It’s time again for annual reading goals. But first, true confession time. 

For the last three years running I’ve failed hard at my annual reading goals. Last year, in fact, I shared exact quotes where Brady makes total fun of me and insists I’ll never meet my reading goal. Nothing like someone who believes in you, right?

But he’s just calling it like it is. 2014 was a repeat of 2013, which was a repeat of 2012. And perhaps I’m setting myself up for another round next year.

Except that really, seriously, truly-madly-deeply… each year I’ve desired and intended to read 50 books. And it’s not the 50 books per say, it’s the routine of finishing one book a week that I’m after. And it just so happens that 50 books a year would mean that I’m finishing a book a week. And that’s the person I want to be becoming. So I’m going to keep aiming for it even if I fail for five or ten more years running. Because there’s something tragically lame about lowering my aims to accommodate my undesirable habits.

So I’m still aiming for 50.

Last year I began setting sub-goals, and I’m going to stick with that this year. When I remembered to review them, the sub-goals kept me moving, so I’m tweaking them and trying it again.

Here’s what I’m aiming for in 2015:

Total:  50 Books.
Monthly:  Three of my finished books should be from different topics/genres.

As my sub-goal, I’ll read at least 12 of the following 16 items/categories:

• Game of Thrones #1
• The Last Battle (the final Narnia book I’ve never read)
• Re-read Harry Potter 6&7 (finishing up last year’s HP re-read goal)
• Memoir (probably food-related)
• Writing
• Prayer
• Beauty
• C.S. Lewis or related (probably the McGrath biography)
• Storytelling
• Kingdom
• Habits or neuroplasticity
• Child Psychology or Education
• HSP or Enneagram
• History or Biography
• Something I’ve been long meaning to read (like Walking on Water or Dune)
• Something I’ve been meaning to re-read

Some books would count in more than one category, but no harm in that, right?

And I miiiight even push myself to round things out with Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Reading Challenge for the year, but my track record doesn’t make that too promising.

What do you want to read in 2015? Do you set goals or just wing it?

I made a big reading goal this year. Fifty books. I’d finish fifty books by the end of 2014.

I was on track for the first months of the year, but then came back-to-back weeks of pushing-to-the-finish-line on several projects and I stopped reading altogether. Reading begets reading in my case, and even three weeks of not reading regularly will derail me firmly out of sync.

Now it’s several months later, and in firmly predictable fashion, I’m aching to return to regular reading. I just finished S-L-O-W-L-Y making my way through The Prisoner of Azkaban, but mostly I’ve been off-track with books.

Books aside, I have been intermittently popping in on my favorite websites, periodicals, and blogs. Here are a few of my current favorites.

Cup of Jo (Blog)

Somehow Joanna Goddard curates the best mix of interesting, intriguing, and useable information. She posts a LOT, but it works.

Modern Mrs. Darcy (Blog)

Anne Bogel talks books, life, and personality quirkiness, a still-light ensemble which evades triviality. Incidentally, she hosts the “What I’m Reading” link up of which this post is a part.

Vanity Fair (Monthly Periodical)

Full of fantastic stories and some of my favorite short-form non-fiction. Cosmo and Glamour it emphatically is not.

Relevant (Blog & Monthly Periodical)

Conversations on faith, culture, and intentional living. It doesn’t hide from the taboo and approaches topics openly and with generosity. Good thought fodder here.

Saveur (Monthly Periodical)

Planted firmly at the intersection of food and culture, Saveur serves up recipes and travel bits as well. Great reading for lovers of food, food writing, and the world.

What’s been your favorite short-form reading of late?

Last month’s reading check-in reminded me that, while I have been reading rather regularly, I hadn’t yet made progress on my sub-goals. Oops. That’s why regular reviews are helpful, I guess.

This month I began remedying this, starting two books that qualify as “nagging books.” Now I just need to make a little progress. No matter. Onward! Here’s what I’ve been reading since last month’s check-in:

The Fault in Our Stars, John Green

I’m late to the party, I know. But I love love loved being swept away by the humanity in these characters. It was easily my favorite contemporary non-series read in a long time. I’d say more, but you should read it, and I don’t want to tell anymore than you’ve already heard.

The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis

This is one of the few primary Lewis books I still hadn’t read. I enjoyed it, but because it took me a bit to get the hang of what was going on, I’ll be re-reading it. Recommended. (But don’t skip the preface.)

Immortal Poets, Christopher Burns

I’ve wanted to read more poetry for a while now, but where to begin? I decided to begin with this well-reviewed anthology and was happily surprised to discover the poets are arranged in historical order with helpful introductions throughout. Just what I was looking for.

Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard

Another one from my nagging list, it was undeniably time to pick this one up again (on the first read I had to stop to let the ideas soak about 90 pages in and never picked it back up). A modern classic, Willard critiques contemporary Christianity and aims to reorient it with an alternate paradigm. Yes. Yes. and YES.

What have you been reading? Share in the comments, or join the link-up!

 

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Every month, Anne Bogel hosts a “Twitterature” link-up. Thinking it a good way to track my annual reading goals, I planned to participate this year. But oops. Life happened. It’s March, and I’m just getting started.

But first, a quick check-in on the status of my 2014 Reading Goals. I’ve read eight books so far, putting me two books behind. Which is isn’t bad, honestly. I have not, however, even looked at the other sub-goals and therefore have done absolutely zero toward them. Double oooops.

But, onward. Here’s what I’ve been reading:

All My Road Before Me, C.S. Lewis

I love C.S. Lewis. I love his writing, too, but am most thankful for his life and the way he lived it. All My Road Before Me is a collection of diary entries from his early life, spanning 1922-1927 when he was 24-29 years old. Seeing his life in Britain 1920’s through his pre-Christian eyes will be fun for any fan of Lewis-the-man, but its 530+ pages would be slogging for anyone expecting the pointed clarity of later Lewis.

Gregor the Overlander, Suzanne Collins

(books 3, 4, & 5)

I’ve gushed enough about Collins and Gregor elsewhere, and am enjoying the final installments just as much. Highly Recommend.

 

A Million Little Ways, Emily P. Freeman

This book is full of encouragement to live generously who God made you to be starting right where you are. I needed it five years ago, and I’m guessing Freeman wrote the book SHE needed five years ago. It always encourages me to see God put nearly-identical things on the minds of people who’ve never met. In this case, I mean right down to particular words. Phrases like “show up” make a regular appearance in our household conversation.

Some of the semantic choices, however, went beyond my personal preferences (something most readers would likely disagree with me about). On the whole, recommend.

The Books of the Bible (NIV)

Reading this one for Lent. I’m currently in the Old Testament and can’t help but laugh at how teeny and kindly our view of God has become (on the whole). I mean, He does some really crazy stuff.

I’m thankful for this, actually. I serve God because he’s God, not because I understand Him. And He’s certain to have  some curious bits. But seriously, he does wipe out entire tribes from time to time. And nearly wipes out the planet. It’s good to be reminded of what is rather than just what we wish.

Get Big Fast and Do More Good, Ido Leffler and Lance Kalish

“Do more good” is another phrase that is a regular staple of conversation around here. So a business book  that claims to speak to just that? Perfect.

I haven’t gotten to the “do more good” part just yet, but it’s wildly entertaining so far. It’s basically their adventures in founding Yes to Carrots and the business world version of Catch Me If You Can. Thumbs up.

As for my goals…

The list this month reminds me I need to start reading what really matters to me. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve been reading, but I won’t be as satisfied at the end of the year if I haven’t read a bit more widely.

What have you been reading? Tell me in the comments, or write a post and join me for the link-up!

(This post contains affiliate links. If you complete a purchase through one of them, you help fuel our little odd life. Thanks!)