Feeling inspired by this idea - though I’m working my way through some VERY simple texts ATM;
It all counts though, right?
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That’s where we all started out, though my simple texts were textbooks with scintillating sentences like 「これはえんぴつです。」
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Handwritten Japanese is still my nemesis. shakes fist
About the Japanese and mental health stuff
I’m really sorry to hear that. I wish I had some advice, but I’m afraid I don’t really. When my wife’s perfectionism is causing her distress, I have started to list all the amazing accomplishments in her life and career. Then I ask her, “if it was your best friend who did all those things, how would you feel for her? Isn’t it all すごい？Well, surprise! YOU’RE the one who’s すごい！”
You read a 178 page book in three days. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be impressive. And if it matters in any way: I am certainly mighty impressed by that. 
You’re すごい.
I can somewhat relate, since I struggle celebrating any victories of my own. I thought I’d be proud of myself when I reached level 60, but I felt nothing. I thought I’d be proud of myself when I read my first VN, but I felt nothing. Maybe someday. 
Sorry, I don’t know why I’m rambling at you. Just wanted to let you know that I hear you and I’m commiserating with you.
Most certainly counts! 
Oooh, えんぴつ - fancy! You had already graduated up from ペン 
Trying to find something halfway engaging to read at low levels is such a pain.
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Is it the one by 東野圭吾? I know he has written a book with that title, and it being a crime novel fits as well. 
4.9.
I thought I’d read some more of 授乳 early that day, but I ended up reading a (very short) chapter of 赤毛のアン instead. 久しぶりだなぁ!
5.9.
Full day of lots of driving (all by myself sadly. I love co driving because it means I get to read ) followed by a family gathering. I read a tiny bit of 授乳 before bed only to have read something. Will check the actual breakpoints today so I don’t miss where to stop reading this week.
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I find this a big struggle too! I can get very frustrated if I make mistakes or struggle and be like “ugh! I don’t understand anything I’m terrible at this!”. Actually had to miss a week of the ハイキュー bookclub recently where I had a day like that because I decided that I wasn’t able to understand the chapter and didn’t feel like I could go along to the readalong and show how bad at Japanese I was. Buuuut, I think reading most if not all days has kind of helped with this cos rather than having a day like that and then not reading again until the next week I will read again the next day and realise that it was less about the Japanese itself and more just having a bad brain day. After all, the struggle is how you learn! It’s just hard to remember sometimes especially for people (like me) who were always ‘good students’ and can fall into that ‘this is an exam that I must ace’ mentality.
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tiny progress per day, big results within weeks.
I think I’ll read up on Polar Bear Café Today’s Special first. Gives me time to order new stuff 
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@Omun @sycamore Thank you for your support 
If I’m not mistaken, we’re supposed to finish the 1st story this week, so it’s a great stopping point
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It definitely all counts. Last April I was reading picture books for pre-schoolers, with a dictionary, and a lot of help from HelloTalk friends. This summer I read my first adult novel. Just not being terrified when you look at a page of japanese text is an achievement.
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September 6th 大海原と大海原 3 pages + added 6 entries to ABBC ch.1 vocab sheet.
Today I am spent and the sentences felt like they were pulling teeth, I semi-cheated by skipping over a few hard pages to find 2 easier pages, and then did 1 of the harder pages.
Today is definitely one of those days where this isn’t coming easy, but I’m just happy that I’ve stuck with it rather than throwing in the towel.
Thank you all for the encouragement and support =D
I had some replies I wanted to write, but I’ve run out of spoons to put words into thingies.
It’s nearly 1am and I have work tomorrow, good night team!
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Nearly finished reading 星と旅する vol. 1. They killed a giant caterpillar and went to town selling the mats. To draw in customers, Luna the female protagonist, cosplayed as the caterpillar. It was way too cute.
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Day 6
Yeah, 手紙 pulled me right in off the bat. Halfway through the “first chapter” (which is actually like a forward, really) it turned into a page-turner.
You know that moment when, so long as you understand what’s happening, you don’t care about pronounciation or taking note of unknown kanji and you just get lost in the story? I was literally grimacing on the train ride home, and shrinking into my chair from the tension.
I still picked up a couple new words!
- せっつく = to pester someone (to do something)
- しゃがむ = to squat
(しゃがみ込む = squat balled up with face in-between knees) - 襖 = Japanese sliding screen
Yeah, exactly! I haven’t read anything else by this author yet, but my husband and his Mom love a lot of his works. You sound familiar! Have you read some of his books?
This is my favorite feeling that comes from studying 
Imagining the me-from-before seeing what is possible now is amazing. Oh! And thinking of “progress”, just remember it takes native kids like a full 14 years or more to properly learn Japanese–You’re running at the speed of light!
That’s how I started reading too! This place is the best I swear. You make me 1) wish I’d started reading sooner and 2)want to read ハイキュー 
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Yes! This quote is just… chef’s kiss 
I love it!
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Day VI: 鴻 (隼型水雷艇) 
Judging by how well I remember all the military stuff on WK I’m probably gonna forget this kanji: 鴻 by tomorrow.
Butttt I may remember as on Jisho it says it can mean Bean Goose (reading: ひしくい), which is a cute name for a goose, and it also looks pretty cute:
That is until it pecks you like all geese like to do. ガーガー！ガーガー！
Sadly, there is no goose emoji 
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しゃがむ = to squat
(しゃがみ込む = squat balled up with face in-between knees)
This is the kind of vocabulary that makes me love and hate Japanese simultaneously.
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Hehe 
Welcome to Higashino Keigo
We read one of his books in the Advanced Book Club, and yeah, I thought as well that it was a page turner. I think he’s one of the most popular crime fiction authors in Japan.
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Only the one, but I still ended up gushing
Only 容疑者の献身, which we read with the advanced book club here like Nicole said. It’s actually the third in a series of murder mystery novels, the ガリレオ series. I have since acquired the books 1-4 of the series as well as the first of another series of his, but haven’t read any of them bar the one. The other series is nominated for the ABC as well so I’m holding off on it, but I’m looking to read the first Galileo book as soon as I finish 2 of my started books. :heart; I loved his writi.ng, and I agree, a page turner. I remember I was doing italki lessons during the time I read the book, and ended up gushing to my tutor about him. I was happy she recognized him, but I guess he is pretty famous
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Today I read an article on NHK Easy:
**アフガンで女性らデモ タリバン催涙ガスや威嚇射撃. (** Women demo in Afghanistan Taliban tear gas and menacing shooting.)
I could not force myself to search for something easier and since I am currently doing my master degree in Persian/Iranian studies, and my master thesis is related to Afghanistan, I read a lot of news about it anyway.
I did not put the all new words below, as for me it would have to be almost the whole article…, but I still found few that I guess can be useful in the future.
Vocab
声, 「こえ」 voice
教育, 「きょういく」 education
参加, 「さんか」 participation
守る, 「まもる」 to protect
法, 「ほう」 law
抗議, 「こうぎ」 protest
政権, 「せいけん」 administration
首都, 「しゅと」 capital
就労, 「しゅうろお」 working
制圧, 「せいあつ」 suppression
範囲内, 「はんい-ない」 within range
国際社会, 「こくさい しゃかい」 International community
ALSO I am kind of excited to be hitting lvl 5 on WK hopefully tomorrow! 
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Day 5:
日本語: I read a fair amount of パノラマ島綺譚, a bit of 地縛少年 花子くん, some of ミステリと言う勿れ, and some of それでも歩は寄せてくる (finished v2).
中国語
中国語: I read 爸爸去哪儿了？.
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Summary post
September 6
・Read Honzuki 5. (84% → 90%)
I readched the epilogue! …And I thought it was going to be a short read with long side stories afterwards but it is hecking long and there’s no break and I really have to go sleep now, nuhuhu ;-; Can read more tomorrow 
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6日目 9月7日
Today’s NHK News Web Easy article was: 北海道の大きな地震から3年 亡くなった人のために祈る
I can hardly believe that it has been 3 years already…
On the contrary, we only learned hiragana initially so ペン wasn’t available to us! There were also sentences about りんご.
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