Chapter Thirty

The part where we're supposed to reflect on the outgoing and plan for the incoming...

Hey you,

We made it. We have survived 2022 and now it’s almost time to start this shit all over again. How are things? Especially right now, how are you feeling? Take a moment to answer this in your journal, notes app or personal voice recordings file (I hear that’s a thing now) just write down how you’re feeling in this moment. I’d remind you about it in a few weeks’ time.

Also, this time of the year is popular for highlights and wrap ups, while I'll be sharing a bookish one on Instagram, I want to ask you something. If you don't mind sharing, what's one thing you’d remember 2022 for? It could be positive or negative, I’ll still be rooting for you.

As we reflect on the outgoing and plan for the incoming, I want us to think about “reading goals” and why we set them for ourselves or if there’s even a need for them.

Emma Gannon @emmagannon

I will never ever count how many books I've read in a year. If I turn "books read" into a tick list or achievement based goal they'll literally be nothing fun left lol

Emma Gannon has a right to her opinion, on the other hand, it gives me an ick when people with large platforms share their thoughts in condescending tones. There’s no reason for that. Personally, I believe that setting reading goals will help you actually achieve your reading goals. If you think in the back of your mind that you, for instance, “might like to read more” but don’t actually commit to anything specific, you are far less likely to actually read more when push comes to shove and life gets busy, right?

But if you instead sit down, think, and actually commit to a specific goal, then you have a far greater chance of achieving it. Bonus points if you actually tell someone or share it online, your chances go way up if you know someone will hold you accountable to your goals. Also, we’re adults and know that no one is going to beat us up if these goals are not achieved, life happens, what matters is we fucking tried, and that’s really all we can do.

Here are some tips to help you stick with your reading goals:

• Watch less television and be mindful of your time on social media.

• Schedule reading time if necessary.

• Surround yourself with books and always have a book on hand. (this includes audiobooks and ebooks)

• Join a book club, participate in a reading challenge, tune in to podcasts, subscribe to newsletters and websites that align with your goals.

• Read books that you want to read, not what you think you should be reading.

• Don’t be afraid to stop reading books that aren’t working for you.

On that note, if you’d like to participate in the 2023 Something Bookish Reading Challenge, you can join the challenge on Storygraph or use the prompts as a personal guide when shopping for books. Life is already hard, we shouldn’t make it harder on ourselves.

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Just a friendly reminder, in the Something Bookish household, we don’t compare ourselves with other readers, because we’re aware we all don’t have the same paths, we’re just here for a good time.

Thank you so much for reading and I look forward to being in your inbox in 2023.

Happy New Year, Dearest! x