Looking Ahead to 2018

I’m not huge on setting specific goals for myself in any respect – I’ve never been much of a New Year’s resolution maker – and especially when it comes to reading. I really enjoy planning my reading, in that I have a huge list of all the books and series I’d like to read someday. But generally I like the freedom and flexibility to choose the next book or two I read based on what I’m hankering for at that particular moment. But it is nice to have some vague goals and plans for the year ahead so that hopefully at the end of the year I can feel some sense of accomplishment (assuming I achieve my goals).

Realistically, I won’t aim to read as many books as I read last year (96). I’m still not even sure how that happened. In my Goodreads profile, I’ve set a goal of 75 books for 2018. Based on last year, I think that’s achievable, but the number isn’t super important to me. My bigger goal for the year (and I think every year going forward) will be to read more diverse books, especially those written by women and people of color. And I’d like to get into some older series that I’ve missed in my reading life (series that are, crucially, finished! I no longer have the patience and desire to read a series over the course of many years as they get published, beyond those I’ve already gotten into, such as Ruth Galloway and Outlander.) Lastly, I’d like to read a bit more non-fiction than I’ve done in the past.

Some of the things I’m particularly looking forward to reading include a lot of series by women:
The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin (classic adult fantasy)
Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab (adult fantasy)
The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin (adult science fiction, dystopia)
Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie (classic British mysteries)
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas (YA fantasy; apparently the last one will be published this year) 

And hopefully a lot of books covering a diversity of viewpoints:
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie (Adult fantasy / sci-fi)
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (Adult fiction / fantasy)
Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (Adult dystopian)
The Regional Office Is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales (Adult sci-fi)
Warcross by Marie Lu (YA sci-fi)

Almost all of these have at least some fantasy / sci-fi elements, and I’m okay with that. In the past few years I’ve tried to focus on more contemporary adult fiction to expand my reading horizons, but fantasy / sci-fi is where my heart really lies, so I’m giving myself permission to get back into more genre books and embrace diversity in authors rather than type of story. 

I’m really looking forward to what this year will bring! I hope you all enjoy the ride with me.

Keep reading!
Beth