One of the most frequent comments or questions I get when I tell people I’m a writer is; oh, so you must read a lot? Naturally my response is; sure, of course. But I end up feeling really guilty afterwards because it’s not entirely true.

For the longest time, I HATED reading. I think it was partly because I could never find a book that I could really connect to and enjoy. I much preferred writing my own stories because I had control over who my characters were and what happens to them.

Writing has always been easier and something I prefer over reading,

I know, I know. how silly of me to actually think I could be a writer and not read. My mum always gave me a hard time about this. Then somewhere in high school, I finally flipped a switch and gave reading another go.

Eventually I learnt how to find the books I enjoy. I now LOVE reading. I enjoy the feeling of opening a brand-new book and loosing track of time as I get lost in a story, live through characters or gain some inspiring knowledge and wisdom.

However, reading is still not something I’ve fully adapted into my life. I read only when its convenient. If I have work to do, I do that instead. That’s a given. But I will also pass up my free time to read if I feel like it would be much easier to pop on another Netflix show or write something or go for a walk.

I wish reading was one of my daily habits. But it’s not. The more honest thing I would say is that I read in phases. I might go a few days reading one book, and then it might take a long time, sometimes even months before I start another. In fact, this year alone, so far, I have read a total of ONE book (that wasn’t a textbook). That’s right, I started reading it in March (when I got it for my birthday), and only just finished it about a month ago when I was in Portarlington. And the ONLY reason was because I had no internet.

Yes, I am very ashamed of myself.

I would tell you the reason for this is because this year I made year 12 my priority and therefore put off everything to focus on studying. But that is only partly true. The real truth is that I couldn’t be bothered as much. That makes me feel guilty to admit but I had a mad reading session just now (lol) and I was reading about learning to admit to your mistakes honestly and then finding a solution.

So, I bring you my solution. I’m making it a goal of mine (at least for the rest of this year), to read more. Yes, that’s a very broad statement but I have thought about this. I know this goal is achievable because I really do love reading and I know I will benefit from it. I currently have a pile of books on my desk that I told myself I would finish before December 31^stand honestly, I’m excited, because most of these books are brand-new and ones I have been dying to read them since before exams.

Now that I have all the time in the world, I’m going on a reading frenzy.

Here is my end of year reading list for 2018!

How To Be A Bawse – Lilly Singh

I already started reading this last week and am nearly finished. This is also the book I was reading just before I wrote this blog post. For those of you who are not familiar Lilly Singh is a YouTuber and actress best known for her persona of Superwoman. Lilly Singh has always been one of my idols and has been a huge inspiration to me in my life. This book is all about the lessons she has learnt during her rise to success and the challenges she has overcome. She talks about there are no short-cuts in life and the truth is that hard work and dedication is the only way to achieve your goals. I also don’t just recommend this book as another self-help book but also its just really entertaining, bright and honest. I think anyone can enjoy it.

You Are A Badass – Jen Sincero

I started reading this in 2017 and what I had read so far is what prompted me to finally take the first step and start my first blog last year. Obviously, it ended up not being what I thought but I can honestly say I’m glad that at least made a start. Just look at how far I’ve come. I can’t remember exactly which part of this book made me want to finally start blogging after many months (maybe years) of contemplation. However, I’m sure it will come back to me once I start reading it again. It’s a book that I heard many good things about and I’m excited to start reading it because (as one of my first introductions to self-help books) it was very different to what I had expected.

#GIRLBOSS – Sophia Amoruso

I know, I know! So many people (especially bloggers and entrepreneurs) out there, are groaning at me right now. Yes, it is absolutely insane how late to the party I am with this one. I swear this has been on my list for a quite some time now and I only just ordered this book a few months ago. But of course, this is a MUST READ at least from what I’ve heard in the blogging world alone. I think I am someone who really wants to be a girlboss one day. I feel like I’m getting there. But I’m extremely anxious to read what has been described as the bible of girlbosses around the world.

Truly, Madly, Guilty – Liane Moriarty

I’ve had this book on my shelf since last year. It’s one of only two novels on my list and I think it is very different to what I normally read, but I’ve been told I need to expand my horizons. By just reading the blurb, I can’t really tell you exactly what it’s going to be about, but it sounds very interesting. The last paragraph reads; “Marriage, sex, parenthood and friendship; Liane Moriarty takes these elements of our lives and shows us how guilt can expose the fault lines in any relationship, and it is not until we appreciate the fragility of life that we can truly value what we have”. A murder mystery? A scandelous affair? I have no idea. But what I do know is that it’s a New York Times best seller, plus it was recommended to me by my mum so I it should be good.

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls, 100 Tales Of Extraordinary Women – Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

I’m going to put this out there before you let the title fool you; it’s for all ages. I don’t think my Aunty would have bought it for my 19^th birthday if it wasn’t. plus, I flipped through it and I’m really excited to read this one. It’s a book full of short stories about real, famous women including Coco Chanel, Jane Austin, Rosa Parks and Serena and Venus Williams. I absolutely LOVE the premise of this book. All of these stories feature strong, successful women from different time periods, different nationalities and backgrounds and different occupations. I feel like this is a #girlboss book in itself because it is clearly aimed at showing girls of all ages the power that we have and what we can achieve when we put our minds to it. This is a book that not only I want to read, but I think it’s one I want to keep until the day I have children, so I can read it to them.

Every Breath – Nicholas Sparks

Finally, what reading list of mine would be complete without a Nicholas Sparks book. Roll your eyes and say what you want about Nicholas Sparks, but he is my favourite author by far. He’s the one who made me fall in love with romance novels and someone I aspire to write as well as. I only got this book two weeks ago as I was cruising through Big W. Whenever I see a Nicholas Sparks book that I haven’t seen before, I grab it off the shelf instinctively. I don’t have to read the blurb, I know I’ll love it. Of course, the story is the tale of two souls from different parts of the world whose lives cross paths in an unexpected way. It’s a heartbreaking and timeless love story. The first thing on the back reads; “There are times when destiny and love collide. This story is one of them”. Oh, Mr Sparks, you’ve got me again.

Big Magic – Elizebeth Gilbert

Oh my gosh, I almost forgot this one. I got this in my latest book hall, again after many good reviews and recommendations by other bloggers. This one just looks really cool, and like it would be really inspring and enjoyable. Plus, it’s a lot smaller than I thought (kind of ironic given the title). But at least that means I’ll finish it in no time. I read Eat, Pray, Love last year and absolutely fell in love with it, so I’m sure this’ll be just as good.