I’m all done reflecting on what I read and did last year. 2020 was a good year for my reading and blogging. I read way more than I anticipated (94 books, comics, and picture books) and blogged a lot more too. My followers rose as well, which was pretty cool. 😊 Thank you everyone!
I hope such positivity for my blogging and reading will continue into 2021. I kept my reading goals manageable last year, and I plan to continue doing so this year. (I just need to limit the amount of reading events I participate in at a time.)
Many of my goals below are the same as last year.
Overall reading goals
spend less
read more of my own books
complete some series
I spent less and read more of my own books in 2020 but didn’t complete many series. I’d like to continue with these goals because I know I can do better.
Goodreads Challenge
50 books
Same as last year, but this number is perfect for me. It’s one I know I can hit easily.
Books I really want to read — and hopefully will
8 books
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
Hammer Head: The Making of a Carpenter by Nina MacLaughlin
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
It’s sad that this list has remained unchanged for the past 2 or so years. I need to do better here.
Read comics/graphic novels/mangas
20 comics
Saga, Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan, illus. by Fiona Staples
Velvet, Vol. 3: The Man Who Stole the World by Ed Brubaker, illus. by Steve Epting
Locke & Key, Vol. 2: Head Games by Joe Hill, illus. by Gabriel Rodríguez
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosch (illus.)
The Park Bench by Christophe Chaboute (illus.)
Run for It by Marcelo D’Salete (illus.)
Ruins by Peter Kuper
Monstress, Vol. 4: The Chosen by Marjorie Liu, illus. by Sana Takeda
Deadly Class, Vol. 1: Reagan Youth by Rick Remender, illus. by Wes Craig
Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 2 by Kamome Shirahama (illus.), transl. by Stephen Kohler
This list is the same as last year’s minus the Wicked + the Divine series and added manga. Whether or not I read these, I’d just like to fit in comics and more mangas into my reading.
Read picture books
8 books
The Middle Passage: White Ships, Black Cargo by Tom Feelings (illus.)
How the Stars Came to Be by Poonam Mistry (illus.)
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o, illus. by Vashti Harrison
Wild Animals of the North by Dieter Braun (illus.)
I love picture books and own quite a few, so I’d like to make it a habit to read one every now and then.
Pick up a Classic
4 books
Dracula by Bram Stoker, illus. by Becky Cloonan
The Iliad by Homer, transl. by Ennis Rees
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
I failed the Classics Reading Challenge, so I’ll update the page I have up for it. I think I managed to only read 5 books (if that much) over the years my challenge was for. I would like to try more classics because sometimes I’m surprised and actually like and understand what I read (as with Jane Eyre). So I’d like to challenge myself this year to complete 4 classics: the two I already started and two new ones.
Terrifying Reads
3 books
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buston
I managed to hit my 6-books goal for horror last year, but I halved that goal for this year to make it manageable. I have a feeling that I won’t want to read much horror this year.
Read middle grade
12 books
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The Dollmaker of Krakow by R.M. Romero
The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
Jinx by Sage Blackwood
When I was in college studying for an English degree and wearing out my mind, it was middle grade books that kept my joy of reading going (because college sure made me hate it, lol!). I’ve been reading these books on and off over the years, but I’d like to make an effort to read at least one of them each month, even if it’s a reread.
Turtle Recall
5 books
This is a Discworld reading challenge hosted by Annemieke from A Dance with Books. The goal is simply to read Discworld novels — as many as you’d like. This is the level I’m aiming for —
Level 1 / The Counterweight Continent / 1-5 Books
The Counterweight Continent is on the other end of the Unnamed Continent and Klatch. It is much smaller in landmass than either of them but makes up for it in its crust that is made almost entirely out of gold and octiron. The octiron is cause of the rare sapient pear trees the contintent has. Wood from these trees create Luggages. Beware if you come across a Luggage. It is home to the Agatean Empire.
Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett
Maskerade by Terry Pratchett
Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett
The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Mort by Terry Pratchett
I reached for the same goal last year and missed, lol. I thought I was doing great and was on-track and didn’t realize until the end of the year when I was checking my stats and all that I’d only read 3 books. No biggie. I’m back on it this year.
Read my own stuff
30 books
I participated in #StartOnYourShelfathon last year, but it doesn’t seem that it’s being continued this year. Last year’s goal was 20 books, and I’m glad to say that I surpassed that by reading 27 books. I’m so proud of myself because this usually doesn’t happen. I spent most of 2020 either reading my own books or library books.
This year, I’m pushing myself to read 30 of my own books. I think I can do it. These must be books bought before January 1, 2021.
So a quick roundup of my 2021 reading plans:
Goodreads Challenge = 50 books
Books I really want to read = 8 books
Read comics/graphic novels/mangas = 20 books
Read picture books = 8 books
Pick up a classic = 4 books
Terrifying reads = 3 books
Read middle grade = 12 books
Turtle Recall = 5 books
Read my own stuff = 30 books
I love that you read picture books. I love them too… maybe one day we’ll be able to do story time in person again at the library. 😦
Maybe you don’t really want to read those 8 books leftover from the last two years? I think it’s okay to decide that you’ve changed your mind! But I don’t know, maybe you DO want to read them, don’t listen to me! 😉
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Lol that’s a good point. But I do want to read them, I’m just very talented at procrastinating and… quite stubborn ☺️
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Great goals. I’d like to get to The Golden Compass this year as well–I’ve been meaning to read that for too long! Good luck with these!
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Thanks! 🙂 Hopefully we both get to read Golden Compass this year.
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These are awesome plans! I see some books I’ve loved on your list (Hollow Kingdom, Killers of the Flower Moon, a few others), and hope you enjoy them all! Reading your/our own books — definitely something I’m aiming for too!
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Thanks! I really want to get to Killers of the Flower Moon.
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Good luck! I really enjoyed Dracula, but then I read Frankenstein. I haven’t read any of the other classics on your list.
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Thanks! I’ve been struggling to finish that Dracula book for the past 2 years, I think. Love how atmospheric it is, but the writing throws me off sometimes.
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Yes, I totally get that! Luckily it’s on the shorter side!
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The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has been sitting on my shelves taunting me for a couple years now, too. One of these days I need to start it. I’ve never read Locke & Key but I did very much enjoy an audio drama version of it. I love the inclusion of middle grade. It’s something I never used to put any time into but recently discovered how much I enjoy them. Something about how they remind me of my youth and are just a great break from both reality and other reading. This past year I finished Howl’s Moving Castle and it was interesting comparing it to the Miyazaki movie. Very different but I enjoyed both. And I’m onboard with reading more Discworld. I just finished Equal Rites and absolutely loved it. Can’t wait to dip back into that world.
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Oh man. Locke & Key is so interesting. They have a show for it on Netflix that lots of folks think is pretty good. I’ve only seen the first episode. Didn’t like it at first, but I was probably nitpicking. I intend to try again.
Middle grade can be so light-hearted, esp the fantasy books, and I think that’s needed these days.
Equal Rites is such a good read! Do you plan to continue with the Witches books? I recently reviewed the third one, Witches Abroad. It’s my fav so far.
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I agree, the light-hearted element is one that’s currently drawing me to middle grade, likely for exactly the reason you say. And yes, I absolutely plan to continue the Discworld Witches books. For now I’ve been reading Discworld in the order it was published, so that means I’ve only read 3 books so far! 😦 But it means I have so much left in store for me. 🙂
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Oh ok. I decided to go by subseries and started with the Witches.
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Good luck on your goals!
I hope you manage to read all the books you want to!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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Thanks! Same to you.
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Killers of the Flower Moon is so good, I hope you get to it! And I loved The Golden Compass. Howl’s Moving Castle is on my TBR list as well. Happy reading in 2021!
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I’m really looking forward to those this year.
Thanks! And same to you.
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I recently read Keeper of the Lost Cities, it was good!👍 Good luck with your goals.😊
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That’s good to know. And thanks! 🙂
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I’ve been reading picture books lately and it’s been such a wonderful thing. I wish I started reading them earlier in 2020. Monstress and Saga are some of my favourite non-super hero graphic novels, although Saga is still on hiatus, I believe, and it wrecked my heart. But still excellently strange.
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Oh man! Picture books are so great. I wish more people realized that adults can get a lot out of them too.
Oh I didn’t know Saga was hiatus. I seriously need to catch up. And I love Monstress too. Both series are among my favs as well.
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Yeah Saga went on temporary hiatus so that the author could finish his work on Paper Girls and another project. Hoping it’ll get back creation soon.
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Killers of the Flower Moon is fantastic. I think about it all the time!
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I looking forward to that one the most (well, it and Golden Compass and Under the Pendulum Sun). I’m just really curious. I listened to a podcast featuring the author talking about this book, which is what first sparked my interest.
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I absolutely loved Purple Hibiscus when I read it, and I’m very excited to hear your thoughts on that one! Actually I’m very excited for your thoughts on all of these books haha. Happy reading!
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Lol! Thanks 🙂 And it’s good to know you liked Purple Hibiscus.
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Oh wow, you MUST try Hollow Kingdom. It’s horror but honestly it’s more funny than anything else. My favorite book I’ve read in the last five years!
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Yours and Mogsy’s review of it made me eager to read it.
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