Tag: reading resolutions

Reading Goals & Books I Want to Read in 2021

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left2 Comments

It’s a new year so that means it’s time to set some goals! First, I’m going to set myself some reading and blogging goals for 2021 and then talk about some specific books I want to read this year.

Read 40 books

For my Goodreads Reading Challenge I’ve set my goal at 40 books this year. Last year I read 50 books which is a lot more than I’ve read in previous years, and I’m not sure if that’s a level of reading I’ll be able to sustain this year. So, I decided to set my reading goal a bit lower than that this year to something that I think will be a challenge but is also achievable. I don’t want to set a really high goal and be stressed trying to hit it.

Finish some series

I am really bad at finishing series. I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi, a lot of which are series rather than standalones, but in the past, I’ve been really bad at picking up sequels, even if I really loved the first book. It’s something I need to try and get out the habit of! Some series I plan on finishing this year which I only have one book left: The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare, Cursebreakers by Brigid Kemmerer, Gone by Michael Grant, Bone Grace by Kathryn Purdie, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, The Young Elites by Marie Lu, The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman, The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, and The Blood of Stars by Elizabeth Lim.

Discover some new debuts

I started doing this more last year and want to continue. For a long time, I would tend to just read books by all the same authors, which meant there wasn’t really much variety in my reading. In the last couple of years, I’ve been more actively seeking out new authors to discover, and especially debut authors. I plan on seeking out more diversity in my reading as well, and picking up more books by Black, LGBTQ+ and disabled authors.

Blogging goals

Last year I started to get more organised with my blogging and plan out what posts I wanted to write each month. So I want to continue doing that. But I also want to try and get even more organised and get a bit ahead with my posts and schedule them in advance, so if I’m busy or unwell, I know I already have some posts scheduled, and I’m hoping that will make blogging less stressful. I absolutely love blogging, but when I leave things to the last minute I hate feeling pressured to get something posted in time, especially for weekly memes.

Books I want to read in 2021

So in addition to the series I listed above that I want to finish, there are also some series I’m part way through that I want to continue reading – Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Camelot Rising by Kiersten White, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, and Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin.

There are some new series I want to start too that I’ve been meaning to read for a while – Shades of Magic by V. E. Schwab, Empirium by Claire Legrand, Legend by Marie Lu, and Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness.

There are a few books I picked up last year that I haven’t got round to yet, so I’d like to read them this year – The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer, The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna, The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd Jones, Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar, and Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz.  

I’d also like to read a couple of classics. I really enjoyed Emma last year so I’d like to read another Jane Austen. And I also want to read some more Agatha Christie.

Plus, there are some really exciting 2021 releases coming up so I’d like to read a few books published this year as well.

I’m a mood reader so I don’t really set myself a monthly TBR and if I do make reading plans, they often go out the window, but I’d like to get to as many of these books as I can this year.

Have you set yourself any reading goals? What books are you most excited to read this year? Chat with me in the comments!

Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading Resolutions

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left3 Comments

2021 has arrived! And my first post of the year will be a Let’s Talk Bookish discussion. Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion. This week’s topic is Reading Resolutions and this was actually a topic I suggested, so let’s get stuck in!

Do you set reading resolutions in the New Year? Are they helpful?

I haven’t set myself any formal reading resolutions in the past. But I usually have a goal of a number of books I want to read and a general resolution to read more which has varying results!

This year though I think I might set some more specific goals, such as finishing or continuing particular series, and identifying some books that have been on my TBR for years that I really need to get round to.

I think resolutions can be helpful, and that’s why I’m thinking of setting some this year. Especially with a growing number of books I want to read and having more time to read at the moment, I feel like I’m just going to end up flailing around in a sea of books (literally and metaphorically).

Do you look back to see if you stuck to your goals?

Although I don’t set a specific TBR for myself, I do usually have some books in mind at the beginning of the year that I want to read, so I do like to look back and see how many of them I actually ended up reading. I also do track how many books I’ve read throughout the year and whether or not I’m going to hit my goal.

Do you ever feel pressured/stressed by these resolutions?

I think I’ve often been put off by the idea of having specific resolutions as I didn’t want to feel pressured by them. This year I think I’ll set some loose resolutions, but not be too strict with myself about it because I don’t want it to become a stressful thing.

Do you participate in the GoodReads challenge?

Yes! I have to admit I do get a bit obsessed with checking my progress and working out if I’m going to reach my goal in time. Sometimes I feel like it could potentially suck the fun out of reading when I’m always thinking about how many books I have left to read in the year. But at the same time, I do enjoy having a goal. I usually set something that is a challenge, but is still actually realistic, otherwise I would get stressed out by it.

Do you like setting reading goals or resolutions at the beginning of the year? I’d love to know what you think so chat with me in the comments!