Tag: reading goals

Random Reading Thoughts: A new year for reading

It’s the first full week of a new year and a new decade (OK, maybe not a new decade depending on who you ask, but that’s beside the point). This fresh start means so many opportunities to revamp, or refresh, or rethink — or not — my reading. It’s a chance to look back at my reading of the past year and see if I’d like to shake things up a bit.

I use Goodreads to track my reading and to keep a loose want-to-read list. I sometimes write reviews, but often I forget those things that pop into my brain while I’m reading that I might like to remember. I don’t stop reading to open the app or get on my computer to jot down notes, but I want to be better so I decided that I am going analog this year and keeping a paper reading journal as well as recording my books on Goodreads.

Do you use Goodreads to track your reading? Do you use it to set reading goals or to keep a to-read list? Tell us in the comments how you use Goodreads and if it helps you read better.

Admittedly, I’ve never been very good at journaling, but maybe if I’m just keeping notes about the books I read it will go better. I’d like to remember better why I love the books I do. I’d also like to be able to look back at books that didn’t work for me and have an idea of why not. I’m also dedicating a small notebook to keeping a list of books I want to read. And taking a page from Modern Mrs. Darcy, I have a goal of doing more than just jotting down the title and author.

I’ve set my Goodreads goal for this year (52), I’ve got my reader’s journal ready to go, and I’ve got a plan for my to-be-read list. I have two reading challenges to participate in — the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020 challenge and the Wichita Eagle #ReadICT challenge. I think I’m ready to tackle my reading in 2020. Here’s looking at a great year to come in reading!

Random Reading Thoughts: I didn’t meet my 2019 reading goal

How many of you track your annual reading? Do you keep a reading journal or do you track on a digital site like Goodreads? I use Goodreads to track my reading, and I love to set a yearly goal to see if I can reach it. This year my goal was to read 60 books. That’s a little more than a book a week, and a goal I have hit before.

Cover of Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” which is a beautiful picture book.

But this year, it just didn’t happen. When I first realized I wasn’t going to hit my goal I was pretty dejected. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it’s OK. I still read 50 books this year — and there are still two weeks for me to finish another book or two. And then I started thinking about why I didn’t hit my goal and realized that it was (mostly) other good things that kept me busy.

I started quilting a few years ago, and I did more sewing this year than I have done in a while. I relish the time I get to spend at my sewing machine creating things. I often listen to an audiobook while I sew, but sometimes I just enjoy the whirring sound of the needle moving along through the fabric. This took away from my regular reading time this year. As did some other things.

Cover of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The first book I read in 2019 was “Bel Canto,” by Ann Patchett. It’s one of my favorite books and was a reread for me.

And I’m happy with the books I read. I read some I loved and some that were just pretty good. I added some new titles to my list of favorites and I revisited some old friends. According to Goodreads’ “My Year in Books,” I have read 17,752 pages in those 50 books as of Dec. 18. The shortest was 32 pages, a picture book of Robert Frost’s “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.” The longest? “11/22/63” by Stephen King, which was incredible on audio.

So what’s your goal for 2020? A number of books read? Reading one more book than you read last year? Focusing on a certain genre? Reading for a challenge? Tell us in the comments if you set a reading goal and what it is. I’m still trying to decide what my reading in 2020 is going to look like.

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Language of Thorns

It’s that time of year again!  Time to set a new reading goal for the year.  The last several years I have set a goal of 75 books.  I nearly doubled it with 145 books in 2018.  Do you have reading goals?  How do you track them?  I love Goodreads because I can create shelves, lists and make notes on what I read.  The Language of Thorns is my first completed book of the year and it definitely started the year off well!

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

First line: In the year that summer stayed too long, the heat lay upon the prairie with the weight of a corpse.

Summary: A collection of five fairy tales and legends told by the best-selling author, Leigh Bardugo, brings the reader into a mystical world filled with enchanted nutcrackers, mermaids and witches.

Highlights: I absolutely loved these short stories. Bardugo is a master of world building and atmosphere. I have read several of her novels and enjoyed each one. She can do so much in just a few pages.

By far my favorite of the stories was the story of Clara and the nutcracker. It seems like we know this story but Bardugo puts her own twist on it making it darker and more intriguing.

The pages are stunning with their artwork at the borders. Each page adds more imagery that enhances the story. Plus, if you have read her books (Grisha Trilogy and Dregs Duology) you will find little Easter eggs embedded in the tales. I highly recommend this collection to anyone who loves fantasy and Russian style fairy tales.

FYI: If you enjoyed this then try the Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden. I read the third book in December and was once again blown away by Arden’s story telling abilities.