End of Year Reading Goals

End of Year Reading Goals
So many books, so little time

With the end of the year approaching, I’m thinking about all the books I didn’t get to read this year.  So that’s inspiring me to set some end of year reading goals.

It actually stresses me out that I have books on my shelf I may never read! I cull my bookshelves regularly due to space issues (and should do the same with my e-books) and want to make it a goal to read from my shelves more next year, but that’s another topic.

Lately I’ve been starting books and then putting them aside- nothing’s really grabbing me. It’s taking me forever to finish anything. Maybe it’s just the time of year and other distractions are getting in my way. I know that soon the 2015 new releases will pull me away from this year’s crop of books. So, in shopping my shelves I’m making a list of the books I want to read before the year is out.

 

YA:

Pointe by Brandy Colbert

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King

Fiction:

Redeployment by Phil Klay – National Book Award winner!

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev

Series:

Voyager and Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon  – I’m reading one Outlander book a month until the TV series returns in April.

Rome by Jay Crownover – I just started the Marked Men series and I’m trying to finish before the next book comes out in April.

I have many of these books in audiobook format and so that will make it more realistic for me to get through them. We’ll see!

How are you doing on your reading goals? Does your reading slow way down during the winter holidays?

Ornament

21 thoughts on “End of Year Reading Goals

  1. Lindsay says:

    I get do not read any many during then last month of the year epsially around Thanksgiving, My Birthday and then Christmas only weeks later after my birthday. 10 out of 12 months I read more and less. I will know for sure once I see all my books marked for this year. I may work on making a page on my blog with all the books for each year.. We will see.

    Best of Luck with your goal.
    Lindsay

    Lindsay recently posted: Death Never Sleeps
  2. I’m the same, Lucy! There are so many books I didn’t get to, even books I thought might make it to my top ten list. But I love this idea of looking ahead to the end of the year:-)

    Tammy @ Books Bones & Buffy recently posted: Over-Booked [13] – A Book Haul Post
    1. Lucy says:

      I guess it’s not the end of the world to let books carryover into next year. There doesn’t seem to be a ton of January releases tempting me so that helps. Happy winter reading!

  3. Kathryn Page says:

    I definitely have a problem with buying books and not reading the ones on my shelf. This year I did the TBR Challenge where you have to read books that have been on your shelves for more than a year and that helped a bit. It even meant that I was able to get rid of a couple that I didn’t like. I’ll certainly be doing it again.

    1. Lucy says:

      I think the TBR Challenge is a great idea! I may have to join you on that one. Glad to hear it helped you get rid of books too 🙂

  4. I do the same thing – books just pile up on my shelves and I *want* to read them, and yet, I keep shopping and more books end up on my shelves. I’ve been focusing on adult fiction (while I revise my YA novel), and that just means I’ve fallen more behind in my MG/YA reading. *Sigh* Your list looks great and doable. Voyager was a LONG novel but I finished it in a week – it was that gripping! Good luck with your goals! Happy reading!

    1. Lucy says:

      I’m on an adult fiction kick so I need to get some recs from you, Debbi. I picked up Voyager again today- wow there are a lot of surprises in that one! Good luck with your novel and your reading goals too 🙂

      1. OH man do I have a list for you! LOL You may have read some of these: The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick, The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern, One Plus One by Jojo Moyes (anything by her, actually), Landline by Rainbow Rowell (anything by her, too), The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty, Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher, Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg, and Still Life With Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlan. These are from my 2014 reading list. (Btw I loved Spear of Summer Grass you sent me!)

        Debbi Michiko Florence recently posted: Shopping Suggestions
        1. Lucy says:

          Yay thanks for all these great recs, Debbi! You and I have similar taste so I’m not surprised we both loved The Good Luck of Right Now, AJ Fikry, Landline, The Husband’s Secret & Big Little Lies. I’m adding the rest to my TBR! One Plus One is probably the one I’m most eager to read, and I’m intrigued by Dear Committee Members- thanks for putting that one on my radar!

  5. Great post Lucy. I am planning my reading goals for the end of the year too. Thanks for sharing your list.

    pat @ Posting For Now recently posted: Happy Thanksgiving! & Taking a short break!
    1. Lucy says:

      Hope you discover some great books this winter, Pat!

  6. Yeah, it is that time of year. My mom is here now so I know I won’t get much reading done. Good luck with your goals!

    bermudaonion (Kathy) recently posted: Review: I’m My Own Dog
    1. Lucy says:

      Enjoy your visit with your mom 🙂 Your books will wait!

  7. I have a lot of books on my shelf that I may never read too. 🙁 I really do want to get to them all, but there’s so MANY, especially with new books releasing all the time.

    I’ll Give You the Sun is an amazing and beautifully written book!

    Kaitlin @ Reading is My Treasure recently posted: Stacking the Shelves (44) ~ No New E-ARCs . . . Yet
    1. Lucy says:

      I’m glad to hear you enjoyed Sun! I can’t believe I’ve put it off this long. I think all the hype about it made me wait. Happy reading, Kaitlin 🙂

  8. Estelle says:

    I am right with you girl. Totally stressed about what I bought this year even though it was minimal. Like you, trying to get to them before the end of the year. I loved Pointe and I am going to try to take that Adele Griffin book out of the library. I’ve heard such good things.

    1. Lucy says:

      I just started Pointe and know I’m going to love it. The Adele Griffin looks good! The TBR Challenge is sounding better and better- hopefully I can stay strong! Enjoy your end of the year reading 🙂

  9. I’m in a bit of a slump as well. It’s taking me ages to finish a book. I am going on vacation next week, though, so hopefully I’ll be able to really just relax and read. That’s a good idea to pick out a few books that you want to get to before the end of the year (which is right around the corner!).

    Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook recently posted: Express Lane Review: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
    1. Lucy says:

      Hope you read a great book on your vacation, Quinn! It seems like there are so many distractions this time of year it’s hard to focus on reading.

  10. […] the end of the year, but I have more of a chance than a seasonal TBR.  I was inspired by Lucy from The Reading Date.  You should check out her […]

  11. I’m not doing so well on my reading goals, but I plan to do better. I just made a post like this and then I found yours. Eventually I’ll get to Outlander. Usually my reading slows down, but this year I’m going away for the holidays so I might have more time to read on the plane and such. Good luck!

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