Well, with the year ending tomorrow, there is no better time for this post- a year-end look at my reading goals. I know that many people are against reading goals but for me, they help steer my book choices and help me to think critically about my habits. (If they are not for you, that is absolutely fine!) While I did not meet all of my goals, I am still proud that I tried and the lasting impact that they’ve made. In any case, let’s look at my 2024 Reading Goals Wrap-up!
Read Female Authors for 80% of Books Read- 160/190 = 84%
This goal was added a few months into the year, but I am so glad that I did. Female authors are widely underrepresented in many, many genres. I read a lot of mysteries, and outside of cosy mysteries, it is still somewhat a male genre (if you aren’t including thrillers, which I do not). In terms of non-fiction, history and biography are mainstays for me. Both are dominated by male authors, even when the subject is a woman.
So, I’ve made it a priority to support and recommend books from female authors. If I can help show publishers that we want to see more books from women, I will.
It has been a tad difficult when I start a series by a male author. However, that simply means that I focus on finding more books written by women to balance out my numbers.
I know that many people say that they do not look at the gender of the author, but that attitude only serves to reinforce the status quo. Be the change you want to see, right?
Use Library, NetGalley, Owned Books for 80%+ of Books Read – 137/190 = 72%
This is the one goal that I did not achieve, but I am okay with that. The point of this goal was largely to save my wallet, but several of the books I bought were either on sale for $3 CAD or I used points- in any case, my book budget remained intact!
Sidenote: I have noticed that as people keep sharing their love for libraries on social media and among their friends and family, the waiting lists at the library get longer and longer. As I am a mood reader, sometimes I am no longer in the mood to read it when it finally comes through six months later. I’m okay with buying these books, though! (It is supporting the authors, which is not a bad thing.)
Read 25 New to Me Authors – 98/25
This is a goal that I think I can finally retire, as I’ve built a permanent habit of it! I make a point on NetGalley and in the library catalogue to poke through books from authors I do not recognise. And that has really paid off, I’ve discovered some fantastic authors.
Read 1 Classic a Month- 12/12
This was an interesting goal for me. While I won’t be doing this goal in 2025 (more on that below), I loved trying books and authors that I normally would not. Several of these were books that I read parts of in high school, so it was fulfilling to read them start to finish. And quite frankly, it is great to be able to speak about more classics. It turns out that The Age of Innocence, my first pick of the year, was my favourite!
I am not carrying on with this goal for a couple reasons, though. It can be difficult to balance out with my goal of reading more female authors. It also tends to focus on white authors, and reading diversely is important for all of us!
January- The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton
February- Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell
March- Agnes Grey, Anne Brontë
April- Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
May- Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie
June- Whose Body, Dorothy Sayers
July- Middlemarch, George Eliot
August- Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie
September- The Red House Mystery, A.A. Milne
October- The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
November- Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Jules Verne
December- Old Christmas, Washington Irving
I hope you’ve enjoyed my 2024 reading goals wrap-up, and that I’ve inspired your own reading reflections!
Cheers,
The Historian
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