I am estimate-challenged. I don’t think they taught the skill of estimation when I was in school. Either that or I was absent that day.

I never got the point of estimating either. Why estimate the product of 23 x 56 when you can just solve the problem correctly and get the exact answer?

I compensate fairly well, but my deficiency does show up at odd times. I buy the wrong-sized light bulbs for the socket size. I buy way too much or too little wrapping paper, fabric, ribbon, food, etc. I cannot tell what size of container will hold the leftovers in the saucepan. I will tell you that something is only a mile away when it’s more like 5 miles, and on another day, my mile might actually mean 100 feet.

So when I signed up for the Goodreads 2102 Reading Challenge in April last year, I should have known better than to just “estimate” an answer. One-third of the year had already passed, and while I am always reading, my reading material is not always in the novel form (like magazines and my favorite blogs). What I should have done was taken these facts into account and then pulled out my calculator:

x = Number of words in a novel that I can read on even a busy day

(Average number of pages multiplied by 250 words per page = number of words in a book) divided by x = how many days it takes me to read a novel (y)

y divided by the number of days left in 2012 minus major holidays and sick days = number of books I can read in a year

That is the number I should have entered in the Reading Challenge. Instead, I estimated, and I estimated badly. It was a little depressing seeing that I had achieved only 20% of my goal. I’d like to do better this year, and I can! All I need to do is lower the number. But by how much?

I should do the above calculation, but my math mind is fried from trying to teach my son two-digit multiplication by a method I’ve never seen before in my life. So, I’m going to (gasp) estimate again, but this time I’m hoping it’s an underestimation.

My reading goal this year is a book a month: 12 books in 2013, which includes a written review of each book on Goodreads. I’m confidant I can keep, and even exceed, this resolution, especially when I look at the list of books I just created on Pinterest that I am dying to read. There are 12 books on there, so the road is already mapped out. The only burning question is which book should I start with?

Now this is a resolution I am looking forward to keeping!

Do you have any reading resolutions/book suggestions?