I know people are super excited that 2020 is over, but let's be realistic. At a minimum the first six months of 2021 are going to be just as terrible. I hope Eleanor and I do not have to quarantine again but you all know there will be plenty of reading and reviewing to be done if that happens.
Over the last two years I have really relaxed and given myself a lot more grace when it comes to whether or not I am successful with each of my goals. Blogging is fun and I want it to stay fun, not feel like a job. So, if I reach all my goals, awesome. If not, oh well. Still, having at least a target to aim for is always helpful, so here they are.
1. Read 275 books - This is definitely doable and a total I have made before. I think 300 might be out of reach, even for me. In 2020 I read a total of 480 books. 199 of those were chapter books with Eleanor and 281 were books I read for myself.
2. Reduce my TBR to less than 2,500 books - Tackling the TBR has definitely helped this cause. Heading into year three of this long-term challenge, I foresee even more progress than ever before.
3. Reduce my Upcoming Review to less than 150 - Who knows if this is even doable. I spent pretty much the last week of 2020 doing reviews because I met my reading goal, but I don't know if I will ever get my Upcoming Reviews under control. I ended 2020 with roughly 230 books waiting to be reviewed. Yikes!
Have you made any goals for 2021? If so, let me know in the comments or leave a link to your post.
Happy New Year and Happy Reading!
Sarah
I'm optimistic that corona will only consume the first quarter of 2021, not the whole half. The virus has surely reached saturation levels by now...but at any rate, good luck and have fun with your reading goals!
ReplyDeleteI hope so, but I am trying to set my expectations low because I want to be right that it will get better. And I know it will, we just need people to do the right things and stop being selfish!
DeleteCongratulations on your reading achievements, commiserations on all those unwritten reviews! I have two and I’m stressing about them.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a happy and healthy new year?
Thanks so much!! I have really struggled with my upcoming reviews for a long time. At first I felt like I had to review everything and I read and then about a year ago I decided that I could relax on that, because this is not a job. I can review whatever I want, and decide for any reason not to review something. But the backlog occurred because three years ago I was in a really awful teaching position in a very toxic school with very toxic and terrible admins. I kind of lost my teaching mojo bigtime and could not get out of the funk I was in, so all I did was read whenever Eleanor was at her dad's. But I all but gave up on reviews. Now it is kicking my butt! I continue to cull the list though and decide what I still want to review and what I don't.
DeleteHappy New Year!
i like the idea of relaxing over goals... i need to do that for my own mental health, i tend to overdo sometimes...
ReplyDeleteSame here for sure. When it feels like a job, then the joy is gone. So, I am giving myself lots of grace this year to only review what I really feel passionately about - positive or otherwise, lol
DeleteYou've set some very challenging goals for yourself. Good luck with them. My own goal is the same one I set every year: To read an average of seven books a month.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great goal! Here's to success for us in 2021!
DeleteI think my goals will be similar to last year. I set a lower number of books read so I could read some long ones and I beat it by 2 books. As far as reviews go, I always plan to keep up but I would always rather read than write about reading. LOL.
ReplyDeleteNice!! Those longer books can be tricky, you just never know how quickly or slowly the story will move and how long it will actually take you to read. Here's to success again in 2021!
DeleteDo you remember plots and characters from all those books you read? Or if not from your reviews would they be out of sight, out of mind? I don't remember anything once I close a book so I have to make some notes for myself. My 93-yo mother doesn't read anymore, but when she did she could give you a complete summary of a book she read years ago.
ReplyDeleteHer memory is fantastic, that truly is wonderful to be able to recall like that!
DeleteThe bulk of my reading is non-fiction and I take tons of notes as I am going along, things I want to make sure I touch on in my reviews. This year I did discover some YA authors I love, but I am otherwise very selective in the fiction I give time to. That is probably what does allow me to be able to recall plot and characters so easily.
Holy! That is an absolutely AMAZING goal!! I wish you the absolute best of luck with these! I'll be following your progress :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, I definitely appreciate the support! 275 is about my limit. I tried 300 once and ended up coming in 10 short by 11:59 on 12-31. I even started plowing through chick lit and cozy mysteries to get there and came so close. So, now I hover around 275 and I think I will stay there.
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