I have seen so many social media and blog posts that a. sum up the readers’ stats for the year and b. articulate specific reading goals for the following year. I have been an avid - quite avid- reader my entire life. I can very clearly remember once weekly trips to the Bovard Memorial library in the summer where I would acquire 6 books to get me through to the next visit. We can talk about the books I read before YA as a genre…but that is another entry. Beyond those visits to the library and an occasional series ready, I did little to plan my personal reading. So as a newly retired reader, with some more time on her hands (not as much as I thought!) I at least gave those processes some thought. I have seen challenges that range from reading a book based on every episode of The Gilmore Girls to reading a book written by an author from every country in the world and a bunch of things in between.

Anne Bogel of What Should I Read Next and Modern Mrs. Darcy is kind of a reading guru for me. For 2024 she produced a pdf to help her listeners set a more personal kind of reading challenge. In it, she asks us to consider what we want from our reading life. I chose focus - since for the first time I was considering reading in a way that was not just random. I also chose enjoyment for obvious reasons. The rest of the options didn’t speak to me as strongly as these two. I put connection because vaguely I have some notion of trying to come up with a book discussion group in which I feel comfortable. She then asks what our reading life needs. Well…I put a tracking app (though the notion of tracking numbers of books and pages feels just a bit weird to me - because I never have? I also chose priorities because I guess that’s what this whole thing is about. The next section involves choosing mini projects to help along the way.

O, but mini projects! Here is where I shine. Of course, I need; I must, organize my TBR collection (I exceeded a pile long ago.). They are housed in a variety of places throughout my house to the point that I don’t even know what I have. Declutter my bookshelves? Yes! I am trying to simplify (see here). I have plenty of books that I’ve grown out of and tired of. I am currently mulling over a What We Keep: Books entry on the blog. Donate books? That follows naturally. Oh yes. Mini projects. I can wrap my head around setting tasks for myself in that way.

So at the end of the day-several days. I have not chosen a prescribed challenge for reading . Loosely, I want to do better with ARCs and netgalley and reduce my TBR piles. (Again, probably another blog entry.) But in terms of what to read? I will still be relying on recommendations from all over my reading life and what Libby has available at any given time. Maybe less random next year? Maybe not. What do you do?