On Swap Bot, I’m a co-founder of a group called Carpe Librum. As you might expect, it’s all about books. One of the swaps I started at the beginning of the year was for 2014 reading goals. I find I do much better with goals if I have accountability, and a swap provided that. Eventually I had to cancel the series due to lack of interest, but I kept to my 2014 reading goals.
To continue accountability, I thought I would post my 2014 reading goals, and where I’m at with them. Even if no one reads them, I still feel like I’m being held accountable.
#1: Read 60 books
I figured I could manage a book a week, so my original goal was 50 books. Then I thought that looked puny, so I upped it to 60 books.
How many have I read? 40 according to Goodreads. Goodreads counts short stories, so the actual number of novels is 36. I’m still head of schedule, since I should be about the 25 book mark.
#2 Read 6 Non Fiction books
Last year I averaged a non fiction book a month. I was going to make the goal 12 books this year, but I was concerned I’d not manage that. I figured a non fiction book every other month wasn’t a bad balance.
Right now I’m at 1 non fiction finished this year, The Blogger Abides, by Chris Higgins. I’m not concerned that I won’t make this goal, I have 4 non fiction books sitting in a stack, waiting to be read, and I’m “in progress” reading 2 more.
#3 Start JD Robb’s In Death Series
My grandmother got me interested in JD Robb’s In Death series years ago. I made it through the first 6 in paperback. From there, it was pretty much whatever book or audiobook I could get my hands on. My goal this year was to read the first 10 books, in order.
I completed the 10th book, Witness In Death May 13, so I’ve completed this goal. I may read a few more this year, but since I went through most of them straight in a row, I’m a little burned out.
#4 Read The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern
I’d heard good things about The Night Circus, so I wanted to get around to reading it. I’d had a copy for over a year, but never opened it.
I ended up listening to it on audiobook, and finished it May 25. It wasn’t as good as I had hoped. The descriptions were gorgeous, but the plot was boring. I wrote about it in my May reading log.
#5 Read One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
I keep meaning to read it, and I’m referencing it in a story I’m writing, so I should read it to understand. I have a copy, but I haven’t started it.