I do, however, set goals. They aren't strict at all but act more like faint guidelines and hopes for the year. If I accomplish them, wonderful! If I don't, it's ok.
I operate this same way when it comes to setting book goals for the year. I don't do TBRs or anything rigid, but I put together a general "wishlist" or sorts - number of books I wish to read, specific titles I wish to finish, certain genres I wish to explore.
After figuring out my reading statistics for 2014, I put together a list of goals I'd like to guide my reading throughout the next year.
Read more books with deeper content.
Last year my original goal was to read 50 books, but I quickly surpassed that and was able to read more than 100 books this year. However, a lot of those books were junk food reads. I definitely got a few good meals in, but I did a lot of junk food reading this year.
Don't get me wrong; sometimes light reading is necessary, and the entertainment aspect is completely valid. However, I want to make sure that I'm reading books that will challenge and grow me, as well.
So, instead of shooting for a high number, I just want to be able to look over the books I've read this time next year and feel a sense of accomplishment.
Finish rereading the Harry Potter series.
It's been a few years since I read it, so I started rereading it toward the end of this year. I'm almost done with Order of the Phoenix so this should be an easy goal to meet.
Explore new genres.
I tend to stick to adult contemporary, but I read a few sci-fi this year that I really enjoyed, so I want to find more. Plus, I really want to get in some more fantasy.
One genre I want to read less of is YA. Or, more specifically, I want to be pickier about which YA I read. They are really easy to fly through and add to my book count, but I find that few of them offer me any type of challenge or real stimulation. There are definitely good ones out there, but I need to make sure I'm reading them instead.
Continue reading comics/graphic novels/manga/manhwa.
I read a lot of image driven content this year, and I really loved the experience. I want to continue exploring this new world and finding out which titles/authors I love, as well as what styles I'm the most drawn to.
I've found that these are also really good for when I'm in reading slumps, but that doesn't always mean that the story is subpar or shallow. The stories can be beautiful and deep, and I'm still able to focus on them during those times when reading a novel just isn't happening.
Read more classics.
I am part of a classics book club, so this shouldn't be difficult, but they don't always pick titles I'm interested in, so I often find myself sitting out for a whole month.
For the upcoming year, I want to participate more in that book club. And when I don't, I want to choose my own classic to read. There are always more classics waiting for me.
Read more Asian literature.
In past years, I've read a lot of Asian literature, but 2014 was really lacking, and I am not accepting of that. All of the Asian lit I read this past year was in comic form, so I absolutely must start reading novels again.
This is the one goal that I want to be very intentional with, and I may even make a list of books to pull from throughout the year in order to accomplish it.
Read my shelves.
I, like many book addicts, have a slight problem with buying books faster than I read them. Therefore, I have quite a few unread books on my shelves. I want to dwindle this number down this year.
I say this as I have three book orders on their way, but it's not 2015 yet, so it's ok.
The 2015 Reading Challenge
This is a little thing that has been going around Tumblr, and I just want to keep it in the back of my mind as a fun thing to do to shake things up, especially when I'm not sure what I want to read next.
And those are all my reading goals for 2015.
What are your goals for the coming year? Do you make a TBR list for the whole year, set a number of books you'd like to finish, or just wing it? Are you very strict? Let me know in the comments down below.
Happy New Year, and happy reading!
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