My Reading Year

 

Well, 2021 is over and 2022 has begun. Last year was hard- for many people it was a continuation of 2020. I know that within my own life, the year was a mixed bag of everything. But through all the ups and downs, I found reading the constant comfort it's always been. I read some amazing books. I discovered stories- both true and not- that will stay with me forever. I reached my reading goal and even surpassed it. While it came at a cost, I can't completely regret it. 

2021 reading goal: 50        

2021 books read: 90

The Pros: This is the most I've read in a year! I'm blown away that I read 90 books. I'm not the fastest reader, so I don't get through books as quickly as some people do. (Maybe someday) I don't skim the pages or words. I read every word, every sentence, every paragraph. This year, I kept track of how many books I read per month. I always hear of how many books people read each month, and I was curious how many I did. I read more than I thought! I averaged around 7 a month. During Nonfiction November, I read 11! I was blown away. I participated in numerous themed reading months and loved it. Middle Grade March was fun. Nonfiction November was a blast. I definitely see myself doing these again in this new year. 

The Cons: I put a lot of pressure on myself to read this year. If I wasn't reading, I felt guilty. 90 books is NOT the usual amount I read in a year, so I can tell I put reading as a big priority in the year. I'm definitely not going to push myself that much this year. On top of keeping track of how many books I read in a year, I broke it down by month. That's where the pressure came in, I've discovered. I constantly felt I needed to at least match or beat the previous month's number. Instead of reading when I wanted and however much I wanted, I felt like I had to be doing it all the time. And that's not what reading has always been for me. So, in 2022, I'm going back to just keeping a list of how many books I've read in the year. I don't number the list, so I won't know the total until the end of the year. 

All that being said, I do have some goals for my reading in 2022. Who knows if I'll meet these goals, but we'll see what the year holds for books. 

1. Read more off my TBR List.

        ** I'm horrible at this. I always intend to do this, but I seem to acquire new books that I do of reading the ones I already own. My To Be Read list is insanely long and highly out of control. I always start the year with the intention of focusing on it, but I rarely do. 

2. I want to do themed reading months.

        ** I loved tackling a month with a specific genre in mind. Middle Grade March was a chance to tackle the middle grade books I have that I haven't read yet. Last year, I found several great books that were the first in a series. This year, I'll catch up on those series and, maybe, discover new books to love. February I usually read romance books, so that's a chance to read the ones I've got on my shelf. The same with Nonfiction November! 

3. I'd like to read 50-60 books.

        **With the exception of last year, my average has been around 50 books a year, While to focus isn't so much a number as loving what I'm reading, I would like to see how many I can accomplish. 

4. I want to participate in more Readathons!

        ** There are a few book tubers I watch on You Tube who have done them and I loved the ones I joined in on. Usually, I alter the length a bit. Most readathons last for about a week and I'll stretch them out to a month. That way I can really dive into the theme since I don't read as fast and don't have as much time available to read. They are so much fun, though! 

I wonder what 2022 holds for me. I wonder what books await me. I wonder if I'll discover a new series to read, or a new favorite author, The joy of this time is the year is undefined. The possibilities are endless. The year ahead is a blank slate that I look forward to filling up.