Let’s talk reading goals! Are they good? Are they bad? Do you have any? I for one have several reading goals for 2019:

• Read 100 books
• Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
• Cross off 20 countries from #readtheatlas (this is a challenge to read one book from each country in the world (or a book by an author from that country, etc.), and I want to read books from 20 different countries)
• Start using Netgalley (done)
• Start a blog (done)
• Start writing a book

My most important goal is to read 100 books. Why is this so important to me? Because in 2018 I read 99 books and I am still annoyed at being so close to 100 and not making it. This is also the goal I intend to talk about in today’s blog post! I’ll be making a post on the #readtheatlas later.

So far in 2019 I’ve read 52 books (I track it on Goodreads, click here if you want to add me!). This means that I’m 15 books ahead of schedule, which I am proud of! I’ve steadily read more books this year than I previously would have, which is something I strive to do. Reading more books means I spend less of my time just dallying around youtube looking at nothing in particular. It means I spend my time doing something I love, whilst also expanding my understanding of languages and literature.

This term at uni, I have taken two literature courses: Multicultural Literature (in America) and The Victorian Period. Throughout these courses I have read books like: Dracula, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Passing, The Woman in White and many more. Needless to say, I loved the courses! But not only have I read some amazing book, I’ve been part of some amazing discussions around them and the themes they present. I feel like I am developing a new way to view literature and I am very excited about reading more classics and broadening my horizons even more! This makes me very happy, because I was for a while scared to turn into a reader who almost only stuck to their comfort genres. I don’t want to do that, I want to constantly challenge myself!

Have I read almost only fantasy this year (apart from school)? Yes. Yes I have. Is that going to change this summer? Absolutely. This summer I plan to read both The Iliad and The Odyssey as well as many other classics I have had on my shelf for years. I also want to strive to read more non-fiction, and to try genres I have never tried before. I just have to survive my exam period first!

In regards to reading goals, I think they are a good thing to have, as long as they never end up over-shadowing the actual joy of reading. If you stop reading for fun and start reading to reach a certain number, then you need to take a step back and drop the goal for a while. I love having goals to aim for and I am excited to see how the rest of my reading year goes! Hope you are excited about yours too!

❀ Mathilde