Another new year is upon us meaning it's time to set reading goals. I feel like every year no matter what, I set goals way beyond my reach. Even last year when I didn't set too many, I felt guilty abandoning the Disney Princess Controls My Life project even though I felt like I was overwhelming myself for no reason whatsoever. It's difficult not to be overambitious because reading is my favorite hobby and I want to do fun projects with my hobby. Saying that I plan to ease up this year with my reading goals so I can relax and enjoy reading.
Read Books That I am Excited About Right Away
I tend to hold off on books that out of the blue, I am in the mood to read when I already have a set TBR. I put those books in the back of the pile because I have an order to things especially when I participate in challenges. I still plan on participating in readathons and challenges but not to the expense of a book I want to read right now.
Return or DNF Books More Often
I check out a pile of books all the time from the library. I tend to always focus on how I still need to get to x, y, and z book which makes me feel overwhelmed and ruins my reading. So I need to start DNFing or returning books to the library if I feel interested in others. Also, just because I am 100 pages into a book doesn't mean I have to finish it. Let it go!
Have No More Than 10 Books Checked Out at a Time
I tend to feel overwhelmed when I have too many books checked out from the library. I think I "have to" get to them so I want to limit my library checkouts to no more than 10 books at a time. That may seem like a lot but as a person who will check out the 50 limit amount of books, it's an improvement. This does not include picture books for work.
No More Obligatory Reads
Before Hispanic Heritage Month, I read a bunch of Hispanic / Latino books I was excited about so by the time that Hispanic Heritage Month rolled around I had read everything I was interested in at the time. But since I felt obligated to represent my culture I made a list anyway and read only one book. I don't want to force myself to read books or feel bad that I am not in the mood to read certain books. So any challenges or readathons I want to participate in have to be reasonable. Just because I want to join a challenge doesn't mean I should. No one is forcing me to read so there is no reason to feel guilty about it.
Continue to Read Diversely
Over the last few years, I've naturally picked up books with diverse authors and characters. I want to continue doing so without a percentage in mind. I always end up having a third or more of my books categorized as diverse so the goal is to keep doing what I'm doing.
Establish a Reading Routine
I hardly read physically anymore. I want to change that by having a routine to read during my breaks and right after dinner. Doing sprints really helps me get into a book so doing those after dinner or setting up a timer is how I think I'll succeed. As long as I am reading small amounts every day I'll be happy.
Set My Reading Goal Low
This isn't a race. I will never be able to read as much as I did as a teenager so I've got to stop that mindset. I am planning on setting my goal to the random number of 36. This way I can easily achieve this goal and I'll be able to see all my books tracked nicely in the Goodreads challenge.
Keep Track of My Picture Book Reading
I read a lot of picture books throughout the year because of my job. I don't care anymore if people think it's "cheating" to add picture books to your reading goal - I am going to do it anyway.
Foodie Reads Challenge
I could have done better in the Foodie Reads Challenge this year. I was so overwhelmed with cooking, doing an activity, and reading books for the Disney Princess Controls My Life series that foodie reading became less and less of a fun task. But I love foodie books so I am back on this challenge again with no set number just good vibes.
Dive into Nonfiction
Other than foodie nonfiction I am interested in reading various subjects mostly to do with the natural world. I would like to dedicate some time to reading about things I am interested in. I was planning on having a set theme each month but that's not gone well in the past so there is no timeline but I may blog about random topics a couple of times throughout the year.
TBR Reads
I created this reading series to pick up a random book that was presented to me by Storygraph. I've read three so far and I plan to continue in the new year. I would love to get below 500 books on my list but as long as I'm reading my TBR books throughout the year, I'll be happy.
Review 12 ARCs
This is the only challenge (other than the overall reading goal for the year) that has a set number. I want to read and review 12 ARCs this year. I order the large majority of children's books for my library branch so I want to make sure I am making the right choices. I would love to up this goal more and more throughout the years if I feel I can because I need to narrow down what to buy for my readers.
Blog When You Feel Like It
This is a bonus goal. I don't want to feel any guilt. I am not planning on keeping a set schedule to blog or feel bad I am not blogging a certain amount each month. I'll do what I can when I feel like talking about books. This blog is really just a diary talking about books anyway so there shouldn't be any obligation to write in it when I am focused on other things going on in my life.
What Are Your 2024 Reading Goals?
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