Reading is one of my favorite activities. Over the last few years, I have always read about 70 years annually. I have also realized that I tend to read mainly books that are easy to read for me, i.e. I love fantasy novels for instance and read a lot of that genre. Obviously, apps like my public library one and Kindle Unlimited know my reading preferences and suggest mainly novels they know I’ll like. So this year I want to try a slightly different approach and challenge myself a little more. I couldn’t find a reading challenge online that I felt totally drawn to, so I have come up with my own ideas.
In 2019 I want to read a book:
- that takes place in a country I haven’t lived in
- about a historic event
- about science and technology
- about new economic ideas
- that is older than 100 years and that I don’t have to read for work
- by an author of color
- by a Novel laureate in Literature
- made into a movie or series
- about an ethic issue
- recommended by my students
- a classic play that I don’t have to read for work
- about politics
- memoir
- by a feminist writer
- in a language other than German or English
- short story or essay collection
- about nature or the environment
- by an indigenous author
- by an author whose writing style I don’t enjoy
- that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- published in 2019
I think these twenty-one objectives will bring a bit more variety to my reading. Hopefully, they also help me to reduce my TBR pile. Even though I try to avoid buying more books, I don’t always succeed. And there are quite a few books that have been on my shelves for years, waiting to be read. I would also be okay with reading less books if my selection challenges my brain a little more.
Do you have any reading goals for 2019?
© janavar