Back in November I took a small break from blogging which has helped me read more books in the past few weeks than I normally would have. Now that the end of 2017 is drawing closer and closer, I have been reflecting on my reading goals for 2018, and thinking a lot about what I want to focus on and get more out of my reading this next year. In this, I came up with a few ”rules” for myself that will guide my book buying and reading habits after the end of 2017. I thought I could share them here:

Project TBR: Read at least 10 books that I already own.

I guess a lot of bookish people are no strangers to the struggles of an ever-growing TBR pile, slowly taking over the bookshelves. I am one of those people. I have gathered so many books, some of which I no longer even want to read. These books take precious space on my bookshelves that I need for new ones. So, I have decided that I need to start dealing with my TBR one book at a time and, since I am so bad at reading books that I already own, the goal for 2018 is to read at least 10 of them and decide whether I want to keep some or give them away. With that goal in mind I proceeded to establish some more.

Read one new book release of each month.

One of the ways that books have been piling up in my apartment is because I have allowed myself to buy one new book release each month. Before a given month is through, I sit down with a cup of tea and go over the upcoming releases. After this relaxing “ritual” I am too excited but I only indulge myself to one book. The problem is that I then proceed to put it on my bookshelves and treasure it for “when the time comes”, in my mind, to read it. Consequently, the pile is growing and growing. Still, I want to stay in touch with new releases even when there are so many older books that I really want to read. So, the second rule is to buy and read one new book release each month.

Read four classics.

In all this excitement of new releases and my favourite genres (SFF, fiction), I forget to read my classics. Whenever I visit a bookstore I only let myself buy a classic since, you know, it’s a more excusable treat for giving into the higher price. And if I don’t actually make a point of reading classics, I forget about them in favour of other, more easily accessible books. Well, this year I will start with a classic and read three more until April, so that my goal is reached. Plus, this makes four books off my TBR shelf with six more to go. On the left are the four classics I want to read in 2018.

Project: Pulitzer in the 2010’s

Probably my most favourite literary award and the one that I consult annually for book recommendations is the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. I’ve read quite a few Pulitzer winners and, so far, I have never been disappointed. This new year I have decided to dive into the Pulitzer and see if I’d like to make this a new annual reading tradition for myself. I will start “easy” with books that have won the prize from 2010 until 2018 and see if I will move back in time later on. For now, on the right, these are the Pulitzer winners of the 2010’s that I haven’t yet read and am planning on reading. Of course the 2018 winner is to be announced next year.

Project: Horror October 

My next project is a repetition of this year’s horror October in which I spend the whole month reading horror fiction. It gives me the opportunity to explore a genre which I tend to neglect the rest of the time because it takes time and effort to find good recommendations from people who know horror. October is the perfect month for me to dive into horror stories and discover new books that I might have otherwise missed.

Top 10 of 2017

This is one of my most exciting goals for 2018. It’s based on the fact that each year my reading tastes change and grow. Back in 2015, YA fiction was my go to genre because when I got back into reading books, YA was the most easily accessible and most promoted genre on BookTube. Each year since then, I have been constructing a mental list of books that I really want to read but for some reason I haven’t. Books that, whenever I see around, I think to myself: “I really want to read this book!”. I sat down and compiled a list of books that, in 2017, I have wanted to read the most. These are the books that I don’t want to let another year pass without having read them. On the left you can see some of my picks.

Project: My Year With Robin Hobb

My last two reading goals for 2018 are also the most exciting. The first one is a readathon of one of my favourite fantasy authors, Robin Hobb. I find it inexcusable that I haven’t yet read the entirety of her series taking place in the Realm of the Elderlings and this has to change. So from the beginning of January and until the end of the year I want to read all 16 main novels in her series, including a re-read of the Liveship Traders trilogy. I am so excited!

Read 5 SFF series

And finally, my last goal for 2018 is to complete 5 science fiction or fantasy series, one of them being the whole Realm of the Elderlings series. The other four series I have picked out to read in 2018 include:

The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

The Vorrh trilogy by Brian Catling

The Sarantine Mosaic duology by Guy Gavriel Kay 

The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson

So these are my reading plans for 2018! I’m looking forward to the new year and I hope to be able to finish all 83 books that I have in my excel planner! Most importantly, I’m hoping to enjoy most of my picks!

What are you planning on reading in the new year? Any new projects you are excited to begin?

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas time and a New Year filled with literary joy!

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