Reading goals for 2012
 

Over on Goodreads they do a yearly reading challenge where you say how many books you hope to read during the year.

My goal is to read 60 books in 2012. I figure that is 5 books a month. Last year I read 75, but I wanted to set a goal I thought I could obtain. I also want to work on reading the books I already have.

What your reading goals for 2012?

I read 77 books last year, but I just got an eeader a few months ago and find I read a bit slower with it...mostly because I get distracted by its internet capabilities! So, with that in mind, my goal is 50 books this year.

You know, I love to read, but get super distracted by other things, so Im going to join in but im going to set a really easy goal.

12 for 2012!

R

me too - I'm too busy with studying but hopefully with only studying part time I might just make this goal

I'm so proud of myself for finishing 72 books last year, considering my first target was 30! This year I want to focus on other things but still keep reading, so I figure 48 books (about four a month) is good :)

24 here - two a month. I'm pretty sure I'll read more than that. But, that's my minimum for the year. :)

My friend started a really fun challenge in 2010 and that was to read the alphabet. So for each letter of the alphabet you had to find a book that started with that letter. X was the only exception if I remember right. You just had to have an X word in the title. I'm doing this challenge this year. I haven't finalized my list but i should have it done tomorrow....crosses fingers!

I am hoping to do about 24 conservatively. But aiming for 35 is my lofty goal. One of my 12 is to read more. I would love to do more but my job can keep me distracted (I have quite a few trials coming up) as well as two very active girls who keep me on my toes.

honestly, I read too much, so I'm trying to limit myself to one a week now. so, 52 for the year.

I read 72 books last year and am very proud of that. So, this year, I increased my goal to 84 with is 7 books a month. I have a Kindle and I read very fast on it because when I read on it I only read on it. =)

My goal is to read 12 books this year. Last year, I only read 2, and I just struggled... the pregnancy and then the new baby put pressure on me that killed my reading bug, and honestly, I just haven't "felt" it lately. And, by 12, I mean 12 "me" books, NOT counting the books I'm reading for lesson plans for Jeffrey's homeschooling... so, clearly I'll read more than what I have there.
I got the Kindle Fire for Christmas, so I'm hoping that helps- after all, one of the books I read last year, I read in one day, on the Kindle.

I have a goal of one every 2 weeks, so 26 I guess. I got a Kindle Fire, but also several physical books for Christmas, so we'll see....

I'm such a spoilsport, but like with everything, my only goal is to enjoy what I read. :-) I don't care how many, I don't count.

OK, maybe I'd like to start reading in French again, if I find something that I can enjoy. Might be a goal. Or something.

If I were to make a reading goal, it would be simply to remind myself to keep reading. I go through periods where I read a lot and other times (sometimes months and months) where I don't pick up a book. I really enjoy reading, so I don't want to get out of the habit.

If I were to have a reading goal, it would probably be 2 books a month. I don't think I'm going to set a goal, though, because I already have enough other goals and I don't want to make things too complicated.

I totally get what you mean. In my case, last year I wanted to get back into the habit of reading--I used to devour a book a day. Then when I started working I just read magazines. Before last year I was reading a book for the last three years, lol. Putting a number on the goal really worked for me--and I really enjoyed what I read, too! That's what I love about Goodreads--you can get instant feedback on whether a book is awesome or not :)

I guess my point is to get that experience of being in the habit, I needed something measurable, so a number was a cool idea :)

Yeah, it makes sense. I used to be like you - a book a day. Then I majored in English and German and after the state exams (that included literature) I honestly couldn't even look at a book. I couldn't even look at a magazine!

It took me some time to overcome it (but I just waited for it to clear), and even then I just started reading the "lower" stuff, like detective stories, fantasy, science fiction. My "quality lit" days are over (I use the quotations marks intentionally, because labelling and generalising is dangerous - a good book doesn't have to be intellectual, IMHO, and I say that as an intellectual of sorts - even though I'm not the snobbish kind, hopefully).

Then I started working as a full-time translator and lost any interest in written word for about 4 years. I wasn't happy about it, but I didn't force the issue. That was when I kinda came back to visual arts - that I put on hold for years.

The book that made me come back to reading was a book on squirrels, of all things - it has short chapters and I could read one during my way to work by bus. Then I started reading French kiddo books and it worked like a charm... These days I'd say I read one book in a week or two, depending. I don't have a smartphone or any fancy gadgets (or a car), so usually I read while waiting for a bus, while riding on a bus, when alone in a cafeteria or even in queues.

Setting a goal wouldn't work for me - what worked was a sudden sparkle and a lot of patience while waiting for things to settle - but that's ME. I get that goals work for others. :-)

And I love GoodReads, too.

P.S. And one more thing - it took me 13 years to overcome my "allergy" to German books. Last year I read about 5 of them, and was SO HAPPY to discover that 13 years after the state exam I could finally enjoy reading in German. Everything is possible! :-D

I think that sometimes it's nice to let things take their natural course - if you feel like reading, read, if you don't, then don't. Even a break is sometimes lovely. If you love reading, I don't believe you can ever REALLY lose the habit. It's a necessity, at least it seems to me. And, as I wrote in my reply to Lex, I went through two periods when I couldn't even look at a written word in my free time. And it passed!

I admit I *do* have one reading goal - I'd like to read more in French. Last year I only read one French book, so if I can find something that appeals to me, I'd be very, very happy. But I won't read French just for the sake of reading in French - I have to like to book, too. For some reason, with French authors I have trouble to find stuff that I truly enjoy.

That's why I set a challenge for myself last year. I wasn't spending enough time reading... plenty of time doing mindless internet surfing and watching TV though!

I set a goal last year of 40 books and working to keep up with it really helped me through some tough stuff. So much intensity between gaining/losing/gaining our foster child and a lot of personal things I had to deal with. Some were quick reads, fiction that I curled up in bed with, but some were deeper and took more time. I didn't get to 40, but i read much more than I have been reading the last few years.

Problem... I can't find my 2011 challenge tracker anywhere on the site. Help?

I read 106+ books last year. When I got to 100 my goal I was bad about keeping track.

This year I'm shooting for 52. A much more reasonable number for me.

I read a lot. Lots and lots. I read 131 new to me books last year and easily reread almost as many books. I keep track because when you read that much it's easy to get confused by books getting new covers or occasionally new titles.

My goal is always 100 new books a year. But this year I am doing a new challenge I found on a blog last month & it is to read a different genre every month. I only read historic fiction, mystery & romance with random bits of fantasy thrown it, so I thought that would make a nice a challenge & possibly introduce me to new reading material.

http://diaryofadomesticgoddess.wordp...nre-challenge/

I read a lot and very quickly, so I figure I read at least 100 books a year -- very likely more. But I go through phases with it - I might read a book a day for a week (like on vacation) but then go a few weeks without reading anything. During my reading break, I'm typically scrapping. :) I love having a Kindle because it gives me such easy access to so many great books!

I joined the good reads challenge and put 52 books as my target. I should manage it as long as I have my Kindle near my when I have some spare time!! :)

Looks like I read 54 last year so I will go for 55 this year lol ... big stretch eh?

I read TONS, but I wanted to stretch myself and I am doing the A-Z Challenge with books that are not ones I would normally have read or have wanted to read but for some reason I haven't read.

I didn't keep track of how many books I read last year. I got a Nookcolor in August so I stepped up my reading with that.

However, all books are not the same - some are easy reads and go fast, some are more difficult and go slower. My boys have to read a certain number of pages each quarter for school, regardless of how many books. So I might have to go that way - number of pages. Just to make myself feel better. ;)

ETA: I wanted to put my goal on Goodreads, so I have to choose number of books. According to that, I read 23 since I got my NC in August, so I put 40 for this year, since there are months where I'm too busy to do anything extra, like read.

My goal last year was 50 and I read 66. This year I am keeping the goal at 50, knowing that I will most likely read way more than that.

hmmm, good question!
I dont think I will set a number goal either, but my goal is that I want to focus on books that I can learn from. ie. no trashy romance! (no offence to lovers of trashy romance!)

How funny!! I love trashy smut, but my goal this year is to expand the number of "educational" books I actually finish: I am great at starting these books, but then I stop partway through and go back to my trash. Therefore, my goal this year is to finish 12 "educational" books plus all the "junk" I feel like reading.

I just finished Destiny of the Republic (about President Garfield- great read) and am reading Salt (History of) while eagerly awaiting the release of Lothaire by Kresley Cole. LOL.

I'm aiming for a really simple 10 books this year. Last year I only read 6 "new" books but I have a habit of reeading my favourites over and over, I've read The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks and Mercy by Jodi Picoult about 30 times each. SO my goal is 10 new books x

hmm...I've never counted. I'm sure there are some years it was in the hundreds. I remember the only thing I ever got in trouble for at school was for reading! Now though working full time, and a very tiny part time home job, 3 kids, house, scrapping...I mostly read on my lunch breaks and during car trips and in the bathroom lol. I FINALLY got around to MAKING myself read Outlander ...I'm a couple hundred pages in and still not grabbed yet. So maybe I'm going slow because of that. But I love big huge sweeping books so i'm hoping it picks up for me after all I've heard. I agree all books are not created equal..some , like this one..go slower and some I devour. I also read a lot more in the summer (beach, pool) so I'm going to be realistic and say 3 a month...so 36? wow that's sad :( May have to do some trashy romances too lol

I'm hoping to at least do 12, 1 a month. I know I can read way more than that, but with me going to school I seem to be reading more textbooks than anything else! I need to set aside more time to read.

I only read 17 last year so I set my goal as 25 this year.

I am going to go with 52 this year (not counting text books). :D

Wow, I'm impressed with some of the numbers. I'm going to try to read 24 books this year. I love to read, but find it hard to find the time during certain times of the year.

I set mine for 75 books, I've already read 12. I think I'm going to up it after March.

I don't know how many I read last year..I started to keep track on goodreads but didn't keep up with it (imagine that)

I'm an avid reader and read 3-4 books a month...I haven't been reading as much this year though.

late to the party - but my goal is to read 36 new to me books this year. so 3 books a month. definitely an attainable goal :)

wow I haven't the foggiest idea how many books I read last year. i would say it has to be over 100. I got a Nook and started reading library books by the boat load! I have set my goal at 75 this year because last year was a little crazy. :0) Sad though it says I am already 1 behind! LOL! Thanks for these threads. I will be looking into your book club book too.