Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana at The Artsy Reader Girl.
I ran across Jana's Top Ten Tuesday blog posts awhile ago, and while I tried to morph her already-perfected format into short form social media, the truth is, I can't put all I want to say into an Instagram caption. So, from now on, I'll be joining That Artsy Reader, as well as several other amazing bloggers, on this great Top Ten Tuesday adventure here on the blog. So Lets get on with it!
Making goals is part of my everyday life. I live in the corporate world 40+ hours a week, and everything I do is run on timelines, milestones, and project launches. Those goals are easy for me to stay on track with and hit every time. Personal goals, however, not so much. This year, I'm using the same approach I use at work to attack my bookish goals. Not because I want to make reading work, but because I really like giving myself gold stars and cookies for a job well done!
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Read 30 books
This is what I set for my Goodreads and StoryGraph goals. I usually set it higher than that, but the last few years have been really difficult, so I'm not pushing quite as hard and putting it 2 books higher than I completed last year. -
Read 5 development books
Inspired by my friend Ciji, who is embarking on a much longer list of development books, I want to have at least 5 of the books I read this year be solely for the purpose of bettering myself. These can be personal or professional development. As an added bonus, I'm also challenging myself to USE what I learn from the books to actually become better. -
Read books I own, borrow, or receive
Let's face it, TBRs get completely out of hand. Literally living in a house that doubles as a small online bookstore storage facility doesn't help! Every time Derik brings in new stock, there are at least 2 books added to my reading list. -
Choose primarily fiction books printed prior to 2019
This goes along with #3. The list is so long, and there are so many classics and once-hot-new releases that I own, but never got to because of new shiny books that came out (which also ended up in piles on my nightstand). -
Read what's been recommended
As the saying goes, "Birds of a feather flock together." Same is true of Book Dragons. I can't tell you how many book groups and clubs I'm part of on social media, as well as following booktok, bookstagram, and having my own group of friends with whom I regularly talk about books. I receive great recommendations all the time, and rarely make the time to read them. -
DNF more
I'm getting better at this, but I still get bouts of "quitter's guilt" when I call a book early. However this year, I'm standing strong on the fact that Life's too short for bad (to me) books! - Write a review, or at least thoughts, for every book I read
One of my "One Day" dreams is to review advance copies of upcoming novels. Sometimes, I'm able to come up with great, thought-provoking, in-depth reviews, other times I struggle to put 3 words together. This year, I want to review every book, even if it's just a few sentences, to improve my skills. -
Listen to audiobooks
I've tried in the past to get into audiobooks, and never could make it past the first few chapters. However, after deciding to give it one more go, I just finished listening to Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett and realized it just has to be the right voice reading it to me. -
Choose reading over doom scrolling and mobile games
I admit, I am completely addicted to my phone. I know I'm not alone in this, but this year, I am going to put down the phone, and pick up books more. -
Start and maintain a regular cadence with "The Bookshelf"
This blog is the Mother Ship culminating all of these goals together. Starting out, I'm committing to weekly Top Ten Tuesday posts, and bi-weekly posts about things in the literary world, what I'm reading, etc. There will also be adhoc posts when I finish books to share my reviews with all of you.
What are some of your goals for the year? Any suggestions for me on how I can conquer the ones I've set?
