I love so many of your ideas. Anything to ensure that reading does not feel like a blood sport! I haven't seen anybody set a target reading number goal this year and that's so refreshing.
exactly!!! I know i can get wound up in the “so many books, so little time” idea of it all. Helps a bit to take a step back and look around a bit, see that there’s a bunch of different ways to go about it. thanks for reading, Petya!
I want to read a bunch of 'classics' this year, yet instead of planning to read masses of them and inevitably being unable to because many of them are challenging books, I have allotted myself 10 pages a day of classics reading, and through that I am expecting to read 14 books I have chosen between Jan 1st and the end of the year, with a few days wiggle room. These are all books in the 250-400pg range, some a bit shorter. I am also reading Anna Karenina over 14 months in a read along on substack. And when there are phases I have time to read more, I can pick up anything else - fiction or non-fiction. I'm setting myself a goal of 20 books this year, which I think all things considered (Third year humanities student who will be going into a Masters come September) will be a good goal, considering these are all supposed to be books of quality. Hopefully it will work. If anyone wants to see my list just message me and I'll be happy to send it to you!
that’s such an awesome idea! would love to see your list. only challenge i’d imagine is wanting to go over ten pages in a day— are you allowed to go above that if the mood strikes?
Sorry if the formatting is weird as it's coming from an excel sheet, yet this is what I'm reading and when. It's loosely mapped to 10pgs a day, however I might have to read a bit more on the last day to finish a book or something. It won't be more than 10 pages extra though.
oh i have been wanting to get to love in a cold climate for quite some time!!! planning on reading that this year. also The Outsiders is one of my favorites; my dog is named after the main character! hope you enjoy ✨
I find when I set any type of specific goal, I immediately want to do anything else except that, like when I said I was finally going to read Beach Read and BOUGHT A SECOND COPY AFTER ALREADY GIVING AWAY THE FIRST AND STILL DIDNT READ IT. I love the idea of a general goal to keep in the back of my mind so I don't screw it up.
And yay for Martha getting all of us to read more works in translation!!
I prefer to track the number of days I read--I have over 400 days in a row! It just makes me feel good to know I've read from a book each day. I set a light goal--one per week + a couple extra for holidays and light reading each year for total books.
I must admit I do like a number goal just because it keeps me reading all year and motivates me in those slumps. But I tend to set it on the low side as opposed to ambitious side so I know I'll hit it and don't feel pressure to go for quantity over quality.
I have the problem of collecting books and not reading them for years, so this year I'm going to maybe try to do an every-other situation. One library book followed by a book on my shelf, etc.
Have you read Babel by R.F. Kuang?! I'm so curious to know if you like it or not. Could be a good fantasy to try out for your genre goal because it's very Fantasy Lite but its ultra nerdy in the linguistics and academia camp with an ethos of anticolonialism. Sounds like your bag? lmk!
I know I totally hear you... im def addicted to the number, and I try to pick one that's not insanely high so that I'm not just stressing about the number. But then at the same time I'm like, what's this even for then!?
Have the SAME problem with books– I do it constantly, and that's a really good rec!! I have books from last Christmas that I begged for that I haven't even read yet🫣
And no I haven't read Babel!!! I think I heard some vaguely mixed reviews, but recently a ton of people have recommended it to me so maybe now's the time to get my hands on it... thanks for reading/commenting, Sam!
Goal #2 was my personal goal last year and it lead me to so many 5 star reads! Goal #3 would honestly be a great one for me to try this year since I've ended up with a pretty large collection of classic novels that I haven't even touched yet.
i totally hear you! i have long turned my nose up at classics, i think because i often regard them as “old white guy books” but of course there’s a ton written by women, and also i need to remember they’re classics for a reason!!!
I just read Rent Boy by Gary Indiana and now i want to read all of his work! I also want to read my shelves, those books i HAD to have on publishing day but never actually read.
omg you are a girl after my own heart!!!! Rent boy is WILD and so so good— definitely join me in my gary pursuits! i recently read Horse Crazy and loved it. And i hear you i have STACKS of unread books and im trying to pick only from those for a bit, its been going well so far! thanks for reading!
So so good! I often focus on amount and i find it has me reaching for the easiest to read, shortest books on my shelf. I’d love to branch out with genres, authors, time period, etc!!!
totally hear you— and the nothing wrong with that! just sometimes nice to take the pressure off and give yourself that room to expand! Thanks for reading!
i gave up on setting a goodreads goal after i reached my goal of 52 during the pandemic. i ended up slogging my way through a lot of things that i didn’t enjoy just to reach my goal. now i just set my goal to 1 and see what happens. find i end up reading a good amount either way, and now it consists of novels i genuinely enjoyed reading.
i really like these new ideas you’ve shared and will definitely be giving them a go next year. reading books published before a certain year seems especially fun :)
I love these goals EJ! I also endeavour to not read straight white guys and yet a few always slip in somehow - that’s how pervasive they are in literature! I look forward to hearing what translated books you read next year, thank you for trusting me for recommendations - I’m honoured! I’m currently in the process of refining some translated specific goals for next year. Also love these goals about books before certain pub dates - my classic novel a month goal this year has been so rewarding and while I’m not going to do it as explicitly as this year, long may it continue because it has given me such a taste for classics! Sometimes you just need to force exposure and the rest just follows. I’ll probably be reading more than one a month next year without the intention of it! Xx
Marthaaaaa thank you so much for reading, means so much!! and i have stayed away from classics for some reason, i find them kind of intimidating tbh…but i really need to get over that fear! I’ll definitely have to delve in this year. I am so looking forward to your translation-specific goals, that sounds so fun! translated works are such a good reminder of how big the world is. 🌎📚💗
I am also going to aim for the 75% used/library books! I get most of my books from the Libby app or my favorite used store in the neighborhood, but UGH the lure of the shiny new good smelling book is SO STRONG. it’s fun to save those moments for extra special books tho!
Having a neighborhood used store is SO clutch– mine is within walking distance and I am obsessed. But I agree- smart to try to save a new book for a special occasion, or for really special books! I actually got All Fours this year from the library and loved it so much that I might have to buy a copy. Feels like if I know I love it and it's a fave, it's worth a purchase!?
EJ! This post came up when someone I follow restacked and I delightedly devoured it only to find you recommended my essay at the end. So thank you, both for the shoutout and for the goals! So glad to have found you here!
Hi Sara— i’m so glad this found you! I have long been an admirer of you instagram and substack. so glad to connect and glad you enjoyed! thanks for reading!
I love so many of your ideas. Anything to ensure that reading does not feel like a blood sport! I haven't seen anybody set a target reading number goal this year and that's so refreshing.
exactly!!! I know i can get wound up in the “so many books, so little time” idea of it all. Helps a bit to take a step back and look around a bit, see that there’s a bunch of different ways to go about it. thanks for reading, Petya!
I want to read a bunch of 'classics' this year, yet instead of planning to read masses of them and inevitably being unable to because many of them are challenging books, I have allotted myself 10 pages a day of classics reading, and through that I am expecting to read 14 books I have chosen between Jan 1st and the end of the year, with a few days wiggle room. These are all books in the 250-400pg range, some a bit shorter. I am also reading Anna Karenina over 14 months in a read along on substack. And when there are phases I have time to read more, I can pick up anything else - fiction or non-fiction. I'm setting myself a goal of 20 books this year, which I think all things considered (Third year humanities student who will be going into a Masters come September) will be a good goal, considering these are all supposed to be books of quality. Hopefully it will work. If anyone wants to see my list just message me and I'll be happy to send it to you!
that’s such an awesome idea! would love to see your list. only challenge i’d imagine is wanting to go over ten pages in a day— are you allowed to go above that if the mood strikes?
I am not going to because I have a tendency to read too much and then get overwhelmed, yet if I want to read more I can read another book
I’d love to see your list!
Sorry if the formatting is weird as it's coming from an excel sheet, yet this is what I'm reading and when. It's loosely mapped to 10pgs a day, however I might have to read a bit more on the last day to finish a book or something. It won't be more than 10 pages extra though.
1 Jan Beloved Toni Morrison
2 Feb The Outsiders S.E Hinton
19 Feb Giovanni's Room James Baldwin
7 March The Return of the Native Thomas Hardy
27 April Too Late the Phalarope Alan Paton
17 May Lady Chatterley's Lover D.H. Lawrence
28 June Another Country James Baldwin
21 July The Go Between L.P. Hartley
7 August Jude The Obscure Thomas Hardy
28 August Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
20 September Orlando Virginia Woolf
06 October Love in a Cold Climate Nancy Mitford
02 November Vile Bodies Waughs
02 December Tropic of Cancer Henry Miller
oh i have been wanting to get to love in a cold climate for quite some time!!! planning on reading that this year. also The Outsiders is one of my favorites; my dog is named after the main character! hope you enjoy ✨
I find when I set any type of specific goal, I immediately want to do anything else except that, like when I said I was finally going to read Beach Read and BOUGHT A SECOND COPY AFTER ALREADY GIVING AWAY THE FIRST AND STILL DIDNT READ IT. I love the idea of a general goal to keep in the back of my mind so I don't screw it up.
And yay for Martha getting all of us to read more works in translation!!
hahahaha COMPLETELY!!!! i hear you big time— it’s like tell me what to do and i’ll do the opposite. kinda gotta wing it, but with some guard rails 🤠
I prefer to track the number of days I read--I have over 400 days in a row! It just makes me feel good to know I've read from a book each day. I set a light goal--one per week + a couple extra for holidays and light reading each year for total books.
omg i love that goal!!! that’s so nice, and a great way to look at it.
I must admit I do like a number goal just because it keeps me reading all year and motivates me in those slumps. But I tend to set it on the low side as opposed to ambitious side so I know I'll hit it and don't feel pressure to go for quantity over quality.
I have the problem of collecting books and not reading them for years, so this year I'm going to maybe try to do an every-other situation. One library book followed by a book on my shelf, etc.
Have you read Babel by R.F. Kuang?! I'm so curious to know if you like it or not. Could be a good fantasy to try out for your genre goal because it's very Fantasy Lite but its ultra nerdy in the linguistics and academia camp with an ethos of anticolonialism. Sounds like your bag? lmk!
I know I totally hear you... im def addicted to the number, and I try to pick one that's not insanely high so that I'm not just stressing about the number. But then at the same time I'm like, what's this even for then!?
Have the SAME problem with books– I do it constantly, and that's a really good rec!! I have books from last Christmas that I begged for that I haven't even read yet🫣
And no I haven't read Babel!!! I think I heard some vaguely mixed reviews, but recently a ton of people have recommended it to me so maybe now's the time to get my hands on it... thanks for reading/commenting, Sam!
I love these goals! 👏🏼
i’m so happy to hear it! thanks for reading and CONGRATS on your first draft, Marta!!! what a huge milestone! ✨📖
Thank you!! 😭💗
Goal #2 was my personal goal last year and it lead me to so many 5 star reads! Goal #3 would honestly be a great one for me to try this year since I've ended up with a pretty large collection of classic novels that I haven't even touched yet.
i totally hear you! i have long turned my nose up at classics, i think because i often regard them as “old white guy books” but of course there’s a ton written by women, and also i need to remember they’re classics for a reason!!!
I had the same assumptions about them too! It wasn't until I read "Frankenstein" that I realized that there are classics by women that are SO SO good
Frankenstein is out of this world amazing and she wrote it when she was like 16!!!! she’s a fucking legend!!!!
I just read Rent Boy by Gary Indiana and now i want to read all of his work! I also want to read my shelves, those books i HAD to have on publishing day but never actually read.
omg you are a girl after my own heart!!!! Rent boy is WILD and so so good— definitely join me in my gary pursuits! i recently read Horse Crazy and loved it. And i hear you i have STACKS of unread books and im trying to pick only from those for a bit, its been going well so far! thanks for reading!
So so good! I often focus on amount and i find it has me reaching for the easiest to read, shortest books on my shelf. I’d love to branch out with genres, authors, time period, etc!!!
totally hear you— and the nothing wrong with that! just sometimes nice to take the pressure off and give yourself that room to expand! Thanks for reading!
i gave up on setting a goodreads goal after i reached my goal of 52 during the pandemic. i ended up slogging my way through a lot of things that i didn’t enjoy just to reach my goal. now i just set my goal to 1 and see what happens. find i end up reading a good amount either way, and now it consists of novels i genuinely enjoyed reading.
i really like these new ideas you’ve shared and will definitely be giving them a go next year. reading books published before a certain year seems especially fun :)
thanks so much for reading! i’m glad you enjoyed!
I feel the same about reading goals and have just published a post about it. I love your suggestions and also hope to read more classics next year!
Love this!! Intentional reading is definitely a goal of mine for 2025!!
ahhh thanks so much for reading! Love that phrasing, i think that perfectly sums it up! 📚💗
Great post
thanks so much! and thanks for reading!
I love these goals EJ! I also endeavour to not read straight white guys and yet a few always slip in somehow - that’s how pervasive they are in literature! I look forward to hearing what translated books you read next year, thank you for trusting me for recommendations - I’m honoured! I’m currently in the process of refining some translated specific goals for next year. Also love these goals about books before certain pub dates - my classic novel a month goal this year has been so rewarding and while I’m not going to do it as explicitly as this year, long may it continue because it has given me such a taste for classics! Sometimes you just need to force exposure and the rest just follows. I’ll probably be reading more than one a month next year without the intention of it! Xx
Marthaaaaa thank you so much for reading, means so much!! and i have stayed away from classics for some reason, i find them kind of intimidating tbh…but i really need to get over that fear! I’ll definitely have to delve in this year. I am so looking forward to your translation-specific goals, that sounds so fun! translated works are such a good reminder of how big the world is. 🌎📚💗
I am also going to aim for the 75% used/library books! I get most of my books from the Libby app or my favorite used store in the neighborhood, but UGH the lure of the shiny new good smelling book is SO STRONG. it’s fun to save those moments for extra special books tho!
Having a neighborhood used store is SO clutch– mine is within walking distance and I am obsessed. But I agree- smart to try to save a new book for a special occasion, or for really special books! I actually got All Fours this year from the library and loved it so much that I might have to buy a copy. Feels like if I know I love it and it's a fave, it's worth a purchase!?
Thanks for reading!📚💗
EJ! This post came up when someone I follow restacked and I delightedly devoured it only to find you recommended my essay at the end. So thank you, both for the shoutout and for the goals! So glad to have found you here!
Hi Sara— i’m so glad this found you! I have long been an admirer of you instagram and substack. so glad to connect and glad you enjoyed! thanks for reading!