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Darling readers, my first reading goal of 2021 is to not reread  Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series more than twice.  I’m kidding, mostly, but, well, stranger things have happened. (This is not even remotely a goal for Ashley.)  My current plan is to start rereading them (again) in a few weeks, and we’ll see about that potential second reread after the next book is consumed read in February or March.  In all seriousness, one of my goals is finishing all the Virtual Book Club books before book club starts, so you’ll have to sign up here to join us for the discussion of the extended trilogy, on Friday, February 12 at 7:30 p.m. CST and find out if I start out this goal with success, or not.  Regardless, there will be spoilers.

All kidding aside, my general goal is (recently) read all the Virtual Book Club books before discussing them with you, dear readers.  I’m formally adding that to my goal list, along with a few more.  Here’s the thing though, I’m mostly pleased with my reading life, so I’m not changing much.  I still want to read at least one non-fiction book a month, and I still want to include more diverse authors and characters in my reading life.  Other than that, I’m shooting for averaging two books each week, for a total of 104 and calling my goals done.  I’m not shoulding on myself with titles I’ve purchased that I have not opened, nor am I looking at my unread titles on my bookshelf with guilt.  It’s just data, and as such, it doesn’t get to have feelings or to put upon mine.  Ashley and I will still be bringing you a title almost every week on Thursday.  (I can’t say every week because, well, it’s Thursday, and this isn’t a title, but this could be the exception that makes the rule.)  Are these all SMART goals that I’ll be following up on regularly?  No, but they are goals that I’ll be at least glancing at monthly during our Reading Life Review posts.  We list out the titles we’ve read every month to share with you, but also as a check in for us to see if we need any course correction to hit our goals.  In addition to these check-ins, I’ll be using Goodreads to track my goals.  I’ll join the reading challenge to help me stay (maybe) on track with my total number and see where it leads.  It also gives me a great list each month to help compile the list for the Reading Life Review.  

What should your reading goals be for 2021?  Well, I can’t answer that, but I can refer you to one of my favorite humans I wish I was cool enough to know in real life, Kendra Adachi, and her podcast and book.  Yes, I was on the launch team and was gifted an e-book early, but I also paid cash dollars to pre-order my own hardback copy (that my eight year old promptly stole) and am a patreon supporter of hers as well.  Start with this Lazy Genius Principle: Name what matters.  For my reading life, it matters that my goals don’t cause me stress, that they’re realistic, and that they support my overall goal of becoming a better version of myself.  I don’t choose goals that should on me, but goals that guide my choices towards the direction I wish to travel.  It matters to me that I’m prepared for book club, that the number of books I want to read doesn’t turn into a stressful competition (see also Monday’s post wherein I state I can reach my adapted number goal, but I am calling it a win and mood reading instead), and that I learn things in the books I read.  I want to branch out of my comfort zone, and will seek out titles and authors that will do that.  It matters that I do not stay stagnant as a person, and it matters that I find ways to grow and learn about myself, my neighbors, and the world around us.  

So, darling readers, what matters to you and how can your reading goals, should you choose to set some, reflect that?  

~Nikki 

Goals! Goals! Goals! I love GOALS! Why? Because goals are a way most people strive for ‘perfection’ in their lives, and that makes my little, Grinchy, Enneagram Type 1 heart so happy. I love helping others achieve their goals, and I’m here to cheer you on to whatever badassery your goal-setting self decides it needs. I discussed all about my Enneagram Type 1-ness in last year’s post about setting 2020 Reading Goals and I wax poetic all the time about my Plum Paper Planner Obsession. #sorrynotsorry Capital O needed. (Gentle reminder to DM us on socials or the post comments  if you decide to make a purchase of $30 or more to get a coupon code for 10% off your order and to help keep me in my sticker habit. I will need more pink dots real soon, that’s the color for digital library books, the pack only came with 25. I foresee running out of that color by May. Still not sorry.)

Nothing much has changed in the physical way I’m going to log my reading life and measure my goal of 100 books in 2021. (Why mess with a good thing?) I have invested (also obsessively) in color coding stickers this year! This way I will be able to see at a glance how I am consuming titles – kindle, audio, dead tree, library, etc. – see above about how I am going to run out of the pink ones real fast – Last year’s writing in the dots got frustrating because the colors would change every month, I’d run out of a color by the next month, etc, etc, blah blah blah. I didn’t prefer it, so I decided I would change that up. I have decided just now as I am typing that I will also color code for fiction or nonfiction titles! That’s easy enough, I’ll write fiction in black ink and nonfiction in blue. That way I can most easily see if I am meeting or exceeding my goal of 2 nonfiction titles a month. I already have a short list of real estate and business books, but I really want to see if I can get some new release nonfiction on my list this year. I’m up for all the suggestions in that regard. [Nikki here: The thought of doing this makes my head spin, but it makes Ashley happy, so remember – you do you!]

I have a few other re-reads planned this year (besides the first re-read of ACOTAR for book club): finishing up Harry Potter, probably Percy Jackson, and some nonfiction titles that I need a refresher on – these most probably will be audio versions but we’ll see what happens. I am of course still trying to put more diversity in my reading life. One area that I have noticed does not have a lot of diversity is business books. It’s filled with a lot of white men and I’m tired of their perspective. I’m making a point of finding business, finance, and real estate books written by women and/or BIPOC in 2021. I want all your suggestions! Bonus points if it’s a new release title!

I realized that my previous paragraph was a little self-serving, asking for recommendations, but what else would be appropriate in a post about goal-setting if I didn’t ask for help in reaching my goals?! And since it’s our last post for 2020, how can we help you reach your goals in 2021? Hit us up in the comments or on socials.

~Ashley

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