2024 Goals Check-In and Setting 2025 Goals

It's the end of "end of the year list" season, so I'm losing steam, but we're going to crawl over the finish line with my Goals post revisiting the goals I set for myself in 2024 and then mostly forgot about (though I feel like I did a good job getting through them) and setting new goals I will quickly forget for 2025. I like setting these parameters for my reading at the start of the year, and this year, they're mostly a practical to-do list, like clearing off my physical TBR before I no longer have access to it. I also treated myself to a brand new Kindle because my old refurbished one no longer consistently works, so I'm incredibly excited to read plenty of e-books this year.

2024 Goals Check-In

Goal 1: Read 75 books. 

Complete! I made it to 100 books, which, if I'm being honest, was my real goal all along. I try to aim for setting my goal in a more attainable range, and anything over 100 feels like too much to ask for. Luckily, I got 104 books finished, so I can put this goal in the win column. 

Goal 2: Reading should be fun!

I honestly had a great time reading this year. I focused on books I was interested in. I didn't pressure myself with ARCs, reading the trendiest books right away, or thinking that I should be reading one thing or another. I had a really good time reading this year and fully reignited my spark as a reader and a writer.

Goal 3: Re-read and read as a writer.

I actually did this! Largely with Sally Rooney books, but I'm still counting this as a win. I thought I'd get in a reread of My Year of Rest and Relaxation to see if I'd feel differently about it now, but that didn't quite happen, so that's moved on to 2025. I also did try to put in an effort to deconstruct what authors were doing that made their stories work even further. Often, for this exercise beyond my regular reviewing, I would pick up books I loved off my shelf to read passages. 

Goal 4: Save book purchases only for using gift cards and purchasing used books or as major treats. Use the library for physical books too!

I used the library a ton this year and for most of the physical books I read, so I think that I can say I did this even though I did a big book haul on my trip. Prior to that, I'd bought maybe 3 total books this year. Buying books on a trip where they're both great reads and souvenirs feels valid to file under a "major treat." I bought Intermezzo with a gift card and used credit card points to buy ebooks.

Goal 5: Read 5 books from various literary prize shortlists/winners.

This didn't happen... I was more cognizant of list season this year. That was a change, but I didn't quite make it to five. Maybe I could scrape it together if I looked at the long lists (changed the goal a bit) of enough prizes, but that would purely be coincidence. I read Headshot because it was Booker long listed and Wild Houses was incidentally also on the list I'm realizing now. I have been trying to read Creation Lake and Orbital for the last month, but the library cards have not fallen in my favor. I did read Martyr and All Fours that are on the National Book Awards finalists, but again, that wasn't with intention for this goal. I read them both before the list came out. I'm realizing this wasn't a great goal to put a number on because these lists come out towards the end of the year when there's not much time to wait for library holds and get a list together. 

Blogger Goal 1: Get better at consistent posting!

This is probably recency bias because I've been posting a lot lately, but I feel like I've done a pretty good job with consistency throughout the year and posting at least once a week. I've been better about trying to visualize the editorial calendar in my head and pace the release of reviews. I've kept a decent bank of reviews to post when I fall behind or into reading slumps, which has been super helpful. 

Blogger Girl 2: Talk to more authors on the blog.

More was a loose word, so while I didn't get a staggering number of interviews in, I did get more and with authors I couldn't have imagined being able to interview like Alison Espach and Kate Greathead. 

2025 Bookish Goals

Goal 1: Read 75 books.

Really, it's 100 books. It's always 100 books. But I don' think that's going to be realistic this year given what 2025 will likely look like. Hopefully, I read a ton through the spring that will bolster my reading stats before summer becomes a whirlwind of trying to save as much as possible before the move and then moving and adjusting to a new school and being back in school in the fall. I'm not sure what this grad course load will be like, but it's only a year-long program, so I'm assuming it will be packed. I want to prioritize reading through it all, but I also want to be realistic when it comes to slowing down or potentially reading less to work on writing projects. Also, I don't know if I'll have as easy access to audiobooks in the second half of the year, and that always pads my reading stats to a certain extent, so I'm going to be realistic. 

Goal 2: Try out new bookish tracking systems 

I love my spreadsheet so much. I've been using it since 2016, so I'm never letting it go. I will update that spreadsheet until I die. But when I make my end of year post, I want to have all the cool graphs and random stats that people get from these apps instead of having to DIY them. I also think it's fun to have some accounts online where I can share what I'm reading before an official review comes out here. I never got into Goodreads, so I'm starting from scratch with no way to import data. I'm going to try out both of the current popular tracking apps to see which one clicks with me best. 

Goal 3: Read 3 classics.

I keep saying I'm going to read the rest of Jane Austen's works. I feel like I should read Wuthering Heights and The Great Gatsby. I put it off constantly because there are so many amazing books being published every day that I'm honestly more interested in. So three feels like a good compromise. Baby steps. 

 

Goal 4: Finish reading my physical TBR before I leave home and make a big dent in my digital TBR.

The ARCs and digital books and random books I've bought over the last 2 years are piling up, and I'm certainly not taking them with me when I move, so I have some work to do on burning through the books I already have at home. If I don't read them before September, I'm probably never going to (which is maybe a statement in itself).

Goal 5: Enjoy UK bookstores.

This is usually the spot where I talk about my book buying ban, but I'm moving to London! I'm going to enjoy bookstores and book events and the literary scene. I'm going to want to read the books I can't get here (I already have a running list). Books are a lot cheaper there, and while I can't collect a ton of physical objects, I'm making myself a book budget, and I'm not going to feel guilty about it.

Blogger Goal 1: Keep up the momentum even when things get busier with work, move, school, etc.

Life is going to get more hectic again, but I want to always be reading a book. I don't care if I'm making epic progress on it, but I want to make sure I'm always reading something and I know what I'll pick up after it. I want to retain the enthusiasm and keep reading as a respite. 

Blogger Goal 2: Go to as many bookish events as possible.

I love a book event. Love it. My small town doesn't present many opportunities for that, but part of the point of moving is to soak up every chance to see an author talk or connect with fellow writers. I want to join a book club. I want to live at Waterstones. I want to live my bookish life to the fullest.