2024 Reading Challenge
Welcome to another year of reading, my friends!
Every year I participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge, and nearly every year I inevitably “fail”.
By that I really just mean I do not read the number of books I set out to at the beginning of the year. Last year I set out to read 26 books and while I came close, I didn’t quite reach my goal. By the end of 2023 I had read 21 books in total. Now, to be fair, I did re-read the Harry Potter series, as well as the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series in preparation for the new Disney show (a review for another day). But it had been a few years since I read either series, so I think they still count.
This year I’ve lowered my expectations just slightly. I plan to read at least 18 books by the end of the year, but I also somewhat expect to surpass that goal. I’ve gotten into the habit of reading two books at a time, my “daytime book”, and my “bedtime book”. Typically, my “daytime book is something new, and my “bedtime book” is something I’ve read before and don’t necessarily care if I fall asleep while reading. While I my plan is to focus on new reads this year, there are a few on my list that I’d like to read again, and I plan on saving those for bed time.
While the Reading Challenge is always a fun way to keep up with everything you’ve read through the year, I feel like it’s important to note that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t reach that goal. Don’t set your standards too high, and make a realistic goal for yourself. Maybe your goal is to just read five new books this year. That’s fine! Everyone reads at a different pace, and sometimes you just don’t have the time or energy to whizz through fifty books in a year. Then again, maybe you do! Maybe you’re the kind of person that can read through a book a week, which is amazing! Set your goals to what you want, not what you think other people expect. The whole point of the challenge is to read what you want, and to get excited about it.
Not sure what to set your goal to? Here’s what I like to do: I make a list of all the books on my TBR (To Be Read) list. Then I just set that number as my Reading Goal for the year. Find yourself adding to your TBR list throughout the year? No worries! You can always update your reading goal to reflect it. Either way it’s a great starting off point.
I’m looking forward to reading a lot of great books this year, and I can’t wait to tell you about all my favorites, and probably some of my least favorites as well.
Let me know what your reading goals are for this year! How many books do you want to read? Or do you just want to read more in general? Feel free to share your book recommendations as well! It’s always great to hear what everyone is excited about!
