Last year (2023), I set a goal to read 60 books. As a librarian and an avid reader, I exceed this most years. How much I exceed it varies, but usually I land at around 70-90 books.
I read 120 books last year.
When I hit triple digits toward the end of November, I joked about how cool it would be to double my original goal. But as the days passed, it became less of a joke. I wanted the bragging rights. I wanted the satisfaction of beating my personal record of 108 books (in 2015, before motherhood or a career in education). I wanted to knock more books of my never-ending TBR. I thought reading 20 more books at the last minute would be cool. Life was busy (e.g. I put on my first Scholastic Book Fair) and hard (e.g. my dog died) and therefore exhausting, so I escaped when I could.
Spoiler alert (I generally try to avoid those, but to make a long and rather uninteresting story short): cramming 20 more books into my brain did not help anything. I felt bloated on books, a cautionary tale about overconsumption. I can barely remember the details of anything I read last year. Reading was another thing to get done, rather than something to look forward to and savor. I missed out on opportunities to connect with my loved ones and the world around me. I became a little more lost in my head, a little less tethered to the physical world.
2024 Reading Goal #1: Read LESS
So I set an even lower reading goal this year: 52 books.
I told myself I’d consume less and create and connect more. I’d slow down, I’d be more selective about what I pick up and DNF books I wasn’t feeling. I’d prune my TBR. I’d find fresh ways to live between and beyond the pages.
How it’s going
Not well, to be frank. As of this writing, I’ve finished 56 books and I’m close to finishing a couple others. I’m on track to meet last year’s goal.
That said, I have a few things going for me. For one, I’m now reading for two! I’m pregnant with kiddo #2 and this little dude will arrive in late November or early December, so that should slow down my reading spree a bit, at least temporarily, right?
And while I’ve majorly lapsed on blog posts for the past two months (4th quarter of the school year + 1st trimester of pregnancy = barely functional), I’ve drafted several, brainstormed dozens, and written a few incredibly rough scenes for the incredibly rough first draft of my novel-in-progress. I think I’ve been connecting more with my family, friends, and community. I’ve bailed on one or two books/series that really weren’t doing it for me. I did, in fact, prune my TBR…a teensy, tiny bit (400+ down to less than 350 isn’t nothing). Marginal improvements, with lots of room to grow still.
2024 Reading Goal #2: Read at least half of my physical TBR
Considering I’ve been a bookworm my whole life and a librarian for 8 years, it’s actually incredible that I own less than 40 books that I haven’t read yet, right? (Not counting a handful of PD books that I’ll get to…eventually.) But owning 40ish unread books is still too many for me, so my other reading goal for this year is to read at least half of those.
How it’s going
I’ve read 9, so I’m on track for this goal! I’ve also weeded out a few that I’m no longer interested in reading, donating them to the Little Free Library I started and steward in my neighborhood.
My game plan for the rest of the year
I always feel extra introspective this time of year. Between it being roughly the midpoint of the year and the increased mental capacity I have when school isn’t session, I find myself reflecting on how I want the rest of the year to look.
MEMO TO SELF:
1. Finish the rough draft of the novel I started about 15 years ago. It’s honestly ridiculous that it’s taken this long for me to finish the first draft. If it was the next great American novel, it would be understandable, but (and I’m not bashing myself here, just being a realist) it’s not. I’m just a recovering perfectionist who may or may not have ADHD (TBD) and I’m still figuring out how to work with my messy brain to finish a project of this scope. At this point, I have 4-5 scenes to write to finish the dang thing, so my goal is to embrace the mess and finally finish it by mid-July. I literally just need to write 1 scene a week to do that, but will I? We’ll see.
2. If I’m going to keep reading this much, cut way back on my screentime: ditch the TV shows I’m not absolutely obsessed with and limit the mindless scrolling on my phone. I need to do this if I want to recapture some of that mental space, consume more consciously, and make time for creating and adulting and connecting. So that Bookstagram account I created? It’s probably going to get a little stale. If it stays at 9 followers indefinitely, I can live with that; I have no illusions about becoming an influencer. Actually, the idea horrifies me. I wouldn’t mind it if this blog took off though…
3. Prioritize more of my physical TBR this summer. (Real talk: Is Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak worth it? I adore The Book Thief, so I preordered Bridge of Clay however many years ago it came out, but it’s a CHUNK and I’ve heard mixed reviews, so it’s been sitting there gathering dust since then.) This should be easier since I’m temporarily not spending 40 hours a week in a library full of shiny, interesting books.
4. Just hit post on some of the blog drafts I have already. Including this one. Stop being so precious about getting the wording just right, or how stagnant my writer voice has become, or the risk of (gasp!) typos. Post the posts. And write some more posts. Rinse and repeat.
I just drafted this post and I’m going to hit “Publish” immediately. I am. I will. Maybe. (Update: I came back to edit this to tell you that I DID IT! Brb, patting myself on the back.)
What are your 2024 reading goals? How’s it going for you? Let’s celebrate and/or commiserate and/or strategize together.
paige in the library 