Inspired in part by the Reading Glasses podcast Reading Challenge of 2024, here is my personal list of reading goals for 2024.
Book Reading: It’s all in the name; these are goals specifically about reading books.
1. Read the next book in a previously abandoned or forgotten series. In 2016/2017 I tried (and failed) to read a book a week for one year. During that time I read Book One of a number of series – and by a “number” I mean that number is “three” – and didn’t read further mostly because I needed to switch to shorter books that I could finish faster in order to meet my goal. I’ve already returned to finish one of the series (The Three Body Problem), which leaves the option of Ancillary Sword, by Anne Leckie or Caliban’s War, by James S. A. Corey.
2. Read at least one more local author. By local, I am referring to Prince Edward County, Ontario.
3. Read a book written by a non-binary author.
4. Read a book set in a country that I’ve never been to. I am expanding this to exclude country settings of books I’ve already read, which I may ultimately regret.
5. Read a debut novel.
6. BONUS: Read a buzzy 2024 book.
Book Activities: these challenges focus on doing bookish things versus reading books per se.
1. Try out a new book club. This challenge is very specifically selected to encourage me to join our local Amnesty Book Club to meet a bunch of new book readers.
2. Choose 10 books that show who you are now. Stolen word for word from the Reading Glasses list, I am a bit vague on this one but it will be interesting to try and figure it out over the course of the year.
3. Pick (and read) a book based solely on its cover. This one is made for me! Because I am just that shallow! Fingers crossed for another Lessons in Chemistry, which just has the prettiest cover.
4. Refine your wheelhouse/doghouse.
5. Write to an author you love telling them how much you enjoyed their book. OMG did I just put that on my list???
6. BONUS: I have no bonus activity at the moment. If you have an idea, drop it in the comments!
Good luck and have fun. I look forward to a full report in a year.
PS you still have to read Apeirogon by Colin McCann. Timely and fits into so multiple categories. And…birds.
I was going to put a hold on it at the library, but it’s available right now and I’m already holding a library book. I’ll pick it up when I finish the current one!
Book BONUS Activity: Write the opening page of a book you wish you could read. Your choice of fiction or not. You decide how long a “page” is.
That’s really upping the ante on this challenge, Todd! (eep)
Love reading your challenges and seeing what you do with them. I’m going to be cheeky and suggest that you do a read-along with your book blog commenters for your bonus bookish activity, heehee 🙂
I need to hear more about this idea!
You pick a book and decide how often to check in, we all read it together and comment on the post at intervals 🙂
Yeah, I like it. Just give me a long runway as my book pile (Neanderthals like me have a big pile of books rather than something as nimble as a book list) that I am struggling with.