2018 Reading Goals & Resolutions

By Birdie

Dear 2018 Wendy,

Before I get into my goals for your upcoming year, I’m going to take a moment to remind you of the goals 2016 Wendy set for me.  I think it’s important I reflect on my own tasks, as how I did will greatly impact my hopes and dreams for you.

Ready?

My first goal was to not beat myself up when I didn’t surpass the previous years reading goal.  I’m pretty proud of myself.  I didn’t come close to topping the 2016 score, and I feel completely fine.  I happen to be our first full year of blogging, -yes, I am patting myself on the back- which takes up a lot of time.  Even if I hadn’t been blogging I’d still be proud of what I read.  So, with that in the forefront of my mind, here is my first goal for you:

Read even less.

Oh my gosh, I know that’s hurting your heart.  I can already feel our stomach starting to drop.  It’s this panicky kind of feeling, but look, just because you read LESS doesn’t mean you’ll go back to that young woman who never read.  It’s all about balance, darling.  You need it.  Catch up on some TV.  Get out of the house.  Hang with family.  2018 will be the first full year of Wendy controlling her anxiety, and you should enjoy it by being more social.  Maybe even set you’re new reading goal to 75… just a thought.

My second and third goals for 2017 were to tackle our TBR pile, both by reading the books I’ve been eyeing and to focus on books I’d already purchased.  I think I did pretty well, hitting the books already on my bookshelf.  The problem is I’m obsessed and for every book I read, I bought two more.  I also signed up for the 2017 Beat the Backlist challenge, with pretty lackluster results.  I think we can do better, so I’m passing these goals on to you.

Knock down that Backlist!
Read books you’ve already spent money on!

The catch is you have to buy less than you read.  It’s tough, but with dedication and willpower you can overcome.

I was also given the goal of leaving room for spontaneity, and I think I did spectacularly well.  I read a lot more books on a whim than I have the last few years.  It was SO nice to read a book simply because I wanted to, and not because I felt obligated.  Wendy in 2018, I want you to know how good it feels, so my goal for you is going to be even heavier.  Here it is:

Request ONLY ARC’s for books/authors you already know.

Basically what I’m saying is, give yourself one year of not randomly requesting something just because the cover is cute, or it’s an author you’ve been curious about.  Just fill one year up with a few ARC’s you can’t live without, and the rest books you want to read just because.  Take back your reading habits completely!

My last goal was to accept and read more recommendations.  This is a goal where I failed.  I’m not sure I’m capable of being that kind of reader.  I have mental blocks which prevent me from reading something that didn’t immediately strike me.  I’m not going to give you this goal, frankly because I don’t think we’ll be successful.  Instead, I’m going to go in a completely different direction.  I’m going to give you a goal for something I know we miss.

Reread all your favorite books!

I know how hard this has been previously, but this year YOU should be able to tackle this lofty goal.  You’re reading minimal ARC’s, and choosing books spontaneously.  Rereading past favorites should be a breeze!  I, for one, am super excited.  Lumatere Chronicles and Seven Realms have been calling my name!

I know these goals seem so much harder than last years, but I know you can do it.  The Wendy’s of Yore all believe in you.

We know you’ve got this!

Sincerely,
2017’s Wendy

About Birdie

Don’t look for her in any bar, club, crazy raging party, or anywhere there may be a large gathering of strangers. She’s more likely to be found tucked into the corner of the couch watching one of her favorite shows, or preferably under a comforter with her current novel.

37 Responses

  1. Angela

    Love this post! I like the idea of finding balance between your reading life and everything else. As much as I love reading, it’s nice to get outside or hang out with family and friends, too!

    Like

    1. Birdie

      It really is. And I need to be better about that. I actually set my reading goal (Goodreads) this year for 52. One book a week. I know I’ll read more, but that way I won’t feel like I’m beating a clock.

      Like

  2. Emma's Library

    I know exactly what you mean about reading less. I’ve got the mindset to do that this year, mainly so I can take my time finally reading and savouring some of the chunkier books on my shelf that I’ve previously been hesitant to read. I’m also on the look out for a new physical activity to try (to encourage me to be more sociable and get out of the house) so I want to be able to balance the two.

    Like

    1. Birdie

      A new physical activity would be good for me too. I hate to admit this, but I’m up almost a pant size and a half! In just the last couple years! I need to get out and be physical!

      Like

      1. Emma's Library

        I’m stuck in between sizes at the moment and it’s driving me mad because I can’t find any trousers that fit me properly. I want to be physical and enjoy being active, but I’m not built for sports so I don’t know what to do!

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      2. Birdie

        That’s the rub, for sure. I’m not a sporty person either. Never have been. My mom did buy me a doggy buggy for my Yorkie, because I’m nerdy like that, so I think I’ll try walking when the weather warms up.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. nikihawkes

    Great goals! All of them seem to be geared towards making 2018 a great year in reading. In 2017 I was more focused on zeroing out incomplete series, but one of my goals this year will be to read more of the books I own as well. We can do it! Haha. 🙂

    Like

    1. Birdie

      We’ll cheer each other on! I think that one, reading books I already own, and fitting in time for rereads are the two most important to me. I’ve always been a big rereader, and since starting to review (and joining the online reading community) it’s gotten so much harder to do!

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Whimsically Meghan

    Good luck with all your goals this year! I believe in you! 😀 I keep thinking of writing up a goal related post, but gosh life has been so busy! I’ve chosen to read less books this year… I read well over 100 books last year but this year I only put my goal to 93, like you I want to spend more time doing things… 2018 is going to be the year of doing rather than reading, I have high hopes for myself! 😀
    I love the rereading challenge you have set for yourself. I find the best way to reread things (for me) is if I read about a chapter a day… I find I get the book finished faster than I thought I would and I don’t have to compromise any other obligations!

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  7. Tranquil Pages

    I plan to tackle my TBR pile this year, I have over 90+ books that I have yet to read I plan to read most of them this year. I also didn’t meet my reading goal last year because of college but I read enough to make a success.

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      1. Tranquil Pages

        Oh I’m the same. I’m gonna have no choice but to buy more books because I’m in the book club at my college and they never choose the books I have that I put down to vote for lol.

        Liked by 1 person

  9. theorangutanlibrarian

    These are really great goals! I definitely want to try and read less books to be honest. I also think it’s great to choose ARCs from authors you already know- I try to do that a lot and though I don’t get as many ARCs that way, I much prefer it that way. And rereading is great fun to do!

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  10. Krysta

    I’m seeing a lot of people say they want to read less and I find that so refreshing. There seems to have been a lot of competition in the book blogosphere about who reads the most and I kept pointing out that people read more when they have more free time. Or if they are not doing other things with their free time. There’s nothing right or wrong about the number of books we read. Indeed, I would argue that we could read too much if we’re ignoring our other responsibilities or even other things we love just to try to catch up to others!

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    1. Birdie

      Right, I agree completely! We push ourselves to lock our time away to meet this arbitrary goal that we set for ourselves, and feel bad when that goal isn’t as high as someone else’s. I think just reading for the pure pleasure of it, whether that’s 20 books, or 200 books, is my biggest goal for this year. To read like I did before Goodreads and blogging.

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      1. Krysta

        That sounds lovely! I do try to read for myself but I still tend to hear a little voice that says, “ugh, you can’t review this one” and that makes me a little sad sometimes. But I like to read a lot of stuff that wouldn’t work for the blog and I am not going to give it up.

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      2. Birdie

        My blog is so all over the place! I tend to review whatever lands in my hands, haha. I’m not sure how I would make it work if I didn’t, so definitely kudos to you.

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      3. Krysta

        It’s more that I tend to read stuff like Renaissance drama, literary criticism, and other works that would probably get zero views if I posted reviews, so I don’t bother doing the work. 😉 We’re sort of a MG/YA/classics blog, so our readers aren’t really there for other things. (Okay, most of them aren’t there for the MG, either, but I don’t care!)

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