Setting Reading Goals for the First Time in 2024

Hello, everyone! Historically, I’ve not been one to set too many goals. In times past, I found that when I did, I’d set my expectations much too high, landing me in a pit of disappointment and with not much accomplished. As I’m getting older and trying to get a better handle on things in my life, however, I’m thinking it’s about time I start prioritizing them — and making them a little more reasonable. Challenging, yes, but feasible.

As I mentioned in my End of the Year Book Tag, I found that in 2023 I pretty desperately needed to slow down and learn to appreciate books again. Although I started this blog in 2022 with the intention of being critical and dissecting the books I read, I realized that was not sustainable for my relationship with reading in the long run. Spending that time introspecting has definitely helped me get a better idea of what my book-centered goals may end up looking like!

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1. Choose books catered to my own interest over anyone else’s.

I’d say that for the most part I tend to do this already but it’s a sentiment I’d like to keep at the forefront of my mind. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the trends and what’s popular as to not miss out. While I think it’s fine to source recommendations from mainstream sources, I don’t want to feel bad if maybe I don’t get around to them quickly or at all.

2. Read more books by authors of color.

In the last year or so, I’ve noticed that a great deal of the books I’ve recently read have been penned by white authors. This skewing certainly isn’t intentional but I do want to make a point now of prioritizing more diverse voices. Interestingly, I found that I achieved this better when I discovered books independently, outside of social media and other online buzz. So, in tandem with this goal, I think I’ll seek out people recommending this sort of material too.

3. Find what genres I enjoy most…

For many years, I didn’t spend much time thinking about genre. When I was sourcing all of my reads from the “new” shelf of my local library’s young adult section, I picked whichever title, colors, etc. called out to me, leading me to quite the variety. When I started venturing to the adult section, I tended to focus more on whatever I’d heard anyone and everyone buzzing about. At this point, I’d like to iron out my interests a little and seek out what I have a higher chance of enjoying.

4. …but remain open to new genres, too.

For a long time, I was under the impression that historical fiction was of absolutely no interest to me. However, in picking up whatever was most popular this past year or so, I found that I enjoyed the genre significantly more than I expected. Mostly, I think this was due to the fact that I wasn’t as interested in historical fiction set prior to the 1900s. Without picking up new favorites like Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & the Six and Malibu Rising or favorites from a few years back like Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You, I probably wouldn’t have realized it. So, striking the balance of mindful intake is important, I’d say.

5. Focus more on the time spent reading than the number of books finished.

As number goals are the easiest to track, it’s understandable to use the finite amount of books consumed to reflect on one’s reading as a whole. However, I’m beginning to think that maybe that doesn’t work as well for me, especially if I spend time with books of all varying lengths. I could dedicate a good deal of energy to a particular book and find it not aptly represented. Additionally and perhaps even more importantly to me, I think focusing on the time spent with a book over the completion rate will better help develop habitual reading (something I still struggle with even after years of this hobby).

6. Make a significant dent in my physical TBR.

This is actually a goal I set at the beginning of 2023 and while about 75% of the books I read this year were sourced from my physical TBR, I think the starting amount on the list has only increased. The tendency I mentioned of setting expectations too high shines through here, especially as the terms I set for myself were to exclusively read books I already owned. Going into next year, I’ll allow a bit more of an error margin so I won’t be so uptight about it or shameful if (when) it occurs.

7. Keep a reading journal.

This is one I’ve just started this December because I couldn’t bear suppressing the anticipation of it. I’ve kept bullet journals for the past three years and as book content has taken up more space in it, I decided to create a dedicated journal for all things bookish. As the reason for doing this is to reflect on what I’m consuming and my thoughts about it (and likely a bit about my output here on my blog and such), I’ve decided to expand my reading journal to a “media consumption journal”. That way I can reflect on not only books but also the movies and music I enjoy (or don’t enjoy) as well!

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I know some of these goals may come across a little generic/vague–especially since I’m not leaning heavily into number goals–but I think I want to keep in mind the sentiment/principle of them more than anything. While I may be wrong, I’m thinking this will help me feel a little more accomplished and appreciative going forward!

What are your reading goals for the new year? Did you complete any for 2023? Do you hesitate to make steadfast goals like me or do you feel most at home establishing and working towards them? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!