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Original poster

2018 reading goals and challenges

59 replies

Fabianthefabulous · 29/12/2017 09:44

My reading/book goals for 2018 are:

  • to read 26 books (I have read 34 books this year but I want to read some longer books in 2018)
  • spend less time on mumsnet. I want to read books instead of wasting so much time on AIBU Smile
  • and not buy any books! The past year has been one long book buying binge, I have been buying books quicker then I can read them, I need to pause and catch up. I easily have enough real and Kindle books to keep me going for a year and I will still use the library.

Anyone else have any goals for the year or any challenges they will be following?

OP posts:
PatchworkGirl · 31/12/2017 09:13

Ooh, that looks like the sort of challenge I need. I read a lot but find myself sliding into easy/trashy reading so a random 'number of books' challenge is no use. Not sure 12 is enough but it's a start!

Original poster
Fabianthefabulous · 31/12/2017 15:23

I'm impressed with the amount some people manage to read in a year Grin

OP posts:
greenllicic · 31/12/2017 16:38

Iv been terrible this year and I'm in a local book group too. Am spending too much time on internet so have got an app that limits the time on here. Would love to get back into my reading. Iv joined another thread and downloading the book there

stilllovingmysleep · 31/12/2017 17:11

Greenllicic, I think for most of us the internet is the reason we end up not reading enough.

I have actually decided to take a 30 day no-internet challenge in january (goodness knows how it's going to go)! Grin Excluding of course work-related internet use.

The other thing that has helped me read more is first, being part of a book club, and second, creating a whatsapp reading group where a few of us check in with reading about 30 min each day (and discussing what we read). It's worked wonders for me, I've been reading much more since that started.

VanderlyleGeek · 31/12/2017 17:44

stilllovingmysleep, thank you for the link to the Modern Mrs. Darcy challenge. I'm going to combine it with the Book Riot challenge as part of my greater minimum 50 books challenge.

Also, I'm challenging myself to read through my pile. There are so many books in it. Blush

Glowerglass · 31/12/2017 19:47

I did the 50 books challenge a couple of years ago and would like to do it again. I'm pretty sure I have read about 70 this year but it makes it more satisfying to log it.

mmack · 01/01/2018 03:03

My first goal is to finish all series that I'm part of the way through. That's two Elena Ferrante books, the fourth Rabbit book and the third book in the Last Hundred Years Trilogy by Jane Smiley. I've read two Cazalet books but I'm not totally committed to them.
Then I'm going to read The Name of the Rose and give William Faulkner a go.
I'm also keeping up my 2017 resolution which was to read some non-fiction instead of psychological thrillers.

RosemaryHoight · 01/01/2018 03:25

ada I set myself a couple of years ago to read my way through Dickens in a year. It took me 14 months. It was very nice.
I'm finishing right now the cider house rules, then I have Do androids dream by Philip k dick.

And then, the deluge.

I want to reread loads.

Redglitter · 01/01/2018 03:40

I managed 122 in 2017. I had set my Goodreads challenge for 110 thinking 2 books a week then rounded it up 😊

Set my 2018 challenge again for 110

PenelopeFlintstone · 01/01/2018 04:26

I'm aiming for an unambitious 25. I have practically stopped reading for pleasure entirely in the past 2 years
Me too, but I've just read 'Big Little Lies' and I'm keen again.

Murine · 01/01/2018 09:00

I'm going to finally read all the books my MIL has lent me, they look really good but I have been prioritising my library books to avoid the late fees!

AdaColeman · 01/01/2018 09:06

Rosemary Did you do it in any particular order or just randomly?

stilllovingmysleep · 01/01/2018 09:13

ValderlyleGeek I didn't know the book riot challenge (linking it so that others can find it), thanks for suggesting and like you I'll combine it with the Modern Mrs Darcy challenge.

Oh and happy new year! Smile

RosemaryHoight · 01/01/2018 10:21

Ada it was random. I had a couple so read them, then tried to get the rest by date of writing, but it's a shame to finish on the unfinished one.

AnnaMagdalenaGluck · 01/01/2018 11:42

The Dickens challenge sounds daunting and amazing in equal measure Ada. I remember reading a blog once by someone who'd done the same with Trollope. I genuinely don't think that I'd have the stamina.

I've already mentioned my major reading ambition for this year on the 50 book challenge thread. I want to finish The Ambassadors. I've started it twice, got so far and given up in more or less the same place. I am determined to finish it this year.

Original poster
Fabianthefabulous · 01/01/2018 12:19

I am not sure if I could spend a year just reading all the books by one author, I need more variety.
Its the same with challenges, I like the idea of them but when it comes to it I prefer to pick my next book based on what I feel like reading at the time.

OP posts:
Teufelsrad · 01/01/2018 12:31

I'm not aiming for a specific number because I always read a lot of books but I'm hoping to be a more consistent reader this year. I had a lot of prolonged reading slumps and I'm hoping to avoid those in 2018.

I am aiming to read at least twenty classics,and I'm hoping to read all of the approximately 55 books that I have about Germany(Mainly on East Germany).

AdaColeman · 01/01/2018 13:20

I won't be reading only Dickens, I'll read other things too, just for a bit of variety of style.

PenelopeFlintstone · 01/01/2018 20:13

Inspired by the posters on this thread, I'm going to include a couple of Dickens novels. I've got one of those 'bookshelf beds' and I'm going to move some books from my actual bookshelves onto my bedhead. Hopefully, the books being in plain sight will help me not to forget about this resolution. Actually, I could even fit 25 books on there and work my way through them.

BaconAndAvocado · 01/01/2018 22:18

Wow! So impressed with all these goals.

I can never seem to manage to read more than 1 book a month and I only work 2 days a week!

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 01/01/2018 22:24

Not going to aim for 50 because I’ll end up avoiding longer books.

Quite like the idea of Dickens, they’re sitting on my kindle untouched because I’ve been reading other stuff.

I think I might just set a goal of reading something everyday which is something I’ve stopped doing.

PenelopeFlintstone · 02/01/2018 03:30

And here's a photo of my books on my bed shelf - except I've just remembered that 4x5=20, not 25, so I'll have to add 5 more. I'm still pleased with myself though as I'm a queen of procrastination Grin

2018 reading goals and challenges
MillicentMargaretAmanda · 03/01/2018 08:11

I read 150 in 2017, but my goal was 100. Aiming for 100 again this year, and, as with last year I'm forcing myself to pick up some of the sort of things you find on '100 books to read before you die' lists. Might also check out the two challenges linked to on this thread.

bootygirl · 03/01/2018 11:05

stillovingmysleep do you have to pay to join 'modern Miss darcy?'???

VanderlyleGeek · 03/01/2018 17:22

Thank you for providing the Book Riot link, still. Smile

I think the Modern Miss Darcy challenge is free, bootygirl. I'm using the list as a guide but didn't sign up for anything.