2019 Reading Goals

Every year I sit down and decide what my reading goals will be. This used to simply include a number - what is the NUMBER of books I want to read.

It was simple, this year I'm reading 40 books ... or 70 books ... or 100 books.

When I first started blogging I issued a challenge to myself and my readers, a Book Bingo where each square was a different challenge. Although many people participated, I didn't enjoy it. I chose what when in to every square ... but I didn't want to read those books.

A few years ago I stopped Book Bingo and just read. I read the books I wanted to read. The books I liked. I read twelve versions of Beauty and the Beast (this might be an exaggeration, but it was SO many) and read so many fantasy dystopian YA novels they all blended together.

Last year I experienced a bit of a reading rut. I loved these books, but they were all so much alike. I didn't enjoy them anymore.

So this year I needed to challenge myself. I'm doing the Read Harder Challenge from Book Riot and really focusing on reading books that I don't see myself in. Whether it is books from different cultures or books that feature #lgbtq characters - I want to see more points of view, experience more stories, learn more about all of the "not-me's" out there in the world.

I don't know how successful I'll be, but my goal is to expand my mind, my bookshelves, and my reading experiences in 2019 ... oh, and to read 100 books, because I still need that goal to push me forward.

What are your reading goals this year? - Lizz

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Shawna Blogs: I'm A Book Buying Addict

Whether it’s a big box brick-and-mortar store, Amazon, small shop, or Goodwill - I am addicted to the search and hunt and PURCHASING of books! Today I found myself at Barnes and Noble, because they were having a 30% off sale plus my membership discount, I mean, what choice did I have? I HAD to see what the deals were! I went in, optimistically thinking I may purchase 2 or 3 books. Not sure why I try and tell myself lies, because I know FULL well I’m going to be leaving with an armload of books! I began my hunt with the children's area to add to the kids' library. I came across Creepy Pair of Underwear and Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and they were a HIT! I’ve already read and re-read them multiple times. The stories are clever and cute and the bunny’s name is Jasper, which is my son's name, so he was excited about that. I also got What Do You Do With an Idea? , What Do You Do With a Chance? , and What Do You Do With a Problem? by Kobi Yamada. These books are v...

Shawna Blogs: 2019 Reading Goals

I’ve never set a reading goal so I wanted to try it out for 2019. I decided I would read 150 books this year. That equates to about 12 books a month. Then I remember I had 4 children 6 and under and I lowered my goal to 100 books, haha! That’s still a LOT of reading, but not near as insane as 150. Maybe that will be my goal for 2020! There are so many books I have waiting on my shelf to read and my basket that holds my library books is always full. The options are not the problem. The “problem” is that I don’t know what to choose! There are so many GREAT choices. So one way I help myself with this issue is through the reading challenges I am doing. These “challenge” me to read a particular type of book to check off the list and keep me on track to meet my goal. How I keep track is through my bullet journal. I create a page for each challenge, draw some book shelves, list the topics, and then color in the spines each time I complete the book! The first challenge I am...

Lizz Blogs: I Love Bookish Spoilers, said no one ever

Hey Shawna, I loved your blog last week about how you choose your next book. It made me honestly laugh out loud as I could picture you looking through your bookshelves debating which one was THE one. It also got me thinking, how do I choose my next book? I’d love to say that I put all this time and care into choosing the next world that I’m going to step into, but honestly, I’m over here just winging it (book choosing, eyeliner, life). Generally speaking, I like to choose a book I most want to avoid spoilers for. When I was working at the library I got to have amazing bookish conversations all the time. They varied from little kids telling me about their new favorite book in the Magic Tree House series to teenagers sharing an amazing YA Fantasy book they found (knowing that I would love it, I’m genre obsessed). In the world of bookish friends, I feel like “reveal no spoilers” should be a sacred rule.

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