My goal is very simple. Read every day for at least five minutes. Did it already a few years ago. Usually it's longer than 5 minutes, but even on the worst day I can read for 5 minutes.
@user-pz3yx5no5w Go to older stuff that has stood the test of time. Get recommendations from friends if you can. Try books you wouldn't normally read and don't be afraid to drop the book if you don't like it
My first thought- "This woman makes THE BEST THUMBNAILS😩" its honestly a small part of a video but really makes me feel so cozy and energetic to read more💖
My first language is not English, however I read a lot of English books. So one of my goals this year is to read more books in my first language. I also used to think that classics are more thought provoking and "important", but upon thinking I no longer think that this is exclusive for classics. A lot of classics have misogynistic and racist themes, which is not related to goals but to my own thought growth. Something else, one of my goals is to read more books from around the world either modern or classic.
Omg, my goal is also to read more books in my native language!!! I switched to exclusively reading English books a few years ago and while that really helped my reading comprehension in English, my reading comprehension in my native language kind of started deteriorating 😵💫
This!! I’m Finnish and last year I read ONE book in Finnish, everything else in English 🫠 Also totally agree about classics. I will focus more on reading feminist literature this year!
I set this exact goal last year (reading in my first language) and it was amazing! Also exploring work from my country’s contemporary writers was really exciting and made me love the language again
When you started talking about prioritizing reading over all your other hobbies I had the realization that I’ve been doing that for YEARS and that led me to the worst reading slump ever last year. Haven’t read a book in three months when I used to read 100 a year. So prioritizing other hobbies is definitely a thing for me this year, thanks for putting it into words!! I’m not a reading machine!! I can enjoy other things 😂❤️
Raven boys is SO YOU!!!! Honestly, book one is good but once you get to the book two and its storyline that feels like a magical fever dream made of fireworks and neon colors and loud music, you'll be head over heels and unable to stop. It is truly, truly wonderful series and I hope you will enjoy it this time around!
I 100% agree with you about not setting a number goal on your reading. I used to be so stressed, trying to cram in as many books as possible to get a higher number, but then I realized, like you say, that reading is a hobby and it’s supposed to be fun! I want to read what I feel like in the moment, not just add to a number. So good for you! I like the idea of setting a goal though, like ’read more non-english speaking authors’ for example.
I like goals, personally. I don’t see it as a competition with anyone but myself. I just like how it encourages me not to waste my time binging RU-vid all day every day, for example. I want to have read at a certain pace throughout the year, so a goal helps me prioritize that. If the goal ends up being too large, I just change it. I see it more as a carrot to chase than a stick to hit myself with if I can’t achieve it.
I read some stuff from a list of short but important books last year and found some real gems in there - Stefan Zweig's Chess Story (or 'The Royal Game') is a short book I read that I thought was so amazing.
I always put a goal which I know I can reach with relative ease (for me that is 24 in 2024). Then it's not stressful, but it reminds me to read some books. Last year I completed it by 150%. This year, I also trying to read 20 pages a day in bed but my absolute minimum is one page (even if I have to re-read it the next day). So far its helped. I find its a happy number of pages that suits my sweet spot. I also like doing Storygraph's Genre Challenge and Onboarding challenge every year, to encourage me to read out of my comfort zone and my TBR. Last year, I made a goal to read longer book because I felt bad reading short books/manga. But this year, I'm not making myself feel bad for reading short books. I know in myself I read them bc I like them, not to show off about reading a lot of books.
I really like Storygraph for the possibility to set different types of goals, not only a number of books. This year I chose to challenge myself to read different genres and also to finish my long forgotten books (yeah, I tend to start a lot of books and then abandon it for more interesting ones). Also bonus is that I do not support Amazon with GoodReads, and the graphs I get from stats are just perfect.
Well said! As a slightly older reader, I just keep any goals very simple and attainable. I ditched social media years ago (including Goodreads) due to the increasing toxicity, and that was one of the best decisions I've made! I've had a blast creating my reading/entertainment journals, and my goals are simple and include all my hobbies, including reading, personal, movies, gaming :-)
I appreciate this take because I’ve fallen into the guilt recently of wishing I spent more time reading than I do play video games even though both make me happy. I look at how many books others on book tube can read in a month or a year but forget that reading is their number 1 hobby so it’s easier for them to read more books.
I like to set the reading goal to the age I will become that year. It will always be low enough to be achievable, but you're also constantly advancing year after year. I always exceed the goal by a large margin, but having a goal feels grounded.
i hate the reminder to set a goal so i always put one book, then at the end of the year i feel amazing because as long as i read at least one book i feel like ive met my goal
I think setting a # of books per year is good if you're someone who is trying to get back into reading. As someone who wasn't reading for pleasure at all setting a # last year actually made sure I was consistently reading. Now that I have made it a bit more of a habit the # of books read this year really doesn't matter to me. I hadn't really thought about how prioritizing reading lets your other hobbies go to the back burner though but this maybe explains why I felt like the second half of 2023 I had basically abandoned playing video games (bc I was prioritizing reading/not wanting to look at a screen). I definitely think this year I am going to give myself more grace and just do whatever hobby is calling me at the moment, and not beat myself up so much if I'm not reading every day.
This is soo relatable! I get really excited when she posts a new video. Because her video always calms me, I usually watch her video before going to bed.
In 2023 my goal was to find out how many books I'd be able to read in a year, just for funsies. The total was 151 books. This year I just want to focus on reading the books I have and not mindlessly buying more since that became a big problem for me in the last 1½ years, basically since I started working, however it's not a financial problem, but a spacial one since I like buying used books and that adds up rather quickly.
I am limiting my social media because I realized last year I was wasting time scrolling when I could be reading to relax or doing something else that is relaxing. I definitely want to read through more of the books that I own.
im currently listening to what moves the dead as an audiobook and it's stunning!!! i just really love when someone goes to a creepy house and weird stuff starts happening... gets me every time
As an Argentine (and also a big fan of Mariana's work) I can't recommend Nuestra Parte de Noche (Our Share of Night) enough! It's one of my favourite books and it's really well written, if you're interested in Argentinian culture it's a must read.
the raven cycle (raven boys series) is one of my favorite series!!! im so happy your reading it!! i reread it for the first time late last year and i was just drawn back in lmao. i really hope you enjoy it!
I agree with the different hobbies thing! I kept feeling bad that I wasn’t reading as many books as before until I realized I have a lot more hobbies than before. I am more outgoing, I love films, I go to theatre regularly (and I act as a hobby), I am learning new languages, etc. So naturally, I now read a lot less books than when I was more of an introvert back in high school and a broke student in college.
i reread the raven boys and the whole the raven cycle series this past year but this time in audiobook format and it was a whole new experience, it was so magical, i highly recommend it
Will Patton, right? I have read it both physically and in audiobook format, and I must say Will Patton's narration is what I come back to every time. He's so good at it. I reread this series every year and will probably never stop because of him.
yeees Will Patton, the narration it’s amazing and i liked the touch of music, i really see myself coming back to the series more often as well because of this
Completely agree with what you said about reading for what we like not what is popular. In 2023 I read 27 books. My goal this year is to enjoy reading 30
I haven't been setting a goodreads goal for the past 3 or 4 years and honestly I've been reading twice as many books than I've ever read! It takes so much pressure off and I think about only enjoying what I'm reading ❤
My main reading goals last year were a) read lots of Discworld and b) find a book club. I managed both of them and had my best reading year for about a decade. This year my main reading goal isn't even actually reading. It's to keep on top of my reading journal and not abandon it like I always do haha. I'm so pleased you picked up Bloody Chamber, it's one of my favourites ever, I really hope you like it :D
the Raven cycle might as well be my favorite series of all time The characters, the imagery, the fact that there is an overall plot but you’re here for the vibes I’m excited to see what you think of it ☺️
I agree 1000% with your thoughts on numerical reading goals! With so many books out there in the world, it can feel like we need to read as much as possible so we're not missing out, but quality is so much more important than quantity. My grandfather wrote an autobiography and I've been meaning to read it for years, but it's written in Croatian (which I can read, but it takes me longer) and it's 600 pages, so I know it'll take me a long time to get through it. I've been putting it off because working through this one book will take up the time I'd read 5-10 English books, and I didn't want to take away from my reading goals. However, this year I made my single goal to read the autobiography and I finally started it a few days ago! Realizing my goals didn't have to be "Read X amount of books" was so helpful in finally pushing me to read it.
I'm really excited to finally read Good Omens this year lol, I'm only halfway through but it's so good! My goal is simply to track each day that I read.
i'm new to youtube book reviews (loving your channel by the way) and now my toxic trait is watching people talking about books instead of actually reading. Jokes aside, I pretty much agree with your view. I actually set a reading goal in Goodreads for the first time ever this year. But I tried to make it something feasible: 10 books. And that's only because I started a reading club with my friends and we're gonna be already reading 8 books together. I know that my goal of 10 seems pretty small compared to other people, but it's way better than setting an overwhelming list that may just kill my motivation. And as you said I also don't want to feel that I *have* to neglet my other hobbies in order to achieve this
I got into the habit of reading in the morning before work because my husband was either working or he sleeps way later than I do when he's home. Building at least that one habit has meant I read way more, and it's a nice way to center myself before I start my work day.
“Read less books because of the internet” 100%! I was let down by sooooo many of the ‘popular’ books last year, and some of them were extremely long and felt like such a waste of time instead of reading the long books I actually want to read
Girl I recommend an origami case for the kindle, it props it up vertically or horizontally so you can read when at the table or in bed without needing to hold the kindle, it’s amazing!
a less stressful but super satisfying alternative to a number reading goals is a Book Bingo. I've had so much fun making one for each of the last couple of years!! And you can choose whether you just want a bingo (4 spaces) or if you wanna tick all the boxes (24) Here are some of my favorite spaces i chose for this year: best friendship, lesbian, translated from a language i don't speak, has a cat in it, stars, fae, sci-fi, mother-daughter, enemies to lovers, celebrates mundanity, spicy, etc.
Highly recommend Carmilla, Daughter Of The Moon Goddess, and Rebecca on your TBR. Carmilla is my favorite vampire and it is a novella so a nice short read.
The way I absolutely love the simplicity of this and the non pressure of a number (I'm bad at math so I do not have much left for numbers lol). I wasn't planning on making any goals or lists but I just want to now, you've inspired me. I'm going straight to my notes app and I will do something like this! Also I'm subscribing I just have to. I love the vibes here, immaculate 👌
I have never ever made specific reading plans for the year but you inspired me! I put some thought into what I would like to read, and also to go a bit outside my comfort zone. Feels exciting! I always put a reading goal in Goodreads, but I have no qualms whatsoever to adjust it up or down as the year goes, so I do not feel unnecessary pressure. There is no-one to impress apart from myself! I just like to see that list of past reading challenges and how many books per year I read! Instead, this year I committed to reading at least something each day (preferably at least a chapter). Going well thus far. Good luck reaching your reading goals!
My reading goal for 2024 is simply to finally re-read all those books that I wanted to re-read for ages. Certainly, there are many new books that I am dying to read too, but I've promised myself over and over that I would read XYZ once more and 2024 is the year I'll do that. The reason is simple: One's perspectives change over the years. The same book can feel like two different ones and may leave you with two entirely different messages if there are xx years between two reads. That's how I felt with the entire Hunger Games series (10 year gap) and 'It' by Stephen King (5 year gap). Currently re-reading The Hobbit for the first time after 11 years 🥰
Last year I read 58 books, this year my goal will be 5. I am so proud of myself for reading that much, but working full time while accomplishing this goal really dominated my mind and time and hardly left room for other hobbies I love. Plus, I want to really digest and enjoy books without the pressure of needing to finish “on time”. 😊 Plus, maybe I can slowly re-read some books I have loved 🤍
I read the We Hunt the Flame duology and really enjoyed it last year, so also very excited for ToT! My favorite book from 2023 was Salt Houses by Hala Alyan. It’s a really beautiful novel following a family through generations of trauma and displacement. I encourage people to open their hearts to it. It made me cry, which I think is a good sign! ❤️🍉
Hi there, greetings from Indonesia! I'm thrilled to hear that you're interested in English books. Thanks a bunch for the awesome information and book recommendations. They sound absolutely amazing!
My goal this year is to incorporate reading in daily. I feel good when I read of an evening, I enjoy it. But I tend to push it to the side when I'm stressed. That, and also I want to read more books I loved. Last year I only had 2x 5 star reads. Overall was a blah yeah haha. We are prioritising ourselves and loving reading this year!
reading during breakfast is my #1 favorite routine in the world omg like i have never Ever been a morning person (or a breakfast person tbh) but i love my lil book, coffee, and egg on toast moment! makes my day
The biggest change I had with the e-reader is to be able to read in the dark ! Cause before I didn’t want to have the light on so I wouldn’t read cause obviously couldn’t see the book but now I can be in the dark but also read ! Life-changing !
I do have reading goals but it doesn't really pressure me into reading because #ADHD lol. If I don't feel like reading I just won't, no matter if I have a "goal"
if you're a fan of the house in the cerulean sea by tj klune, the second volume is being released this year (in September) it's called "somewhere beyond the sea"
I find playing video games while listening to audiobooks to be the perfect match. I recently finished two books in three days while colouring on my iPad 🥰
I had a really sad reading year in 2023, so I‘d like to think that maybe, this year‘s gonna be better. It‘s all tied to my mental health, though, so I hope, I‘ll win some battles in the great war against depression and get to enjoy reading again, like a few years ago 🙏🙌
For me the Goodreads challenge was very effective, bc I love reading but without a little push I tend to procrastinate (especially scrolling on my phone), and I set a number that was absolutely possible to finish and not that hard AS LONG AS I put some effort into it. I am a member of a book club that sends me books every month so I didn't have to worry so much about the quality of the books I was reading since I kinda already had someone to choose them for me 😅 and I also read a lot of Leonie's recommendations, I really think we have a similar taste for books!
last year I set my goodreads goal to 13 books (to read more than 1 book a month) and I've read 37 so this year I'm ambitious and I'm setting it to 20 💪 I was stuck in a huge slump for past two years so I'm happy that I got back to reading at all 🔥🔥 wish me luck
Listening to you talk about why you don't set a goal is so interesting! I feel like there's recently been this environment where if you read "too much" that's had but also if you "don't read enough" that's also bad and I'm baffled by both sides 😅 I'm just mentally ill and I read to cope
I did also end up picking up books based on hype. I think what I will go differently is use my library more, if they have a ebook or if I can read a free sample before deciding to get a copy. I did use the free sample last year, but nearly enough as I could. I'm also just going to try and focus on reading a books, I'm excited about. And continue my use of the library! I love the library, my anxiety stops me from going most times
I really like the Goodreads goal. It helped me get back into reading. It's not for everyone, and that's perfectly ok. I started out with a goal of 12 the first year, one book per month, and I only set my goal based on how many books I successfully read the year before. I add 1-3 books to that number (I'm stretching it a little with 4 this year.), and that's my new goal. One thing that I do that is probably a little unusual is that I don't rush to read a bunch of short books to make my goal. I read a lot of books to my daughter but don't count them. I only count the books I read for me. If I fail, I fail, and I set the goal for the next year according to what I actually read the year before, not the goal from the year before; so, I'm only competing with myself. I also have a theme for every year. This year is banned books. Not every book I read in a year will be on theme becuase sometimes the theme leads to some depressing reading, and I need a palate cleanser, but I try to make sure that most of the books in that year are on theme. Some years the theme is "whatever I want".😂 There is one book that I re-read every year regardless of theme, and that is my favorite book of all time, The Scarlet Pimpernel. It's my comfort read.
I read The Raven Cycle for the first time (as a 30 year old) in 2023 and had a great time. Definitely recommend trying it again. Adam and Ronan live rent free in my brain months after finishing the series
I know you're trying to step back from the hyped internet books, but if you want cozy, super academic, romantic, early 20th century, folklore based fairies - please read Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Fairies. There's footnotes - footnotes! It's written like an academic journal! The second part of the duology comes out next week called Emily's Wilde's Map of the Otherlands and I cannot wait! Plus it's from a Canadian author (that's my country). I really really really think you would love this/these books!!!
I love this attitude towards reading! I also didn't set a number goal for books, but I made a short list (should be easy to accomplish cause it's short) of books I really wanna read this year, and I already have some of those reserved at my library so I'm already doing something to get to those books! I also joined a fun reading challenge in storygraph with different prompts and I'll see which prompts I can fill, but no pressure towards that at all
I'm so excited for the new Halle Butler book coming out in 2024. I loved "Jillian" and "New me" and if you're a depressed millennial working an office job like me you might also enjoy it😅 also I'm currently binging the Heartstopper graphic novels. trying to achieve my reading goals for 2023 led me into a massive reading slump. As soon as January 2024 came around I was super motivated again 😂
I actually really liked the idea of you setting up qualitative goals because as a person who absolutely loves reading, sometimes its disheartening to know that even though I read 17 books last year people are still reading 100 books. But yes like you said a lot of times they just read a lot of short books or audiobooks at 1.5x or something and i think we ought to remember that. So now my plan is definitely to do what you said and think about how i can incorporate more time to read like read while travelling or while waiting for my professor to start the class! Thank you for the advice 😊❤
I never really considered that setting a reading goal can make you prioritize reading over your other hobbies. It’s so true for me! This is why I love your videos, you always lead me down unexpected paths haha
2023 I put so much pressure on myself to reach 100 books (I read 81) that by the end I wasn’t even absorbing the contents of the books, I just wanted to read as many as possible! This is year I do have the goal of 3 classics over the full year but other than that to just enjoy books 😊
I never understood setting a reading goal, as in a number of books “you have” to read. I feel like that would take all the joy from reading because you are more focused on reading fast and finishing books that on enjoying it. I used to be in a book Facebook group and people would actually have anxiety over not completing their goal. I like Leo’s approach much better!
one of my most anticipated releases of 2024 is actually "interesting facts about space"! because it's from the same author of "everyone in this room will someday be dead", which is one of my favourite books of all time! thank you for this video, i really enjoyed it ❤
I like the good reads goals, because I like the feeling of accomplishment, when I see the growing number of read books towards my goal. My tip would be to not set the goal to high. Choose something achievable, that doesn't pressure you. The good thing with the goodreads goal is also that you can raise/lower the number at any time and nobody will know or care :)
I use the good reads year's goal just to make sure I give some time of my free time for reading. My goal is usually 12 books :), at least one per month. This is goes by hand with the bookclub I'm in. This way I want to make sure I gave myself time to read, because it is something I love to do, but sometimes I don't give enought time to do it. It has worked really well for me, and I keep doing it :).
I love watching your videos. Your point of view about prioritizing reading over other hobbies is really value. I didn't think about it this way, but frankly speaking I was doing it almost all the time. Watching movies or series or playing games, I felt bad, because of the fact I didn't read, but these are also my hobbies. So I'm really grateful you for talking about it in your video.
YES!!! More isn’t better, I strive to live a well rounded life. When I set my reading goal, I also set a reading “cap.” So if I’m 15 books ahead of my goal in February, that’s telling me my life is unbalanced. Everyone’s balance looks different but for me there is such a thing as too much reading!
I like having a reading goal because I suck at managing my free time. Since I started participating in the GoodReads challenge, I have spent more time reading and less time mindlessly scrolling through social media. That said, all of the points that you made against setting a specific reading goal number are totally fair points.
I use storygraph and you can choose to make a goal to read a certain number of pages or even hours of audiobooks, and I found that really helped my reading, I do enjoy that setting goal thing with my hobbies, and I used to only put 52 books as a goal anyway, but since doing the page number I now find it way easier to just read 20 pages, cos that's 20 pages to my goal! Instead of it being 'only 20 pages towards finishing this book'. I also find it easier to dnf, cos those read pages still count, and choosing to mood read rather than forcing myself to be in a mood for a particular book just because I'm close to finishing it. Honestly, I could write an essay about how much I love the page goal 😂
I set the same achievable goal on Goodreads every year (24 books), but I’ve definitely moved to focusing more on reading thoughtfully and thinking about the ideas in the books I do read.
I put my goal VERY LOW and increase it during the year as I get closer. I don't really want to set a reading goal challenge, but I like the stats and whatnot that it shows at the end
I give myself a numbered goal that I can easily achieve, like 15-20. So this way I don't put pressure on myself, but it also helps me to chose reading over other activities when I hesitate between two things. I went through a good 3 years of no reading at all so I'm glad to be back to it!
That's really a refreshing plan! I feel less guilty about reading 1 or 2 books only through the year because of my short attention span and because when I like a book i really take my time reading it but then i find everyone else reading fast when they enjoy a book which makes me think something is wrong with me or maybe reading isn't my thing but i know i love reading.... I started to do what everyone is doing and set 10 books to read for this year but i am glad u made this video it changed how i should look at it and how i should plan to read what i enjoy and prefer! 🥺❤️
If you end up enjoying the raven boys (or not!!) I would HIGHLY recommend The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater! It’s a fantasy standalone, super atmospheric, inspired by folklore and deeply creepy. It’s SO GOOD! It’s my favourite of hers 😌
I’ve been doing the reading challenge since 2018 and I’ve never raised my goal from 52 even tho I doubled it in 2022 and 2023. It’s more of just a reminder to keep it at the front of mind but no pressure
I changed a lot so far this year. I deleted Goodreads, I unhealed over 150 books from my shelves and I decided to not read, when I don't feel like reading. It sounds simple, but it feels more authentic to me. Let's see how that start is going to continue in the year.
love the raven boys - just reread the four books last year so I would be refreshed for the spin off series, the dreamer trilogy. I didn't like it as much, but it was definitely original. t. kingfisher has a follow up to what moves the dead coming out this year called what feasts at night. I think what moves the dead was my favorite book of last year. loved it. my reading goal is the same as it has been for many years - read the books that I own that I haven't read. I am 52, so there are books on there that I have owned for 20 years that I haven't gotten to (but still want to read!). it tends to be big fat nonfiction and a lot of poetry collections, with some novels. the last time I had read all of the TBR I owned was...1998. lol. and like the next day I passed a box of free books on the sidewalk and took 10 of them aaaand....here we are. it has varied between 50-100 books, there are about 75 there now. I buy very very very few new books, but I do acquire books from used book sales and little free libraries, I also live within walking distance of three libraries so I don't tend to get to a lot of books from that shelf because I am constantly picking up new things, getting books as gifts, and giving into the siren song of the library. but I really want to get that shelf read because I feel like it will be so freeing to just read from the library or read whatever I pick up right away without those books sitting there.
i struggle a lot with like focusing and having a short attention span when reading so i decided to do this thing every night where i set a timer for 1 hour and look up background noises and dedicate that hour to reading. i was scared at first that it would feel like homework and one of my fears is that im loosing my passion for reading just because its so time consuming and as my attention span detiriorates, so does my want to read, but this routine seems to be helping me read a lot more🙃 i really hope i rediscover the passion i felt as a child when reading because ive made being a bookworm my identity and i dont need that existential crisis right now lol
You are so wise, like really in tune with the world! You inspire me so much Leonie. I 've been watching you for a long time and I love our little bookish family so much ❤
I read lots of collections of essays cover to cover! I actually find them easier to read because they're small encapsulated stories, like reading articles :D. I will have one essay collection and then a couple of fiction books I read at the same time.
I highly recommend a kindle case with a kick-stand! I like to have it stand up on the table while I eat. They also make ones that look like old leather-bound books!
I really agree with what you said about perceiving reading as a superior hobby. I have been doing that myself, but this year I really want to focus on what makes me happy, and which hobby fits my mood. This year is also the first year I have set my reading goal to 1 book because I'm really trying to take the pressure out of it!
I'm also very interested in picking up A Tempest of Tea! It just sounds so good. Another release I'm curious about is Someone to build a nest in, which is supposed to be an adorable(?) sapphic horror fantasy romance about monster hunters from the perspective of the monster.
The Raven Cycle is definitely on my all time favorites list, and I definitely recommend it if you love a good atmospheric read! And it's so character driven! It's been a couple years for me (because I was busy with the follow up series), and it's on my reread list for this year.
