging more books when I worked for my one lady that I took care of. LOL! She slept alot, but someone had to be there, so when putting in a 8-10 hour day with her, gave a lot of time for reading. 🙂

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  6. Although I so look forward to your daily posts, taking the summer off from the daily demand of blogging is the kind of balance I am always preaching about. It seems to have served you well. I love your idea for the WordPress Killings, but whatever you write (and there is a book in you somewhere) you know I will buy it and read it.

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  7. I think I can manage two on that list. I can vaguely remember reading The Count of Monte Cristo as a kid – in those days we still had the traditional childhood illnesses, which facilitated weeks off school, and I read a lot in that time. More recently, Owen Meany – I love John Irving’s books, and had the occasional strange look in my commuting days when I laughed out loud reading them.

    How will you be choosing which of us to murder for your own book? Should I be worried at your impending visit to the UK?

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      1. The name is Borden. James Borden….

        If you haven’t read The World According To Garp I can recommend it highly. There were parts that had me shaking with laughter – not good when you’re on a train 🤣

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  18. I have read about 75% of the books on your list, although NOT The Count of Monte Cristo! And also NOT “The WordPress Killings”, though I would definitely be interested in reading that one, as it’s by one of my favourite bloggers!

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    1. I thought On Writing was great, but I haven’t read any other books about writing to compare it to. I’m not sure about the talent level of the last writer, but he needs to follow your lead on having a work ethic!

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  24. I’m so glad your break from blogging helped you focus on more reading! I feel like that was one of the reasons for my reading slump (for about a year and a half) but I am BACK TO READING like crazy again and I love it!!!!! I am always either thinking about the book I am reading or the next book I can’t wait to get my hands on!

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  25. Taking breaks allows us to recharge batteries, take on a short-term adventure, or anything else we may have been missing out on. I wish I was a more prolific reader, but I can always wait for your best-selling book.

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  26. All of these titles will be added to my TBR list. Actually, I’ve already read some of them which I also enjoyed so I expect to like the others I haven’t read yet. That’s especially true for #1 since I purchased it for a book club but due to life events and other book club selections and discussions I never got very far into it. I know it’s in a box with the other treasures i.e. books I bought but haven’t read yet that moved with me. I’ll find it when I get a bookcase to put them in!

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