I’m determined to do a bit better in 2019 than 2018 (in which I read only 72 books). However, I’ve added a couple of other goals in addition to a total number of books.
— Shoot for 100 books, but pay more attention to quality than quantity. To meet a goal of 100 books, it’s very tempting (more than just tempting) to forego long books in favor of shorter ones. A bad habit.
— Read at least 2 classics that I’ve never read. I’ve singled out Middlemarch as one of them. i’m not yet sure of the second; it could be a Henry James, an Edith Wharton, or Little Women.
— At least one Deep Dive: For me, that means reading several works by one author, as well as biography(ies) and critical assessments. I’d intended to do a deep dive on Virginia Woolf last year and didn’t get very far, so that’s my goal for 2019. A secondary one might be Dorothy Parker, but she might have to wait until 2020.
— Read Your Shelves! I heard this advice several times on the Currently Reading podcast (a new favorite podcast) and realized that I need to add it to my resolutions. I’ve acquired so many physical books that I still haven’t read. The Kindle always seems to be my go-to medium. Also, since I love to read the latest buzzy books, I make use of digital loans and, once they arrive, they take priority over everything else. So my piles of physical books grow without being read. I’ll make a separate bookshelf category in Goodreads for From My Shelves, so I’ll know how well I’ve done at the end fo the year.
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