Kathy Hamilton Today I want to share my 2019 reading goals with you. I’m more excited about these goals than any other year since I feel like they fit into my overall plans for the year as a whole.
Last year my goals were all about rediscovering my love for reading. I didn’t want to pressure myself too much and instead wanted to focus on remembering why reading is fun. It worked! I had a fantastic reading year. Sure I was only about 50% effective in actually achieving my reading goals but it’s the intention that counts right! And what I did achieve had its desired effect.
So, what’s different this year? A lot actually. If you read my last post you’ll know that my word of the year is “enhance”. I’ve tried to keep this word the core focus for all my reading goals. Each one will hopefully enable me to get more out of reading and broaden my literary horizons, so to speak.
Really Join a Book Club
Last year when I set a goal to join a book club I was so sure it would be an easy goal to meet. Then I went to two meetings and gave up! Honestly, knowing myself like I do, I shouldn’t have been surprised. I picked a book club that was too far out of the way to easily get to. It was also set in a part of town I’m not particularly fond of. So honestly, I set myself up to fail didn’t I?
That’s why the first of my 2019 plans and goals is to really join a book club! I’ve been doing my research this time and I have found the perfect one. It has everything in its favour, they literally meet up in a cafe on my way home from work. They share the book choices online each month well ahead of time and they have a dedicated website and are affiliated with a worldwide group of book clubs. So, round two! Wish me luck.
Read My Bookshelf
My fellow bookworms will understand when I say that the number of unread books on my shelves is starting to get out of hand. I just can’t help it, when I’m browsing a bookshop (whether online or in person) I never fail to find a book that sounds amazing. Then I bring it home, all shiny and new, and place it lovingly on the shelf. Only to not read it. I want to change this in 2019. I have to confess that this was one of the reading goals for last year that I seriously failed at! But I’m hoping it will be like when you rearrange your wardrobe and discover clothes you forgot you had that you now fall in love with. I mean, I bought them for a reason right? I’ve followed this hashtag on Instagram to help keep me inspired.
Use the Library More
Following on from reading my bookshelf, using the library feels like an obvious progression. I’m ashamed to admit I have never even been inside Belfast Central Library! That’s going to change this year. Making use of this vital public facility is one of my core reading goals for 2019. I am a bit covetous of books and in the past, this has been my main reason for not using the library. You have to give the books back! But since of my Goals for 2019, in general, is to Simplify I’m hoping to break this habit. Plus, using the library will inevitably help me stop buying more books that go unread on my shelves!
Challenge My Reading Habits
This was actually an idea my sister had that really sparked an idea for one of my reading goals this year. I’m always talking about reading what you love here at the Female Scriblerian but I am definitely a creature of habit. So, when I was looking at my Best Books of 2018 and saw that they were all new authors to me I realised that challenging my readings habits was a healthy thing. So, my sister had the idea to read one book a month from a genre I would never usually pick. For me, that looks like, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Gritty Crime…etc. It could be the perfect excuse to break out the library card? I’ll be sure to keep you posted on my progress.
Read 50 Books
Saving the most ambitious of my reading goals for last! I want to read 50 books in 2019. It sounds crazy but I think it’s possible. Last year I read 38 books without actively trying and some of them pushed 800 pages (which I’m totally counting as practically two books!). So I feel like 50 is a good challenge to set myself. The way I see it, this will give me a chance to challenge my reading habits and also keep space for my favourite genres too. A win-win. I’ve set up a Goodreads Challenge to track my progress. Can I do it? Stay tuned and we’ll see!
These are my Reading Goals for 2019!
If you can’t tell, I’m really enthused about trying to make 2019 the best reading year yet. By broadening my scope and also trying to read up all the neglected books on my shelf, I’m hoping to discover even more amazing books than last year. What are you reading goals for 2019? Please let me know below!