Have you ever set a reading goal? This year is the sixth time I’ve taken on a yearly reading challenge. Of those six years, I’ve successfully reached my goal only once. Yikes! Most of the years, I set it up in January on whim and hoped for the best. I kept track of the books I was reading but did little more than that. There was no intention behind it. I had no plan. I set an ambiguous goal. Then, every time I picked up a book, I added it to my list, read it, and marked it as finished.
In 2023, I committed myself finally succeeding again because basically I hate failing! I set a goal of reading 25 books and was determined to read at least that many. I figured; I can read two books each month, plus one extra. That’s attainable. That’s easy.
I know what you’re probably thinking…Wow, she does not read a lot. 25 books each year? That’s nothing! But honestly, that is a lot for me. Especially when I’m trying to write my own novels! I’ve always been a pretty slow reader anyway and it’s taken a while for me not to berate myself for it. I love books and a realized that I like the experience of reading them more if I don’t feel like I have to hurry through them. So I don’t. I like to savor the ones I truly love. Besides, sometimes, I’m analyzing the writing or storytelling while I’m reading and that definitely slows me down.
So, with about two weeks left to go, how am I doing?
I’m close! I’ve read 23 books so far and I’m a quarter way through the last two. One is YA fiction and one is a writing craft book. So, reading them at the same time isn’t a problem. I’m flying through the YA—I have no doubt I’ll finish that in the next week. The other? Well, I’m using it as a study guide for my latest middle grade WIP. As I read each section, I’m evaluating the corresponding sections of my manuscript. That’s taking some time. But I’ll get through the book even if I have to set my manuscript aside to do it. I can always go back and re-read it. Besides, it’s truly the best writing craft book I’ve ever read, so I’m pretty much flying through that one too.
Curious to know which books are on my list of 25? Keep reading until the end. Maybe we have some in common!
It’s a pretty random collection but I love looking back and analyzing my picks. For example, It’s obvious I like series books. I think over half of the titles I read were part of a series or trilogy. I also veer towards YA, especially YA with royal themes. Some of my favorite books this year were super long. (Hello, Keeper of the Lost Cities #4 and #5 and The Ballad of Never After. You almost did me in this year but I forgive you because I loved every single page!)
I didn’t read as much middle grade as I planned to this year, but I did I add in chapter books for the first time in a while. I have an idea for writing my own chapter book one day so reading the Fort Builders series was fun research! I’m not usually a big picture book reader either, but as the end of the year was drawing to a close, and I found myself way behind on this 25-book challenge, I added a few holiday books into the mix…books I found packed away with my holiday decor. Aside from the Night Before Christmas, I had never read any of them. So, I gathered them up one day and got to work. I was determined to succeed this year, remember?! I read more adult fiction books than usual also and that was a refreshing change. You’ll only see a couple non-fiction books on my list, though. I plan to change that next year.
Overall, I enjoyed every book that was on my list. But I am going to do things differently in 2024. Last year, like every other, I randomly picked up titles that interested me. But there was no intention behind what types of books I looked for during the year. Next year, I plan to seek out certain categories, age groups, and genres. That way I’ll have a more well-rounded mix.
So, here it is…my 2023 Reading Challenge book list in order that I read them:
And… that’s it! What about you? Do you challenge yourself to read a set number of books each year? Do you have a system behind it? I’m curious to know how other people attack their reading goals each year. Anyway, wish me luck on completing my 2023 Reading Challenge & let me know if you’ve been participating in one. The rest of us would love to cheer you on too!
Cheers!
