It’s a new year and time to focus on new goals! For the past few years I have participated in the GoodReads Reading Challenge. The goal is to set a number of books that you hope to read within the given year. I’m sad to say that I fell short on my 2018 goal, reading only 55 of my 75 books pledged. So, I was very determined to meet my 2019 goal, and then some! I set the same goal of 75, but this time I read like the book obsessed librarian that I am, and came through with a final tally of 85 – 10 more than what I expected. For 2020, I’m trying to keep this momentum going and have pledged 85. Something that I am keeping in mind is that I want to ensure the quality of the books I read, and not make reading that many materials a stressful endeavor. It’s definitely a balancing act! 

As for other members of the Livingston Library staff? Adult Services Librarian Jessica has even loftier reading goals, pledging 125 books in 2019. Even more impressive? She met that goal! Her 2020 goal is going to be lower, at 100, because she too felt the stress of trying to meet a competitive goal. Her aim is to spend more time enjoying the books, and also wants to try to mix in some classics that may take longer to get through.

Of course, some reading challenge purists might question whether or not certain materials count towards your totals. We even posted a previous blog post questioning if audiobooks or poetry (which tend to be smaller and easier to churn through) should count. Read all about that discussion here. I’m of the opinion that if it’s listed on GoodReads and can be added to your reading shelf, that it should count. This includes short story compilations and comic books and graphic novels.  

So tell us blog readers, what are your 2020 reading goals?

-Katie Neylan, Head of Adult Services