A Mid-Year Reading Goal Check In
Featuring sub-par results and memes
Since it is nearly the end of June, I figured I should check in on how my reading resolutions for 2024 are going. Spoiler alert: not well.
As a reminder, here’s the post from the end of last year where I went through all of my goals. I’ll just be summarizing how things have been going up to this point, which again, is not well.
2024 Bookish Goals and Resolutions
Read 100 books
I have currently read 40 books. The nice thing about round numbers is that they’re easy to do math with. And the math says I’m 10 books behind. Hopefully by the end of the week I will have finished another 2, which will put me at 42 total, so then I’ll only be 8 books behind. Do I have a plan for how I’m going to catch up? See Michael Scott below:
Aside from reading graphic novels and maybe adding another audiobook into rotation, no, I do not have a plan. Probably should take what Anne Helen Petersen calls an ‘absorption vacation’ and take a weekend to do nothing but read.
Status: Not good
Read 12 French books
I have currently read 3 French books this year. Usually I try to do one a month (hence the 12 goal), so I should be finishing my 6th book. I will finish my 4th by the end of the month. Not great, but could be worse.
At some point, I’m going to have to stop blaming the children (aka my former undergrad students) for getting me so far behind in my reading goals, but they do get some blame on this one. I was reading so many papers, and writing so much feedback, that my poor brain could not handle anything hard. And guess what reading in French is? hard.
Status: Pas si mal, mais pas bonne
Read 15 books on Everand
Finally! A goal where I’m on track! Mostly, at least. I’ve currently read 6 books on Everand, and my goal is 15. I’m listening to another audiobook from them right now, so if I finish by the end of the month that’s a total of 7, which is basically half of 15. #math.
Status: Good!!! Yay!!!
Read 15 books on Libby
And we’re right back down again after that brief and momentary high. I have read 2 books on the Libby app so far this year. Two. Dos. Due. Zwei. Aka, not nearly enough to be on track. Guess I should go read more from the library.
Status: Woof.
The No New Books Challenge
*Cackles in anticipated failure*
Look, as I said back at the end of December I say to you now: I knew I would not last long on this. I knew I would fail. This is fine. The goal was to see how long I could make it without failing. The answer so far is 50 days. I have a feeling I’ll break a few more times throughout the summer, and will try to beat my 50 day streak in the fall. Why do I think I will succeed then? A Magician never reveals her secrets!
Status: ?????
Read all my coffee table books.
Have not even begun this one. I need a different strategy here, and should start reading these in bits and pieces instead of straight through, like I do with regular novels or non-fiction books.
Status: Should get on that, really.
Finish that Audre Lorde book that I borrowed from Sam at the end of 2022 and have yet to finish or return.
Still haven’t done this yet. Sorry Sam.
Status: I’m the worst friend.
There you have it! A mid-year autopsy of how my reading goals are going so far. The overachiever in me has a twitching eye, and I still plan to complete most (if not all) of these by December 31st. I am stubborn and I am productive and I like winning. Where there’s a will there’s a way, something something something inspirational quote.
The one thing I will say for this exercise is that mid-year, or the Summer Solstice, whichever you choose, is a good time to re-evaluate what is and isn’t working this far during the year. And I definitely do need to make some tweaks on how I’m consuming books, especially if I want to meet these goals. Nothing will happen if I don’t. I’m just holding myself to incredibly high standards because of who I am as a person.1 But this also extends to the rest of my life, and it’s a good time to pause, especially as the seasons turn.
I’m off to go sulk into some tea and read more than I could ever possibly imagine in a short period of time.
How are your reading goals going for the year? Are you as impossibly behind as I am on mine? Let me know!
A Virgo, naturally.
I love this combination of you being a chaotic reader but also having very structured categories and goals! This is very familiar territory to me. (I arrived via SmallStack/SmallTalk, and chaos-structure is the reason behind my publication name!)
My only new year resolution is to not make any new year resolutions, much less publicise them! I have goals, but new goals emerge all the time. You read at a phenomenal pace. I thought I was a quick reader, but blimey. Hats off to you!