I started out with 4 challenges, which I shared in a post in December. Easy right? Well, then I started reading other bloggers posts and found so many other fun challenges. I have to admit, my eyes are always bigger than my time to read but I love the idea of interacting with so many other bloggers to interact with the community, and challenge myself to read a variety of books!
In an attempt to keep myself on track, I’m going to do a monthly update on where I’m at with each of my goals. Here are my January plans for my reading goals. Can you tell I was one of those people who loved to rearrange my bookshelves? I love planning ahead and seeing where I get with these. I hope you enjoy these and use them as inspiration for books to add to your list or to use for your own reading goals!
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Reading Goals and Challenges
The first 4 are my original goals, and the rest are the ones I added.
- Read 75 books (Goodreads challenge). I had the goal of reading 50 books in 2017 and more than doubled my goal, so I think 75 books is a good number to aim for. This year was a bit of a miss but my tracking got a little sloppy so I’m not really sure how accurate my number is.
- Read at least 10% non-fiction books. I was going to set this goal higher, but feel that for my first year of setting goals outside of the Goodreads challenge goals let’s not get crazy. My favorite non-fiction are definitely doing memoirs as audiobooks so while I see that happening I want to push myself out of my comfort zone and read some different non-fiction.
- Read my shelf! I need to read some of my books I already own. My husband definitely doesn’t understand my need to continue to acquire books so I might as well make sure they are read! I’m sure there is some sort of diagnosis in here and no, it’s not a hoarder.
- A Book A Week with the Pingel Sisters Challenge. Have you been to The Pingel Sisters Blog? They’ve given me a lot of inspiration. I’m very much looking forward to doing a reading challenge with another Book Blogger. Much more personal than the PopSugar one I was originally looking at doing.
Goal Breakdown and January Plans For My Reading Goals
Goal #1: Read 75 books (Goodreads challenge)
I’m starting with 75 books, based on each of the books I have planned I should be able to read 13 books this month. That definitely puts me on track for my goal, in fact puts me ahead.
Add your goal here.
Goal #2: Read at least 10% non-fiction books
With a goal of 10% non-fiction, and an overall goal of 75 books I should be reading about 8 non-fiction books. This month I plan to read 2 which will definitely get me moving on this goal!
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
Goal #3: Read my shelf!
I’m incorporating the 2019 TBR Pile Challenge into this one. For this challenge I have to actually pick 12 books beforehand.
I keep finding books everywhere so this has been a good goal to encourage me to read those books. It’s not that they aren’t good books that are sitting around, it’s just easy to put off your own books when there is no deadline around reading them!
These are the books I’ve pulled off the shelf to read over this year:
The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton by Jane Smiley
Chasing the Night by Iris Johansen
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg
The Dive From Clausen’s Pier by Ann Packer
Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch ** Goal to read in January
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
I am aiming to read one of these this month, specifically The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.
Goal #4: A Book A Week with the Pingel Sisters Challenge
The Pingel Sisters are not only doing a challenge, but they’re doing a Book Club each month that lines up with one of the challenge books for that month. I love some guidance, but also guidance with some freedom. To help with that freedom they also have a post to give some suggested inspiration for other books to read in January to help you tick off some books in the challenge.
So for this month I’m aiming to read:
A book with more than 500 pages (and the book club book): The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
A book you haven’t read by an author you love: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
A book that is a 2018 Goodreads Winner: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
A book you can read in a day: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
A book about a difficult topic: Out of My Mind by Sharon M Draper
Goal #5: 2019 Audiobook Challenge
Audiobooks can be my jam, depending on my mood. I will go months listening to audiobook after audiobook and then have to take a break. I have a commute that can be 35 minutes to an hour each way so it’s a great way to be productive during that drive. I’m going to go easy on myself, as I can always up my goal, and aim for one a month for 12 audiobooks. That will make me a stenographer.
While I’m aiming for at least 1 a month, I am aiming for two audiobooks this month:
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
The Hideaway by Lauren K Denton
Goal #6: 2019 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge
I am so guilty of having so many series unfinished. I’m going to join this with the goal of finishing 1 or 2 series. I would love for it to be more but setting realistic goals here.
I’m going to aim to read two books this month, which will finish a series!:
Goal #7: 2019 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Seven goals? You have to think I’m crazy at this point. I am thinking there will be a lot of crossover, and I’m hoping this will help me to NOT end the year only having read mysteries and thrillers. I’m afraid I’ve started to have too much of a type. Historical Fiction can be so good so I look to push myself to read more! I’m aiming for Victorian Reader level at 5 books.
Look at this! I’ve already got 2 done based on books I’ve selected for other challenges. I’ll add one more for variety:
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams
Goal #8: 2019 Library Love Challenge
This one should be easy for me. I do love to buy books, but I think smoke would come out of my husband’s ears if I bought as many as I wanted. I depend a lot on the library. For that reason I am pretty sure I’ll get to at least Library Addict level and read 48 books from the library.
I love my library! So many of the above I have chosen to check out from the library:
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Hideaway by Lauren K Denton
Out of My Mind by Sharon M Draper
The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams
Goal #9: Read and Review 10 Advanced Review Copies (ARC)
I don’t want to get carried away only focusing on books I get in advance from places like Netgalley but I would like to balance that and read a few. I’ll start by aiming for 10 and see where that goes!
I am a bit behind with my ARC books so reading these will get me caught up:
The Doll Collector by Joanna Stephen-Ward
The Perfect Family by Shalini Boland
Goal #10: 2019 New Release Challenge
I figure an even 10 will feel better. This one should coincide nicely with #9. I will aim for 12, which is a New Release Newbie in this challenge.
I’m not sure yet what I’ll choose for January, or perhaps I’ll aim to start this one in February as new releases start rolling out. Any suggestions for me here?
Will you join me in any of these challenges? Link up with me on Goodreads and start a shelf for each challenge to help push you along.
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Great choices for our reading challenge! I’m going to read I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, too. And I really loved Out of My Mind. Want to know a secret? The reason we created this reading challenge in the first place was to force myself to go through my TBR shelf. I’m hoping to significantly whittle down my list this year of the books that have been on it the longest – Like The Forgotten Garden.
I don’t physically have The Forgotten Garden (on the waitlist for the library e-book right now) but it’s been on my list for a while so excited to read it. A great reason to start a challenge! Can’t wait to see next months suggestions and to go through this with you guys.
Wow! You set a lot of goals! Good for you! I just made 52 books under the wire last year, and this year I put 100 books as my Goodreads challenge! That is a lofty goal for me – we shall see if I can do it. One of the ways I plan to get more book time in is through audiobooks – just like you. This is seriously going to cut into my podcast time, though! I love my podcasts.
I have been wanting to read I’ll Be Gone in the Dark so I can’t wait to hear how you liked it.
Good luck with your reading goals!
I know! (forehead slap). I may end up kicking myself, but it kind of feels like a puzzle right now which is so much fun!! I feel the same way about my audiobooks cutting into my podcast time, but my first finish of the year has been an audiobook which I really enjoyed! Hope to read some of your reviews and get some inspiration for my to reads 🙂