A new year calls for some new reading goals! You’ve probably figured out by now that reading is my very favorite pastime. I need zero prompting to pick up a book, or to get through as many books as possible. However, I do need a little external motivation to guarantee that I’m making the most of my reading life. It’s easy for me to default to easy book choices: those books that appear at the top of my OverDrive list, or Kindle deals I’ve picked up on a whim. These books provide a quick reading fix, but they don’t always expand my reading horizons in ways that I would like. That’s where my reading challenges come in.

I’ve experimented with a few different approaches to my reading goals. A few years ago I made a list of specific titles I wanted to check off my list that year. Last year I took a tour of the classics, reading one book from each decade of the twentieth century. Both of those challenges had their merits, but this year I’m returning to the method I used for my 2016 reading challenge: designating twelve categories of books I want to read this year.

I am excited about this challenge because it allows for plenty of flexibility with my book choices, but also provides the structure and guidance I need to move outside my personal reading comfort zone. The twelve books I’ll read for my challenge this year will likely be titles I wouldn’t have otherwise chosen to read, but I know that reading them will enhance my life as a reader and help to grow me as a person.

Are you participating in a reading challenge in 2018? I’d love to hear about it! And if you haven’t yet set any book goals for the year, I’d be thrilled to have you join me in mine! Here’s to another year of fantastic reading!