It’s that time of year where everyone is making resolutions. In most cases, I don’t so much make resolutions, as much as I make plans. One of these “plans” though, smacked me in the face.
In 2013, I read 21 books. 
Oddly enough, without even trying, I also read 21 books in 2014. So when Goodreads popped up and asked me how many books I wanted to read in 2015, I answered with “21”.
But great googly-moogley! Then it showed me what everyone else’s reading goals were. Holy cow! 100 book in a year? SERIOUSLY?
Scrolling through, I realized that my goal was the lowest of anyone’s on my friend’s lists. It left me feeling lacking… but only for a second.
I could have typed in 100 books, but that isn’t realistic. Not for me. I’m not one of those people who can find the time to sit down and finish an entire book on a Saturday afternoon. It’s just not in the cards for me. Reading a book in about ten days is realistic to me. So why didn’t I enter 35 books?
Well, I normally read about 10% of a book in a day, but I don’t always have time to read every day.
I don’t want reading to be a chore, or to end up one of those people grabbing for novellas just so I can add another “finished” to my list. I’d rather read slowly, relax, and enjoy. I don’t ever want reading to be a competition.
What I do want to do this year is read more top-selling, five-star young adult novels. I want to see what the trends are. I want to make sure that I am keeping up with the styles that are making people scream for more.
Here are 10 of the books I have already purchased to read this year. I’ll leave the other ten open for new releases or new books that get buzz going about them.
The 5th Wave
Origins
Doon
A thousand Pieces of You
Alienated
White Hot Kiss
Snow Like Ashes
Lifer (Not a best-seller yet, but I hear it’s good)
These Broken Stars
Gravity
What’s on your bucket list to read this year?
Jennifer M Eaton 
100 books a year is a tall order indeed. tho i did hear of someone who read approximately 150,i hasten to add that he was in prison at the time !
Am lucky if i can manage 10 in a year. tho now i will really consider the audio option as someone here mentioned.
no resolutions. (belated) happy new year to you and everyone (-;
You too Colin!
Thank you for writing this! I think 21 is ambitious enough, especially if they’re longer than picture books. 😀 “Eleanor & Park” is on my list, but I’ve got lots of others that are floating around in my TBR pile.
Hi Jilanne! Yeah, I have more books in my kindle than I could read in three years, and even more stacked on my desk!
This might sound terribly self-centered, but I’d like to read a completed draft (by no means the final) of my current WIP. 😉
Ha! Not self centered at all. Sounds like you have a goal to get that first draft done. Awesome!
Happy New Year, Jennifer. 🙂
Same to you Celestine!
I read 97 this year. Yes, I read a lot, but dropped it to 75 for the coming year. I enjoy audiobooks more lately, because it helps me keep my house clean. With a Kindle or book in my hand I’m not able to do all the other things needed to keep a house tuned-up. Reading 75 isn’t a resolution. I don’t have any resolutions other than keep me and my husband healthy and happy. Enjoyed your blog, Jennifer.
Thanks Eileen! Audiobooks are a great idea. I spend two hours a day in the car myself, but I use that time to think through plot problems. Having them on while cleaning is an awesome idea!
I’m with you! I have no idea how people find so much time to read that many books. I mean I travel for 20 hours a day ona train and still don’t read that many books. I prefer to write during some of that time anyway. I might even be lucky to read 21!
Wait, Richard … I hope you meant 2 hours and not really 20
I agree with you about resolutions. And I don’t think it’s as important about HOW many books you read, but more about WHICH ones you read, and what you get from them. I make myself read a different genre each time I finish a book a start another. I’m reading Daniel Silva now (art history/spy suspense) and then next on my list is Sill Alice (drama). Then historical fiction (Ken Follett). Keeps me educated and keeps my writing skills up to speed with my reading skills. 🙂
That’s a good idea. My problem is I bore too easily, so I can’t stray too far from genres that I love. I’ve tried mysteries and stuff like that. Problem is, I usually don’t care “whodunit”
I’ve put my goal at 50 books this year, since I exceeded my goal of 40 last year. But some of the Indies I read are shorter, so that helps. I doubt I’d reach 40, let alone 50 if every book I read was 400 pages plus! Last year was the first year I participated in the challenge, but it was fun to look over the past year and see what I’ve read.
Hi Carrie! I do keep track of what I read. Every time I finish a book I place it on a list from the best to worst books I read that year. I’m going to be posting that list soon. This is the first time I’ve signed up with Goodreads, though. Good luck! That’s a lot of books either way!
You should make your goal 25 books, if you were hoping to push yourself. Or 20 if you want a sure win!
Nah, don’t want to push. I read to enjoy. It I push, it becomes a chore. Thanks Deby!
Yes, I have seen the 100 book goals by many and I think most only post that their goal is 100 with no intention of actually being able to complete it, they just put 100 because other people do. Realistically, 100 books in a year seems to be ambitious. There are only 52 weeks in a year, so to read 100 books in a year, you would be reading 2 books each week.
Don’t get me wrong, I have had books that I buy and then stay up all night reading the entire book because I simply couldn’t put it down. But not all books are the same. Some books I want to read and I want to like but they end up not being what I expected. I always finish what I start reading but for these books that I don’t really care for, it takes days to read them because they don’t hold my interest.
As for me, I have never set a goal of a certain number of books to read. I just read, a lot, not because I have to or need to reach a goal but because I enjoy it.
I’ve never set a goal before either. I just found it interesting that I read the same amount of books two years in a row. I want to keep it fun though. Thanks for commenting!
I stopped making ‘resolutions’ years ago when I realised I never, ever (EVER) met them. Goals or plans seems far more manageable and realistic and I find far more fun to work towards too. Resolutions, at least for me, became a fad that didn’t mean anything.
Though 21 books is a mega achievement and a fantastic plan IMO. I managed 24 last year, but only because quite a few were novellas and I was looking for very specific things. I must prefer the idea of reading just for the hell of it and enjoying the experience as I used to. And of course I write too!
So that was the longest way ever of saying ‘good for you’ and don’t let inflated ‘resolutions’ belittle what you can and will do. ^_^
Hi Ileandra! I really like to look at it as a goal, too. Resolutions are for change. I’m not really changing anything.