Revamp Your Reading Goals for 2024

January 25, 2024

With the advent of Booktok and Bookstagram came a very disheartening trend - reading goals. Now of course setting goals in and of itself is not disheartening. We know they push us to success, but I am really uncomfortable with the trend of counting how many books one has read and setting goals to read X number of books per month or year.

It feels so 1980s elementary school reading class to me. When in fact, I think we know better now in education - quality over quantity.

Just a few weeks ago someone wrote on a community page, “it is not about how many books you have touched, but rather how many have touched you.”

I love that.

I also love Bookstagram and Booktok. They are a wonderful community of readers sharing ideas and recommendations, a little utopia. They make reading cool and accessible to people who may have always thought it was not for them.

I just wish I saw fewer “I have read 25 books this month” posts.

There are some months where I read one book. This can be because I have chosen a very long book but it is more often because I cannot find a book to fit the mood I am in. Then I try a bunch and then dnf them.

I do not find this to be a flaw of mine. However, I am old. I used to teach high school English so I am fairly confident when it comes to my reading life.

But I think of the younger or newer readers and wonder- do they feel bad about themselves when this happens? Can these ubiquitous posts make people feel like they are not readers?

Anyway, this is my old lady rant. And here are my suggestions for quality (not quantity) reading goals.

• Read this year’s Booker, Pulitzer, Nebula (or whatever genre you’re into) prize winners
• Ask a friend for a book suggestion
• Read a book from a genre you have never read before

-Ang

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