I never set any book reading goals with respect to number of books to read. My goal is always to enjoy reading the books as much as possible. Number of books read is of no consequence to me.
this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2023
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I stopped setting book completion target goals when I realized I was choosing shorter books to hit my target. I then switched to a page-count goal for the next year, but that didn't survive January. (Too much paperwork.)
In the genres I read most (progression fantasy and LitRPG), some of the books are massive web serials, like one "book" this year was ~18K pages. I'm still only about ¾ done since I took a break to read a few shorter series.
Now, my only real goal is to read every day (4 years+ and it's effortless, now) and to try to read at least one non-fiction book/month. (Fell behind on that one this year; life got busy/stressful, so I've been reading exclusively "popcorn fiction" for the last 4 months.)
Also, I read a lot (100-300 pages/day, typically), so one non-fiction/month I don't count as a reading target; it's just about diversifying my reading and doing some self betterment/education/professional development.
I like the idea of the goal being to read every day, even if it is a bit. I might try that this year!
There are years when I have read upwards of 60 books and others when I have scarcely read 6. It depends heavily on what else is going on. I don't do numerical goals and never have.
For the last few years, however, no matter how many others I read, I have had a 'big read' of some kind spread across the year: War and Peace first - since it has 365 chapters in total, then In Search of Lost Time, and this year Finnegans Wake - which I was reading with a group which scheduled in some 'summing up time' at the end so I have finished it already. In 2024 I have decided that it will be The Romance of the Three Kingdoms: so completing that is my goal.
I read 24 books this year. Idk if I will have the time to do that again, but I’d love to :)
I plan on reading several.
I've fallen off with reading much of this year (life has been so hectic), so I'd like to make a manageable goal of finishing a book every other month next year. Even if it's just a novella, it would be nice to get back into it.
Hopefully less than this year. I'm reading too many (100+) and that's reflecting in my reduced time on actual work (self-employed).
100+ is very impressive! It sounds like you essentially finish a book every 3-4 days to get those numbers. How you keep that up consistently? I feel like I can do that for a month or two and then tend to need a break before picking up more.
I mostly read fantasy and sci-fi, which tend to have multiple books in a series. If they are easy-to-read and short (300-400 pages per book), it becomes easy to consume. Also, I read for escapism, so I don't read too closely.
Out of interest, what do you mean 'you don't read too closely'?
When I was younger, I'd read slowly, trying to visualize the setting, keep track of character preferences, look up words I don't know, etc. I'd remember a book well enough to talk about it even a year or so after.
These days, I just skim over descriptions and read as fast as I could while still getting the main plot. I get attached to characters only if the book is really good and savor them during rereads.
Ah thanks for clarifying. Would you not say that reading it slower would be the more enjoyable method? If you're after escapism, wouldn't it be better to engage yourself fully in the plot? At least for me, I find escapism works best when I'm fully immersed in the story's world and characters. What you've described sounds more akin to someone skimming a research paper.
True, perhaps a case of doing too much of anything over a long period ;)
Well I hope you're able to slow down the pace a bit (assuming that's what you want)!
I haven’t read a whole book in years, but I was just at a second hand shop today and picked up the first few books in Terry Brooks’ Shinara series. I intend to finally read the series my mom always wanted me to try.
I heard about Shannara, it seems like a promising read.
Just to find some plot or writing style I thoroughly enjoy. I have a hard time getting hooked on books these days. I'm hoping I just haven't yet found what speaks to me.
I'm going to finish Ulysses by James Joyce if it kills me
Oof, good luck to you friend.
There is only one reasonable way to measure an amount of books and that's in meter. How many I plan to read? Idk. I just read basically every evening for like an hour and that's it
I hit 28 books this year and am trying for 30. All pleasure reading for what suits my fancy at the time. Been trying to read all the walter isaacson books. One serious boo and two/three fun.
I think 30-32 is my limit though else i wont get other stuff done
This is the first year where I've decided not to have any reading goals. It isn't work, it's pleasure. I don't have video game goals, or cloud watching goals, so why book goals? This year, I will read when I feel like reading!
I'd like to read more physical books (rather than my current ebooks and audiobooks) and spend more time in libraries next year. Maybe make myself a nice comfy reading spot at home. My living situation has made it difficult - it's not convenient to go to libraries, I have no where to store books I buy and I'm so desperate for space I only really have my bed for anywhere comfortable - but I'm hoping to move soon.
Don't really care about the number of them.
I left last year having read exactly and barely my goal of 100 books (including manga, shorts, and mostly audio books) with no goal for 2023.
This year I had more in-office time plus a commute and am on track to have read a book for every 2 days in 2023 (183). Which…has now only become a goal in the last month or so.
Reserving books at the library and having short Audible Plus stints really drove urgency from time to time, especially where I struggle with visual reading. But I just found a lot of good books this year: 11 Tchaikovsky, 17 Pratchett, and 15 Sanderson-related (Dan Wells and Janci Patterson collabs), and lots of solid manga and sci-fi series that kept me juggling the next available book for a few series at a time. It’s been a ride and I’m only more excited for a lot of books and series in 2024.
So, I’m unsure if I should goal out fewer or more next year or just go with the flow again.
Last year I read about 60 books, this year I might squeeze in 40, currently on book number 38 and I got some time off coming up.
This year I did read some longer than average books for me as I reread all the Tolkien history of Middle Earth books.
Next year I really want to read 52 to maintain a book a week on average. Aiming to reread some spy stuff for a change, LeCarre and Slow Horses for a start.
Gave myself a target of 70 books this year and I'm at 68 now and will finish a book in a day or so. But I did notice I was looking at how many pages were in a book and how long that was going to take to read and put bigger books on the back burner. So next year I'll halve it and be more inclusive of the bigger tomes.
I usually stick to shorter books due to my attention span, but that's a good approach to tackle bigger tomes. What kind of genre do you like?
I must admit I'm struggling to read for anything longer than an hour at a time so I think I like the idea of reading larger books but in practice it might not pan out.
I'll try to get at least 10 but I also want to try some audiobooks.
Lately I've been re-reading Asimov books and it's been enjoyable but I would also like to read new things too.
I usually set a goal of 24 and generally surpass it every year (at 33 this year so far). I have months where I read a ton and then others where I just don’t even pick up a book due to getting busy. But it’s a solid goal just so I can see how I’m doing that year.