My 2018 Bookish Goals

I decided to make a list of 100 things I’m going to do in 2018, everything from read 52 books to watch every Star Wars movie to donate blood to learn to tie a bowtie, and I’m really excited to complete them all. However, I noticed that A LOT of my goals were book related, so I wanted to share the all with you. This is also moderately inspired by the Owlcrate booktube video 2018 Bookish Goals, which I loved.

Give 10 books as gifts

I love giving gifts and I love books so this is a reasonable goal for me and will hopefully enrich the people around me!

Host 5 Owlcrate Society Giveaways

I have so many books and I get so many from publishers so I need to start giving them away! I am planning to do AT LEAST five giveaways in the Owlcrate Society FB group this year, so if you aren’t there yet, check it out.

Get a New Haven Library Card

I go to Yale but I don’t have a New Haven library card. I still use my KY home library card to use Hoopla and Overdrive and all that, but I want to get a New Haven library card before I graduate!

Write monthly releases blogs every month

This is something I successfully did last year but I want to keep it up this year!

Complete 25 literary apothecary recommendations

I started doing this thing I’ve called “Aryssa’s Literary Apothecary” where I give people informed book recommendations because everyone is ALWAYS asking me for recommendations. I want to start using this more and getting my name out there as a recommender. You can check it out here and help me meet this goal. 

Read a book by one of my professors

As a Yale english student I’m blessed with some amazingly talented professors. This semester I’ll be taking advanced fiction writing with Michael Cunningham and doing a writing project with John Crowley, so I’lll hopefully pick up a book by them or another professor I’ve had through the years such as R Clifton Spargo, Cynthia Zarin, or David Bromwich.

Read a book by a Nobel Prize winner

This is just a personal goal that’s guaranteed to enrich me as a reader. I’m thinking I’ll read something by Kazuo Ishiguro or Orhan Pamuk.

Read a Stephen King novel

The only Stephen King novel I’ve read is 11/22/63 and apparently that is not his typical book, so I want to read one of his more popular books. I’m thinking I’ll read Misery, since I really enjoyed the movie.

Visit the Strand Bookstore

I’m going to be interning at a publishing company in NYC during the spring semester so I’m going to venture out of the midtown office and to the Stand bookstore so I can cross that off my bucket list!

Go to an author’s book signing

I don’t go to enough of these for someone that reads so much, but I’m not huge on “signed books” so I’m more going for the experience. Luckily, the Yale bookstore brings a lot of great authors! Unfortunately, I missed Gregory MaGuire’s visit in December but I’m planning to go to Laura Willig’s reading on her book The English Wife in February. The English Wife was my December book of the month pick!

Read every book by Kasie West

I discovered Kasie West in 2017 after reading her book By Your Side, which I won in an Owlcrate Society giveaway, and now I’ve read a couple of her other books, including The Distance Between Us and Love, Life, and the List. I’m planning to read her other books in 2018. I love being able to say I’ve read everything an author has ever written.

Finish re-reading the Harry Potter series

In 2017 I had to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for my children’s literature course and it reminded me of how much I loved the series. I ended up reading Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban over the summer, but now I’m hoping to finish reading the rest of the books (4-7) in 2018.

Complete the Popsugar Reading Challenge

This is a pretty broad goal, but I’m going to do it dang it! You’ll see my blog posts about their prompts throughout the year to help you and me complete those really specific prompts. This will coincide with my overall reading challenge.

Complete the FFL Reading Challenge

Each year I create a 10 prompt reading challenge for the right-of-center political blog I write for, and this year I’ll be completing it as well, though some of those books will of course count towards my Popsugar challenge. The prompts include things like a book with America in the title, a book about an American war, a book by a 2018 candidate, etc. You can find the complete challenge here. 

Read at least 52 books

Last year I planned to read 125 books and ended up reading 142. However, this year I’m graduating from college, moving out into the real world, and finishing the first draft of my novel, so I’m lowering my goal. I also have plans to read some BIG books this year and more classics, which sometimes slow me down.

Listen to 30 audiobooks

Last year I discovered this amazing service offered by my library called Hoopla and began listening to audiobooks obsessively. It makes my walk to class and my down time pass productively. Last year I listened to like 20 audiobooks I think, so this year I want to listen to at least thirty, though I’ll probably surpass that.

Read War and Peace

in 2013 or 2014, I can’t remember, I started reading War and Peace before giving myself a horrid paper cut and putting the book down around 200 pages. I haven’t picked it up since but seeing the Broadway musical Natasha, Pierra, and the Great Comet of 1812 renewed my interest and I’m going to read it all in 2018 dang it!

Read Catcher in the Rye

I know, I know. It’s ridiculous that I haven’t read this book yet, and I feel like I have to in order to be considered a real English major. It’s not that big of a book so I’ll hopefully fly through it and be able to cross it off my list.

 

What are some of your 2018 bookish goals?