For the past few years I’ve set bookish goals according to the number of the year. So in 2016 it was 16 goals, in 2017 it was 17, in 2019 it was 19 goals – you get the idea. This year it only made sense to follow that trend so I’ve come up with 20 bookish goals for 2020.
This blog post is sort of the companion piece to the podcast episode I just posted with the same title. Give it a listen if you wanna hear me explain why I chose these goals with my voice!
Keep reading if you want to read the goals with your eyeballs. 👀
The goals…
1. Read more
So I this is sort of a super vague, super generic goal. However, I do simply want to “read more” in 2020. The past couple of years have been terrible reading years for me. Does anyone else’s brain just feel completely full? That’s where I was in 2018 and 2019. Because of that I didn’t read hardly anything. So this year I can read just about anything and I’ll have hit this goal!
2. Finish Harry Potter
Okay, here’s the deal: I read book four and then sort of just… stopped reading them. I needed a break, okay?! It seems to be a rather common breaking spot for people who are reading the series; before starting book five, so there we are. They’ve been purchased and downloaded in Audible for a year and a half.
3. Read 10 graphic novels
There are a lot of comics that I’m behind on. A lot. Spider-Gwen, The Lumberjanes, Paper Girls, Check Please, Sex Criminals, etc. Plus there are a bunch of comics I want to read this year like The Wicked + The Divine, The Umbrella Academy, and whatever else Jordan tells me I need to read when she’s a guest on my podcast next week.
4. Read 5 non-fiction books
A couple years ago I went on a non-fiction kick. Seriously! I read pretty much everything non-fiction I could get my hands on. Rachel Maddow’s book, some random books about Lafayette, and tons of auto-biographies. There are so many good business books out there, too! Dare I say this one will be easy?
5. Physically read one book per month
This one stems from the fact that, while I love reading in any format I can get, there is no feeling like curling up with a good book and devouring it at your own pace. There’s something so special and intimate about reading a physical book. I can’t ever get enough. (Don’t even get me started on the smell!) I also want to challenge myself to read more before bed, so that kind of goes hand-in-hand with a physical book goal.
6. Read 8 books with protagonists who are LGTBQIA+
Have you seen my most anticipated LGBTQAI+ reads list? I should have nooo problem with this goal. 😂
7. Read 5 books that I already own
This is another one of those sort of “duh” goals for myself. I own so. many. books. While I was recording this podcast episode they were all just sitting there staring at me. There are way more than five books that I own and haven’t read. I’m gonna crush this goal.
8. Review 10 books on my podcast
I’m out of the habit of reviewing books. What makes a good book review, anyway?! Hopefully by challenging myself to review books on my podcast I’ll get back into practice and get some “free” content for the pod while I’m at it.
9. Read 1 book in a genre I don’t normally gravitate toward
There are a few genres that I don’t often read from; sci-fi, mystery, and dystopian among them. Thankfully for this category I already have the book picked out and downloaded on Audible. Emily has been asking me to read the “Heir to the Empire” trilogy by Timothy Zahn for literal ages. This year I’ll finally check it off my list.
10. Participate in 1 read-a-thon
A couple summers ago I did a bunch of read-a-thons. They are such a fun way to participate in the book community both URL and IRL. The challenges are so fun! Reading can be a pretty solitary sport and I like that about it, but I also enjoy reading things that are the same as people I know from time to time.
11. Read 1 complete series
From beginning to end! This could be a fun goal. There are so many series that I’ve been meaning to start. The goal here will be to read all of the books in the series this year. Doesn’t count if the last book in a series comes out and I finish it this year, the whole series has to be read this year.
12. Publish (self or otherwise) my first book (a book of my poetry)
I’ve been saying this for how many million years? (At least the past 10-12 years.) This year is the year. I have the manuscript draft, I have the Kickstarter plan… it’s going to happen. Hey, if you know any literary agents who might want to pick up an unknown poet LMK!
13. Renew my library card
Simple and straightforward goal! I used to utilize my public library allllll the time. The library was one of my happy places as a child. Books have always been so magical to me and the people who keep us supplied with them are magicians. Public libraries are also such a cornerstone of our communities and provide so many resources beyond the books they keep on the shelves. Utilizing my card again will ensure they know people care!
14. Read more poetry
Poetry is so special. I love it so. Reading it is just as important to me as writing it and it’s so fun to discover new poets. Leave a comment below if there’s an IG poet you think I should check out please and thank you!
15. Clean up my Goodreads (and utilize it!)
Kristin (superspacechick) is a Goodreads master. I want to be like her! Currently I use my Goodreads for making lists and it is a giant forking mess. Here’s hoping I can clean it up and get some really good use out of it.
16. Embrace the DNF
This will go hand-in-hand with the Goodreads goal in the sense that I want to remember to track the books I do not finish (DNF). Quite simply: life is too short for bad books so I’ll be giving them up if they don’t suit me.
17. Go on one literary excursion
This was another goal I saw on someone else’s list and thought it was such a good idea! This goal can be interpreted in so many ways. If my two main characters go on a picnic I could go on a picnic, for example. I could take a trip to a place or see a landmark written about in a book. The options are endless!
18. Re-read a favorite book
So often I re-watch shows I love (see: Lizzie McGuire or Gilmore Girls) and listen to music on repeat, but it has been so long since I’ve re-read a favorite book. I used to do it all the time! This year I’ll do it again.
19. Read more short stories
There are a few short stories collecting dust in my hard drive. I’m hoping that by reading some more short stories I’m inspired to finish / edit the ones I’ve written. Plus, short stories are the perfect length for a bedtime or bathtime read.
20. Start a TBR jar
Super simple goal here, too, but I want to start a TBR jar to help me pick what books to read next and what books to stop avoiding. Sometimes it can be so hard to convince myself to start a book if I’m not feeling it, but if my TBR jar tells me to read a book then I kinda have to, right?!
A lot of these goals are pretty loosey-goosey, I’ll admit. There’s breathing room built in. Honestly, I want to commit to things, but I don’t want to over commit. My biggest goals are: to read more, to read diversely, and start utilizing my public library again. (Like I did when I was a kid!) If I stick to those basic ideas I think I can accomplish everything I’m setting out to. 😊
xoxo,
mal
Bonus extra stuff!
As supplemental material I’ve created this image you can save to follow along and / or utilize as your bookish goals for the year. (You can save it from here or go “save” it on Instagram for easy access!)
There were also a few resources I mentioned in the podcast episode that I wanted to link to here, so y’all could check those out, too:
- Unconventional Reading Goals for 2020 (the review every book blog post)
- Caz’s (littlebookowl) read-a-thon-master-list
- The Sartorial Geek, Episode 080: LIVE with malarayofsunshine
- Kristin’s (superspacechick) Goodreads videos
- Lex’s Instagram
