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Not sure if entirely appropriate for the community (or fediverse really) but last year I came close to reading each issue of the Economist cover to cover. This year, I want to do it including all the special reports plus my couple issue backlog.
Though in these turbulent times, that may get too depressing.
That counts in my book! I hope you do reach that goal, but I also completely understand the hesitancy 💚
Thanks!
In our bingo challenge for example, we try to make it so it fits for any recreational reading (recreation being activities you freely choose to engage in when there are no other pressures on your time).
I’d say this counts unless it’s required for work or studies.
Good to know! And yup, absolutely recreational.
No, reading should be fun, not a task.
That’s totally fair, some folks like it, some folks don’t. As long as you are content, that’s all that matters.
To read books I enjoy? Why should I have reading goals? Sounds like a great way to put me off reading.
That’s totally fair! Some folks like to make goals while others don’t. As long as you are happy with what you read, that’s all that matters.
Do you set any kind of reading goals?
Nope. I know in advance many of the books I will read this year, that's about it.
To be honest, I never worried much about how much I read, I worry more about what I read. Nowadays even more than ever as I'm getting old, with serious health issue. I know (my remaining reading) time is scarce ;)
The last couple of years I've been trying to read stuff in 4 languages. This year I want to read books equally spread out across those languages. I'll probably go for 16 books, 4 from each. Finding interesting books in my target languages is also part of the challenge
That’s a really cool goal and a fun way to learn other languages. Is there a certain genre of book you like to read in other languages?
That's part of the fun actually as different countries prefer different genres. So there'll be much more sci-fi in English than in Spanish for example where I'll read mostly horror and drama.
That does sound like fun. Now you have me considering trying to read some horror in Spanish, but I’m not sure my Spanish is that good yet.
If you do try it Argentina has many good books (even though their Spanish may be a bit harder).
Atleast one per month not counting my books for school ideally
In 2024, I set a goal of 52 books and by the end it felt like a chore. In 2025, I scaled back to a goal of 25 books and ended up easily reading 52.
For 2026, I decided my goal is to go through some of the unread books in my personal collection. Specifically, I would like to get through some of the book series I’ve been carrying around for a while. Some of these are:
Every year, my goal is to read more than I did during the year before. Last year, I aimed for two books a month and I ended up going over so this year, I’ll shoot for 3 a month, or 36 books.
I want to read more but life makes it really hard to find time. Audiobooks are my saving grace.
I think that’s a good goal. I’m not much of an audiobook person myself, but I do like that it helps others read more so I can discuss books. Good luck!
I make my goals low enough to be slam dunks. Last year it was 6 and the year before that it was 8. The goal of the goal is to just keep going even after I hit it. What threw my 2022 goal WAYYYY off was reading Count of Monte Cristo. Took me 8 months to complete, making ‘22 a 3-book completion year.
Mostly just to finish Wheel of Time I think.
I’d also like to read Dungeon Crawler Carl #8 early summer.
I’ll probably read Sunrise on the Reaping before the movie drops as well.
Other than that, I don’t usually set hard goals. I just like to read. ^_^
Oh yeah, maybe I’ll finish the rest of the Red Rising series. I took a break at the end of book 3, since it seemed like a solid stopping point. Oh yeah, and I want to read the Poppy War (trilogy?) and Blood Meridian…
Backlogs are hard.
I think no goals and just read is a great goal! I used to push myself more, but I think I’ve finally got the habit down enough that I don’t need to. I’m at the point where I read more than I watch tv.
My backlog is kind of crazy too. My TBR is basically my bookcase 🤣
My reading goal for now is being able to go through Lord of the Rings once again with a newborn daughter on my hands, ahahahahah. I think this will be a year when quantity is going to count less.
Oh my, that’s a tough goal! Congrats on the new kid! There is a dramatized audiobook version of those floating around somewhere, if that might help. I wish you luck on your journey with a newborn and trying to read! 💚
My goal is to spend 20 bucks a momth on physical books. I've been reading exclusively on eReaders since 2009, and I've become a little insecure about my shelves being filled only with plushies and comic books now that I'm in my 30s.
I don't want to accumulate too many books, but a few just to signal to guests that yes I do in fact read might be a good idea, even if it feels a bit vain.
I get it! I have a lot of books because I often shop thrift stores and library bookshops. Most of my books were between 1-3 dollars. I do place some books strategically for friends to see and hopefully get them to read more.
Don’t feel too bad about the plushies and comics. I’m in my 40s and I have lots of both.
Yeah I am a big fan of Cormac McCarthy and I haven't read The Passenger yet so I will be.
Probably find some more dystopian fiction since that is great as well. Maybe it will be The Hunger Games
If you don’t mind romance, I thought The Mercenary Librarians series by Kit Rocha was a really good dystopian story.
I recently won a copy of Project Hail Mary, so I’m hoping I can grind that out before it comes out in theatres. Other than that I’d be happy if I can find the time to start/finish The Fellowship of the Ring this summer.
It’s an amazing book. You’ll sail through it.
Hail Mary was a short book for me. I read it over the course of a few days. Once it hooked me, I couldn’t put it down!
In just the last 6 months, I have found an interest in books and audiobooks. My husband and I have made listening to audiobooks as a common hobby which has really been a great addition to our usual routines. Starting with Dungeon Crawler Carl series, John Scalzi books/series, and the Bobbiverse, we are steadily expanding our exposure to literature mediums. My only wish is to continue to find great authors and/or narrators so we can continue to enjoy out time together listening to old and new stories.
That’s a fun thing to do with your partner. John Scalzi is one of my top authors, he has a lot of good stuff. I think Kaiju Preservation Society was my favorite book of his I have read. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Dungeon Crawler Carl books and I’ll probably get to them eventually.
Have you tried Mistborn? A former coworker recommended it to me like 8 years ago and it got me to kickstart my reading addiction back in June 2023.
Just more. I used to read a lot. The last book I read cover to cover was Horrorstör by Hendrix. I started A Little Life and was really enjoying it but something came up and I just haven't picked it back up. I'm also two books behind on Stormlight Archive.
Sometimes just getting back into it can be hard. I always try to read at least 10-15 minutes right before bed and that helps me keep my reading habit up even on slump days. Hope you find something good!
I know that I'm an on-and-off reader, so I put down 12. Sometimes I'll blitz through a 1000 page book in a week, sometimes I'll not read for months.
I've got a StoryGraph account and have joined some reading challenges, but I don't think I'll be able to stick to them. I plan to read certain books, then I see something else and go "Oooh! Shiny!!" and then the planned reads are forgotten.
I have found that I like to have two books on the go so I can switch between the two depending on my mood. I did this with two fantasy/dragon genres, and I probably shouldn't do that again. I started mixing them up.
Ive just finished a book and about 2/3 of the way of another, so I'm looking for another to fill the gap. Just cracked Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang, but it hasn't hooked me yet.
I use StoryGraph for mobile tracking, then I move the data into an excel file. I like it mostly to compile an image of the covers.
I also sometimes read 2 books at a time, but I try to read different genres because I get them mixed up in my head. I’ll read a scifi and a romance or a fantasy. Or I’ve also been fitting in a graphic novel or middle grade novel as the secondary read.
I've set my goal at 26 for the past 5 years and always seem to just scrape by. Last year included quite a few graphic novels...
So the goal is 26 with fewer GNs I suppose.
I understand that! I enjoy reading graphic novels as well. Good luck!
I did The Count of Monte Cristo last year, so I was thinking of tackling Don Quixote in 2026.
I read lots of other books too I mean, just that I'm aiming to specifically read that one.
I went big last year and set a goal of 100 books/audiobooks. I didnt think I had a super high chance of making it initially but I actually ended up doing it. It was like 85% audiobooks and probably 20% of that was stuff I had read or listened to before but it still felt good to hit that goal. My 2026 goal is to try to get through everything that I currently own but have not read yet, which is probably 20-30 books total so not nearly as many but all physical books and mostly non-fiction so it will be a good change of pace.
I read 36 books last year. Most of them were 300 pages or less. This year, I'm going to try reading at least 18 books, some of them being more than 300 pages long or rereads. I think that reading this amount of books will improve my retention.
Furthermore, I usually "study" philosophical and political texts. This year, I will try to look for some novels.
Other than reading for the community book bingo, my only goals are to read more authors of color (doable) and to cross off more titles from my TBR pile than I add (really unlikely).
I get the second part, my TBR is basically my book collection and this year I’m trying to get the read to unread ration better. It’s pretty bad now.
Reading more diversely is a good thing. I started doing that a few years ago and I found a lot of great authors and stories out there.
Good luck on both your goals!
Read more than I read this year. Going to try a minimum of one book month.
Also, I'd like to start learning how analyze books to be able to discuss them with others.
I think one book a month is a good goal to start with. Sometimes you can find books with group questions in the back to help facilitate discussions in reading clubs. That may be a place to start learning how to analyze them. Is there anything in particular you were thinking or just general discussions?
Thanks for the tip.
Mostly just general discussion. It's not a skill I've ever developed.
I need to physically tab parts of a book that make an impression and try to write about those impressions. Just as a way to cement and recall my thoughts.
I know what you mean, at times I have found myself using sticky tabs in books where I really like a line. I know a lot of folks do that with series like ACOTAR and longer fantasy novels to keep track of timelines and character arcs. I hope you find a good way to get it to work for you.