November Reading Reflections

As December quickly approaches, I find myself wondering whether or not I will meet my 2024 reading goals. In January, I set a goal to read 50 books. As of November 19 I am at 36. There are 6 weeks left of the year, so I have to read 2-3 books every week in order to meet my goal! I think I can succeed, but is that what I want? This question triggered so many more questions about why I set reading goals, and what value they bring to my life as a reader.

When I placed this year's goal, I figured I wouldn't be able to meet it. 2023 was the most productive reading year of my life; I surpassed my goal of 50 books with total of 55 books. It was my first time ever surpassing my reading goal, and it felt amazing. But going into 2024 I knew that circumstances in my life had since changed and I would have less time to devote to reading. I could have selected a lower number to reflect this, and ensure that I maintained my streak of meeting my goal. Instead, I kept my goal at 50 books. I thought this would motivate me to keep finding time to read in my daily life, and who knows maybe it would help motivate me. Keeping my love of reading alive and well was my top priority and I didn't consider how it would feel down the line watching the goal slip away from me. While January Shilah didn't care whether or not she would hit 50 as long as it motivated her to read anything, November Shilah is tired of opening Goodreads and seeing failure on the horizon.

For some perspective, I started tracking my reading in 2017 with a goal to read 12 books that year but fell short at 11. I was in college at the time, and it was pretty exciting to me that I was even maintaining my reading in any amount. Once I graduated and my time freed up, my goals starting getting more ambitious. I was reading around 20 books a year. Reading 50 books was a hugely exciting accomplishment for me, and it felt as if I was finally aligning my actions with my dream life. I wanted to think that my reading would continue on this upward trend. I have come to terms with this, happy with the fact that I am reading 5 times as many books a year in my late 20s as I did earlier in my adulthood. However, now that I have had a taste for the feeling of meeting my goals, the question is will I plow through short books, poetry collections, and graphic novels in order to up my count and hit 50? Or will I continue at my natural pace at this stage of my life and not consider my reading goal when choosing what to read?

I have decided I won't push to meet my goal, or change the goal to something I can realistically accomplish. I am in the middle of a book I am enjoying and have no desire to force myself to push through it any faster than my current pace. And after that, I hope to read the final fantasy book in a trilogy that is over 800 pages long. My reading practice is all about pleasure, and I believe I will get more pleasure out of reading what my current mood suits than I would if I reached for the success of hitting that number. This feels like a big metaphor for life but I don't feel like getting into that just now.

In January, what goal will I set for myself? I have not decided yet. But I am certain it will be another year of absolutely loving reading. Heres to hoping I continue to find a happy balance between motivation and acceptance.