Reviewing my 2022 Reading Goals

In December last year I set myself some reading goals for 2022 (read the original post here.) It was the first time I’d set specific goals for my reading beyond my generic Goodreads goal to read 50 books and I was intrigued to see how it would work for me 👀

It was a mixed result in terms of how well goal setting worked for me. Sometimes it helped to focus my reading but other times it was restrictive.

In this post I’ll be looking at whether I achieved my goals, my reflections on how well reading goals work for me and if I’ll be setting any goals for 2023.

#1 – Read more on Kindle ❌

Goal: In 2022, I want at least 35% of my reading to be done on Kindle.

11% of my reading was done on Kindle this year. This is because a lot of my reading was done via the Libby app which I can’t access on my Kindle or because I was reading books I physically owned. I’m not too disappointed that I didn’t meet this goal because I chose to prioritise other goals (e.g. reading my owned TBR).

#2 – Read more literary fiction ❌

Goal: In 2022, I want to read a minimum of 15 literary fiction books.

I read a total of 7 literary fiction books this year which accounted for roughly 11% of my reading. On reflection, 15 books was very ambitious since I was working full-time and studying part-time for the majority of this year. I wasn’t able to fit in this amount of reading.

Part way through the year, I also wasn’t feeling the literary fiction stuff I was reading and decided to focus on other types of books that I was more interested in. Ultimately, after reading more literary fiction, I’ve realised it’s not a genre I want to prioritise more in my reading although I do enjoy reading it.

#3 – Read longer books (400+ pages) ✅

Goal: To stop shying away from longer books and to especially not be deterred from reading a book I’m interested in simply because I’m intimidated by the hefty page count.

I read a total of 7 books that were 400+ pages which is down from 13 the year before. However, I’ve read less in general this year than I did in 2021 so this makes sense. Despite physically reading less long books, this goal has been achieved because I’ve stopped avoiding books based on their length and have changed my attitude towards long books in a positive way.

I’ve read a book that was 1000 pages long and took on the hefty Livership Trader series 🙌🏻 I’ve purposefully slowed down my reading at points to focus on one long book for an entire month or more which is something I’d never done before, and it’s been really nice.

#4 – Start reading new series ✅

Goal: In 2022 I want to dive straight into those book series that I’ve had my eye on regardless of how many books are in the series or how long I have to wait in between releases!

Generally, I haven’t read that many series this year but I finished the Farseer Trilogy, started the Liveship Traders trilogy, read the next in the Nevermoor series and read the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy. Considering how little time I had to read this year, I’m happy with what I’ve achieved with the series I’ve read this year.

#5 – Read more translated/non-Western fiction ❌

Goal: In 2022, I want to read a minimum of 15 books that are translated fiction and/or that are set in a non-Western setting.

I read 7 books that were translated fiction and/or in a non-Western setting. Again, this goal that was very ambitious on reflection and definitely didn’t account for the limited time I would have to read this year (this is going to be a recurring pattern with these goals 😂).

Despite not technically reaching my goal of reading 15 translated/non-Western books, I’m pleased with the amount I was able to read considering other factors.

#6 – Read 5 books from my owned TBR ✅

Goal: In 2022, I want to read a minimum of 5 books from my owned TBR

I superseded this goal and read 13 books from my owned TBR 🥳 This was the goal that I prioritised throughout the year consistently and ironically is the reason why I struggled to meet some of my other goals (e.g. read more on Kindle, read more translated and non-Western fiction), because I was restricted by the pool of books I already owned most of which were physical copies of Western classics.

#7 – Continue reading LGBTQ+ books ❌

Goal: In 2022 I would like to read 20 LGBTQ+ books and to specifically read more own voices books featuring trans, ace and aro stories and experiences.

I read a total of 15 LGBTQ+ books, 9 of which were trans and asexual own voices. Whilst I technically didn’t reach this goal (because AGAIN it was too ambitious 🤦🏻‍♀️😂), I feel like I did incredibly well. LGBTQ+ books are incredibly important to me and the 15 books I read this year were incredibly valuable and special to me.

#8 – Better prioritise what I read ❌

Goal: To invest my time wisely into books I’m genuinely excited about and that I have high hopes for.

This goal was probably the only one that wasn’t measurable, but I’m concluding that I didn’t achieve this because I was so conflicted throughout the year about how to navigate my reading.

I’m in a weird place of figuring out my reading tastes at the moment because they’ve evolved so much within the last couple of years so I’m still in an experimental phase and tend to get swept away by books randomly, instead of taking a more strategical approach. It’s a work in progress 🤪

#9 – Create a 2022 TBR list ✅

Goal: Create and follow a general yearly TBR which is designed to help me meet the other 8 goals I have set myself for the year.

This year was the first time I’ve set an annual TBR and it worked quite well for me. Most of the reading I did this year was based on the TBR I set at the end of 2021 and having a general list to refer to when I was picking out my next read did help give me guidance instead of picking something completely at random.

I think having the TBR definitely helped me to meet some of the other goals I had on this list and that if I’d had time to read more, I would’ve likely achieved all of my 2022 goals.

Reflections on my 2022 Goals

I achieved 4 out of 9 of my goals which on the surface isn’t great 🤣 but honestly, I’m happy with what I was able to achieve with my reading this year, especially considering how much of a bumpy reading year I’ve had and how little time I’ve had to read alongside other things.

A big reason why I didn’t achieve most of my goals is because when I set them I had different reading priorities to what I do now. My perspective on my reading shifted part way through the year and my priorities have completely changed.

Now I’m trying to focus less on numbers and quantifying my reading and more on slowing down to enjoy the reading experience in its entirety. I’m also focusing on finding the types of books I love and letting that lead me forward 🥰

I’ve decided not to set any goals for 2023; not even the number of books that I want to read. I found aspects of goal setting helpful and I’m glad I tried it, but it’s not for me.

Quantifying my reading shifts my focus to all of the wrong things and stops me from enjoying reading for what it is. Setting goals also feels too restrictive and doesn’t account for how my reading moods and tastes are still changing.

How do you feel about reading goals? Do you set yourself reading goals? How do they help or hinder your reading? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Happy New Year, my lovelies and keep reading.

Related Posts

• Reading Goals 2022
• Rethinking my Approach to Reading
• Reading is HARD!
• How and Why I Track my Reading

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