It’s common to hear “reading goal” and immediately think about an overall number goal. Goodreads is probably the best known reader-specific platform and their annual reading challenge encourages readers to kick off the new year by pledging to read a certain number of books a year.
While I find it incredibly satisfying to see that little bar on the tracker tick up closer and closer to my annual goal (which I always set as the number of books I read the year previously, FYI) reading is about SO MUCH MORE than the number of books you read in the year. And your goals can, and arguably should, be about more than just a number.
Reading Goal Ideas
- Read one classic a quarter
- Participate monthly in a book club or read along (either a private or public one like Good Morning America, Read with Jenna, or other celebrity club)
- Read an entire awards short- or longlist
- Read one unread book from your shelves per month
- Purchase and read one new book from your local indie (or bookshop.org!)
- Read a different genre every month
- Read books written by authors of a different background every month (try books in translation, or writers from underrepresented groups)
- Read for 30 minutes a day (or whatever amount of time works for you)
- Read every day before looking at anything on your phone (or just opening your preferred social media app)
- Read one borrowed book per month (whether that be from a friend or your local library)
- Read one book a month recommended by a friend
- Read aloud daily/weekly/quarterly to your kids
- Read one debut author per month
- Read a favorite author’s entire backlist
- Read one non-fiction book per month
- Track all of your reading (whether this by in a journal, app, or spreadsheet)
- Write reviews for every book you read (even if they’re short!)
- Read around the world (try a new story setting or author country origin each month)
- Complete a reading challenge (POPSUGAR comes immediately to mind, but there are many others out there)
- Read a book set in each season while in that season
- Read one chunky book per quarter
- Read a book inspired by each heritage month paired with that month
- Read one author of color each month
- Read 20 pages per day
- Read a biography for each U.S. president
- Only read books that you own or borrow, no new purchases for the year
- Try a new format (audiobooks, e-books)
- Read a book to film/tv adaptation and watch the movie
- Read a book and cook a meal inspired by it
- Host a buddy read, read along, book club, or reading sprint
- Re-read a favorite from previous years or childhood
- Judge a book by its cover (pick a book at random based on cover alone)
- Second chance (revisit a book you did-not-finish previously)
- Read a fiction and non-fiction book pairing (these books could share a setting, topic, time period, etc.)
- Read a retelling and the original that inspired it
- Read a book published in your birth year
- Read the book that has been on your TBR the longest
- Try a new genre
- Read a book published in your birth year
- Learn to do something new from a book
Some of these reading goals are year long endeavors, some are one offs, more of a mix and match, choose-your-own-adventure variety. All can be scaled up or down depending on your needs. Is one classic a quarter too easy? Aim for one a month! As I said previously, an important part of setting reading goals is evaluating yourself as a reader and targeting your goals for your individual needs.
That Bookish Life 