2021 Reading and Learning Goals

[Rukh O'Rorke]

May I start something new? At least - I haven't seen this before? let me know and I can delete.

I haven't read a book in a while. Used to be a great reader. Looking for inspriation from others. I know many have reading goals for the year, any titles any would care to share?

Other cerebral goals for the upcoming year?

[startsmart]

Love this! I started re-reading my childhood and YA books this year to get back on the reading wagon. My main goal is to read through the books I own and reduce the new ones I buy.

My first book for January is probably going to be Hamilton, which I started and never finished. Starting from the beginning but it is a beast of a book!

Rukh- what kinds of books do you like? Any genre in particular?

[oped]

My reading goals aside from general for fun reading are: 

12 nonfiction books. My stack currently includes  Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.  You're the Only One I Told by Dr. Meera Shah, Vanguard by Martha Jones and Finding God in the Waves by Mike McHargue

12 diverse fiction books (fiction written not by white people basically)   My stack currently includes Luster by Raven Leilani and The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett 

12 books that are on my shelves but I haven't gotten around to reading... haven't picked any of those yet. 

It would be nice to chronicle progress on those goals here. 

I can't recommend those because I haven't read them yet but 1 would as I do, and 2) if anyone wanted to read one as well could do a book club or 3) pass them on to anyone who wants one, although chiver might have first refusal baked in already  

[irishpad]

I do believe oped started a thread several years ago titled something like "summer reading list?"   I tried to look for it but couldn't find it.    Lots of great suggestions in that thread.  

[saveinla]

I too have Caste on hold in the library. oped, let me know what you think when you finish it.

I have asked for 3 books from Rumi as a gift -
The Spiritual Poems of Rumi, The Love Poems of Rumi  and the Friendship Poems of Rumi. If I dont get them, I am planning to buy them myself  I recently read a few Kahlil Gibran books again and that brought up the quest to look at Rumi.

I also read a collection of short stories & poems and liked it - Alone Together: Love, Grief and Comfort in the time of Covid-19

I have also been reading a lot of mindless fiction in the past 2 weeks.

[Lizard Queen]

Study for and take the gmat.
Read some ebooks from my library. 

[oped]

I've been reading a lot of mindless fiction the past 2 months. Maybe longer. Some times, that' s what you need. 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Normally, I'd be thrilled to participate in a thread like this. However, I'm in my first year of a graduate school program. I cannot fathom anyone wants to hear about that. 

[oped]

I do! ... maybe.

[tcu2003]

I'm in! Last year my goal was to read 36 books - and thanks to Covid, I read 48! I read a mix of fiction (with specific intent to try to read at least a few books by POC), non-fiction (biographies/autobiographies are my favorite), occasionally a parenting or marriage book, and professional development/leadership type books.

If anyone is interested in connecting on GoodReads, send me a message and I'll send you a link to my user profile there. I track all of my books there for my own sanity, LOL.


ETA: 
I should add goals for  this year!  I am going to stick with 36 books again. I'm hoping my increased reading time sticks around, but I'm also trying to add in goals around spending more time outside and being active more, so we'll see how it all shakes out. I'm also ending 202/starting 2021 reading Obama's A Promised Land, which is a beast of a book in length, so I won't be plowing through any books in January at this rate.

[tcu2003]

oped, I read The Vanishing Half in November and really enjoyed it!

[nidena]

In an aim for less screen time, I'm planning on shutting my computer and cell phone off at 9pm each night and reading instead.  I'm currently reading All Things Bright and Beautiful, the second book in four by James Herriot and Bloomberg by Christ McNickle.

This endeavor did just got a little more difficult because the third of three light bulbs in the 40 year old ceiling fan in my bedroom just blew last night.  It's gonna be a few days before I can replace the fan--tried replacing the bulbs but the 40 year old receptacles don't like modern bulbs.

[Lizard Queen]

Jan 1, 2021 14:20:15 GMT -5 nidena said:

In an aim for less screen time, I'm planning on shutting my computer and cell phone off at 9pm each night and reading instead.  I'm currently reading All Things Bright and Beautiful, the second book in four by James Herriot and Bloomberg by Christ McNickle.

This endeavor did just got a little more difficult because the third of three light bulbs in the 40 year old ceiling fan in my bedroom just blew last night.  It's gonna be a few days before I can replace the fan--tried replacing the bulbs but the 40 year old receptacles don't like modern bulbs.

I just went through that with my bedroom ceiling light. Finally got it replaced yesterday. It got to the point that we couldn't even get a lightbulb to work in it without blowing. Our handyman said something was probably arching in there. He explained it better, but told my DH, who then relayed it to me, and that's all I remember about that.

Anyway, it's wonderful to be able to see in my room again, because smaller lamps was just not cutting it with the midnight blue walls.

[vetswife]

Reading "Hamilton" now.  When I need a break from that, I delve into a mystery I already own but enjoy reading again.

[vonna]

Will be reading "This is Happiness" by Niall Williams next for one of my book groups . . .

I hope the title is correct, because I could really use an uplifting read . . .

[oped]

Anybody looking for a title in particular? I'm about to start painting and think I'll start with the library first and plan to do the shelves as well so I'll be hands on all the books and weeding out 

[irishpad]

I do a fair amount of reading for work, so when I do off hours reading I tend to do more light fiction and few theological books.  

My goals this year:

    Recreational reading: 

        Finish the William Kent Krueger series.  Murder / mystery series.   Setting is on the Iron Range of MN so familiar with the territory.   I'm on book 11 of 17 right now.  

        Start the series by C.J. Box.  Similar type of series.  Setting is in Wyoming.

Autobiographies:  Recently bought Becoming by Michelle Obama and A Promised Land by Barack Obama.

[saveinla]

Jan 2, 2021 14:05:09 GMT -5 irishpad said:

I do a fair amount of reading for work, so when I do off hours reading I tend to do more light fiction and few theological books.  

My goals this year:

    Recreational reading: 

        Finish the William Kent Krueger series.  Murder / mystery series.   Setting is on the Iron Range of MN so familiar with the territory.   I'm on book 11 of 17 right now.  

        Start the series by C.J. Box.  Similar type of series.  Setting is in Wyoming.

Autobiographies:  Recently bought Becoming by Michelle Obama and A Promised Land by Barack Obama.

C.J.Box is great. I liked all the ones that I have read so far. I have not read them in order, but it does not matter. 

[azucena]

Halfway through "such a fun age" and enjoying it. Meets the POC req.

Also reading harriet hamsterbone book 3 ratpunzel with dd8

I started caste this summer but it was too deep for my mood at the time so I put it back on my list for later.

[kadee79]

As another reader...I have a suggestion....or two...

If you are purging books...don't forget that VA facilities love to get books & magazines and so do nursing homes...especially the state supported nursing homes.

I buy books at our local library's yearly book sale and once we are finished reading all of them...off they go mostly to the VA centers that my DH visits frequently.  The clinic in Tallahassee finally had to put in a book case cause I brought in so many.  It's take one, return one book case.  
One of our local nursing homes...the residents used to meet me at the door when they saw me pull up.  They LOVE magazines about anything.

[startsmart]

vetswife - I bet you'll beat me to the end of Hamilton! I recently started over because I'd begun it in 2018 and then stopped after 300 pages and could not remember where I left off or what had happened in his life. 

In addition to Hamilton, I am re-reading all of the children's and young adult books I've hoarded bought over the years. I'll continue to the end of the Boxcar Children series and then start either on Harry Potter or Trixie Belden. Or one of the other 6 series I have. 

In December I finally finished the incomplete Alphabet series by Sue Grafton, I am still annoyed at her for dying before writing Z. Oh and a friend recommended an author who put her books on sale before pulling them from Kindle so I spent $2 on 3 books which will be great when I need something a little lighter. 


Does anyone else use Goodreads? I am terrible at finding my friends on there but my profile is www.goodreads.com/user/show/69710786-kelly

[tcu2003]

Jan 2, 2021 14:05:09 GMT -5 irishpad said:

I do a fair amount of reading for work, so when I do off hours reading I tend to do more light fiction and few theological books.  

My goals this year:

    Recreational reading: 

        Finish the William Kent Krueger series.  Murder / mystery series.   Setting is on the Iron Range of MN so familiar with the territory.   I'm on book 11 of 17 right now.  

        Start the series by C.J. Box.  Similar type of series.  Setting is in Wyoming.

Autobiographies:  Recently bought Becoming by Michelle Obama and A Promised Land by Barack Obama.

Becoming was my favorite read in 2019 - I hope you love it!  I'm reading A Promised Land now and it's long.  Really long. Interesting, but whoosh - starting my year with that is going to make me question if I'm going to hit my reading goal this year. I started it on my Kindle shortly before Christmas and I think I'm up to 40% now - and I go back to work tomorrow, so I will have even less time to read. That said, It's due back to the library soon, so I need to power through. And not turn on the wifi on my Kindle until I'm done so I don't lose it and have to wait on it to become available again. 

[tcu2003]

Jan 3, 2021 15:53:54 GMT -5 startsmart said:

Does anyone else use Goodreads? 

I use GoodReads and love it! I just followed you/sent you a friend request on there. Feel free to message me here to confirm it's me as I'm guessing it'll look like I'm a stranger.  :-) 

[steph08]

Jan 3, 2021 17:36:54 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Jan 3, 2021 15:53:54 GMT -5 startsmart said:

Does anyone else use Goodreads? 

I use GoodReads and love it! I just followed you/sent you a friend request on there. Feel free to message me here to confirm it's me as I'm guessing it'll look like I'm a stranger.  :-) 

I just signed up for goodreads, so feel free to message me if you both want someone else to follow!

[Happy prose]

Jan 3, 2021 17:33:37 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Jan 2, 2021 14:05:09 GMT -5 irishpad said:

I do a fair amount of reading for work, so when I do off hours reading I tend to do more light fiction and few theological books.  

My goals this year:

    Recreational reading: 

        Finish the William Kent Krueger series.  Murder / mystery series.   Setting is on the Iron Range of MN so familiar with the territory.   I'm on book 11 of 17 right now.  

        Start the series by C.J. Box.  Similar type of series.  Setting is in Wyoming.

Autobiographies:  Recently bought Becoming by Michelle Obama and A Promised Land by Barack Obama.

Becoming was my favorite read in 2019 - I hope you love it!  I'm reading A Promised Land now and it's long.  Really long. Interesting, but whoosh - starting my year with that is going to make me question if I'm going to hit my reading goal this year. I started it on my Kindle shortly before Christmas and I think I'm up to 40% now - and I go back to work tomorrow, so I will have even less time to read. That said, It's due back to the library soon, so I need to power through. And not turn on the wifi on my Kindle until I'm done so I don't lose it and have to wait on it to become available again. 

I do the same thing on my Kindle for library books! Over the holidays, I just couldn't finish a book in 14 days.

[nidena]

Jan 2, 2021 14:05:09 GMT -5 irishpad said:

I do a fair amount of reading for work, so when I do off hours reading I tend to do more light fiction and few theological books.  

My goals this year:

    Recreational reading: 

        Finish the William Kent Krueger series.  Murder / mystery series.   Setting is on the Iron Range of MN so familiar with the territory.   I'm on book 11 of 17 right now.  

        Start the series by C.J. Box.  Similar type of series.  Setting is in Wyoming.

Autobiographies:  Recently bought Becoming by Michelle Obama and A Promised Land by Barack Obama.

There's a follow-up documentary for Becoming on Netflix.  I watched it in March after reading the book.  Both are great.

[Tennesseer]

Dec 31, 2020 15:10:21 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

May I start something new? At least - I haven't seen this before? let me know and I can delete.

I haven't read a book in a while. Used to be a great reader. Looking for inspriation from others. I know many have reading goals for the year, any titles any would care to share?

Other cerebral goals for the upcoming year?

What type of fiction/non-fiction interests you?

I am a fan of historical novels which takes place during the Middle Ages. Sharon Kay Penman has written a number of well researched historical novels centered around England, Wales, Scotland and France. Among her many books, Penman wrote a trilogy around the Plantagenet family. All good reads.

[vetswife]

startsmart   I love YA books, go through my small collection periodically

[nikiz628]

My goodreads 2021 challenge is 15 books. Last year I set it at 20, and managed to get in 16, so I think this year's number is spot on! 

[ajmom]

It’s not a reading goal, but my pandemic goal is to learn to play guitar well enough to accompany singers who want to sing along with me. I know voice and piano, but the learning is slow going! I’m trying to practice 1 hour a day, but I’m falling short.

My family has a reunion every year in Oct in upstate NY. We climb a small mountain, take a train trip, and have a nice food spread over a weekend. I would love to introduce a sing a long with the group. I’m hooping there are a couple more guitar players who will join in! So my goal is Oct 2021....not looking good for meeting it yet! It’s harder to learn than I thought...