2012 Reading Goals

2011 marked the first year in which I set myself some readerly goals: read more books I already own, read more non-fiction, read more of authors I love, read more classics. These were broad, open-ended, numberless assignments, and overall, I was pretty pleased with the results. I read 84 books in 2011, of which:
  • 9 I left unfinished
  • 8 were re-reads
  • 57 were fiction and 27 non-fiction
  • 36 were published in 2011
  • A mere 6 were classics
  • 16 were re-visits to authors I know and love
  • 29 were books I already owned and/or had were on my list in 2010

Twenty-nine books I already own wasn't so bad. And 27 non-fiction felt decent to me. But this year, I'm going for balance. I am going to attempt (attempt being the operative word, here), to read a balance of literary fiction, genre fiction, non-fiction and classics. In order to prevent myself from going absolutely insane, I will not be counting review assignments towards these numbers. The definitions of these categories may be a bit fluid, but it will have to do. This is, after all, my own challenge to my own self. I suspect I will have the most difficulty with the non-fiction, as I really have yet to find my groove with what kinds of non-fiction books I adore, and which ones I slog through.  Tips and advice always welcome on that.

It's probably worth noting, too, that I have challenged myself to read everything Hemingway has written and War and Peace before my 26th birthday, so I will be attempting to chip away at that in the coming year.

Wish me luck, I say.

3 comments

  1. Good luck with your general reading goals, and extra good luck with both your War and Peace and Hemingway challenges!

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  2. Sometimes I will read a novel which will pique my interest in a non-fiction category. For instance, I read the mystery, "Maisie Dobbs" which takes place between the two world wars. I went crazy trying to find non-fiction books about what life was like during and after WWI. Or, having read "Gone with the Wind" several times, I am always on the lookout for books about the south and what it was really like to live through the war. (hmmm, seems to be a theme here ...).
    I have never read War and Peace. My mom loved it, but I just never got through it - good luck with that, Kerry.

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  3. It's always hit or miss with me and nonfiction. I've found that I have better luck with nonfiction books that have a conversational tone to them. Humor helps, too.

    Happy New Year! Good luck!

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