These goals are just a general idea of what I want or don't want to do for my reading in 2020. Things may change a bit, be tweaked, etc. but I just want 2020 to just be relaxed & not trying to keep up with the "reading Jones's" and feel like I have to read a certain amount.
But, I digress and go on into some of my goals and challenges..
I will continue to do the 2020 Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge (goodreads link), as well as the Big Book Challenge (goodreads link), the Seasonal Challenge (Cozy Mysteries Group <~link to group) & the Goodreads Challenge. I will keep my Big Book Challenge low and won't put my Goodreads challenge very high either..Not 100% sure where I will set them in the final decision but right now, I plan on setting them between 3-5. I always have the choice to up them both if I want to of course.
I will be more focused on the QUALITY of books over the QUANTITY. A lot of that has to do with wanting to make sure I read more books that I enjoy & not stress myself about the amount of books I've read. That will allow me to get back to my roots of reading & DNF'ing if I need to.
Before finding booktube, I think my average was about 30-40 books a year and I was fine with that I think because I read when I felt like it at the rate that was good for me (as I am a bit of a slower reader but I generally enjoyed most books I picked up). After booktube, I would try to read more, more, more! And that was good to a point, I got through quite a few books in a year that I may not have otherwise and got me reading a lot more during a week. 2019 was a great reading year for me. Including short stories (Grimm's stories) and children's books, I got over 90 books read as of me typing this up. I am grateful for the push booktube has given me but at the same time, I found myself getting into more and more slumps each year..especially in the last few months and even going into the beginning of the New Year. I don't want to continue on that route.
Plus, with all I am dealing with emotionally in my life, I want to be able to heal as I need to heal and read what I need and want to read without worrying about a reading goal. I, as a believer, also read my bible and don't want to feel like I am missing out because I am spending more time reading my bible over fiction books. If I want to read more non-fiction and take my time with that, I want to be able to take however much time I need to read non-fiction..even if it's just one book in a month and not judging myself harshly because I am not keeping up with everyone else (which is another goal I am keeping and getting deeper into, stop the comparing! We are different at the pace we read and reading is supposed to be enjoyable, not work!).
Okay...so, on to something else!
I will not feel guilty because I may not want to read those more "diverse" books everyone reads and enjoys. As a black woman, with anxiety, depression, two sons, one of which has a physical disability possibly caused by the hydrocephalus he was also born with. Yeah, my life has enough diversity to probably fill a few books lol...and I just named a few. But, if that's what others want, that's great that they are wanting to read that...but I think I allowed myself to feel guilty because I don't have much of an interest in some of those same books...at least not for the reasons some did. If I read some of those books, it's not because they are "diverse" and I seem like I am a better person because I read it..it's because I have an interest in them..regardless of whether it's diverse or not (this may trigger some but I get that vibe off of some people, they only read those kind of books because it's the "cool" thing to do and probably even deeper reasons than that on why they do it..but it's not genuine to me with some people on why they like to read more "diverse").
I'm not sure how many readathons I will be doing. I will probably look for more month long readathons, hopefully ones that don't require you do be rigid with things. Ones that may have challenges but more relaxed. Only one that may be a bit tough on how things are done that I may do is the O.W.L.'s & N.E.W.T.'s...and that's a big may.I really loved the Reading Rush 2019 so I may participate in that one even though it's only a week long, but it's so relaxed and fun that I can just do a book or two and be fine. And I loved doing the Golden Girls readathon as well...I may look to see if that is being done again in 2020.
Okay, I'm done rambling, I think. The 2020 Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge list is below for those that want to look through it.
❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄
2020 Challenge - Regular prompts
1. A book that's published in 2020
2. A book by a trans or nonbinary author
3. A book with a great first line
4. A book about a book club
5. A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics
6. A bildungsroman
7. The first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed
8. A book with an upside-down image on the cover
9. A book with a map
10. A book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club
11. An anthology
12. A book that passes the Bechdel test
13. A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it
14. A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name
15. A book about or involving social media
16. A book that has a book on the cover
17. A medical thriller
18. A book with a made-up language
19. A book set in a country beginning with "C"
20. A book you picked because the title caught your attention
21. A book published the month of your birthday
22. A book about or by a woman in STEM
23. A book that won an award in 2019
24. A book on a subject you know nothing about
25. A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics
26. A book with a pun in the title
27. A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins
28. A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character
29. A book with a bird on the cover
30. A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader
31. A book with "gold," "silver," or "bronze" in the title
32. A book by a WOC
33. A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads
34. A book you meant to read in 2019
35. A book with a three-word title
36. A book with a pink cover
37. A Western
38. A book by or about a journalist
39. Read a banned book during Banned Books Week
40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
Advanced prompts
1. A book written by an author in their 20s
2. A book with "20" or "twenty" in the title
3. A book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement (a nod to 20/20 vision)
4. A book set in the 1920s
5. A book set in Japan, host of the 2020 Olympics
6. A book by an author who has written more than 20 books
7. A book with more than 20 letters in its title
8. A book published in the 20th century
9. A book from a series with more than 20 books
10. A book with a main character in their 20s
