So, I didn't quite make it. I managed to make it through Viking Britain but by 10:30pm last night I still had 300 pages of Volume 3 of War and Peace to go. It would have taken me another 3-4 hours to complete so I decided to call it a day and read the rest over the next couple of days.
So, how did it go?
Viking Britain by Thomas Williams
This was a very good and dense read. Viking history is always something that has been on the periphery of my interest in early British History. I've always had more interest in the Iron Age, particularly the Roman occupation era, as we made massive strides in food production due to all the new varieties of fruit and veg brought over by them. I hadn't appreciated until I read this book just how entwined our history is with the Vikings and how they changed us. This took me a massive 8hrs and 5mins to read, mainly because I kept stopping over words and how to pronounce them plus making notes. I've found some interesting info that I want to explore, like the fact that my home town in London was the scene of a battle between the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Also, Lincolnshire has some interesting Viking history that could warrant a few days out to explore. Overall, a good thought-provoking read.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
After the first couple of volumes I had almost lost the will to live. I was just not feeling inspired or interested in what was going on. That's a bad sign for me. I have to be interested in what I am reading. However, because of the challenge I ploughed on and I'm glad I did. The third book has been great so far. Very exciting and I'm looking forward to completing it. I can see what Tolstoy is leaning towards as the story unfolds - the characters develop, change, find their purpose, do away with fanciful things and embrace greater self-knowledge and mastery over their former selves. His characters struggle with what they think they should do compared to what they want to do. Nice to see that is an age-old struggle. He was a bit of a self-improvement junkie was old Tolstoy 😁
I can confidently say that had I not set myself such a big challenge I wouldn't have come as far as I did. I'm not a great fan of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound). If I know I can achieve them I don't want to do them - where's the challenge? 😁 I could have set myself the goal of reading War and Peace in seven days, but I knew I would accomplish that no problem at all. I needed something to really stretch me and 7 books in 7 days did. It also taught me a lot.
1. Never judge a book by its cover.
I had firmly held beliefs about what The Handmaid's Take, Pet Sematary and The Book Thief would be about. I was completely wrong. I've realised I'm too judgemental and too quick to jump to conclusions, and not just about books.
2. I spend too long on the internet.
Most of my reading had to be done interspersed with work, and to fit everything in something had to give, which was the internet. I'm pretty shocked at how long I spend on the internet in the evening.
3. I can focus better when under time pressure
Work expands to fill the time available. I knew that but still I was surprised at how much I could get done in 30 minute and 60 minute spurts. Setting my phone alarm stopped my mind from buzzing, something I'm still not sure why would happen, and my focus was laser-like. I know some people practice this type of time-chunking (the Pomodoro technique is an example) but until this challenge I hadn't appreciated its power.
4. I can't speed read a non-fiction book.
Viking Britain showed me that something with lots of facts needs more careful consideration. I need to understand what was written in the context of what I already know, or in some cases what I think I know but am wrong about.
5. Keep going. You never know what is around the corner
In the past I would never have persevered with a book I didn't enjoy in the way this challenge made me do with War and Peace but I'm glad I did. I could never have guessed the third book would be so good. Lesson learned.
I've thoroughly enjoyed this challenge. Martin likewise with his. He completed his challenge at 11:58pm last night. He built the plane he wanted, from scratch out of balsa wood and plans, tested it around 4pm yesterday to make sure it flew (which it did, brilliantly) and then covered it with white film. At some point he'll put some more detailing on the wings to jazz it up a bit but considering this was a large sheet of paper and rectangles of balsa last Tuesday afternoon he has achieved something fantastic.
We've already decided to do another challenge, perhaps next month. This time mine will be something crafty.
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