Hope you all had a lovely and safe New Year!

Now that the Year-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named is over, I’m looking forward to making 2021 better—it shouldn’t be too hard. And part of that is more books.

While I’m not big on the pressure of New Year’s resolutions, joining the Goodreads Reading Challenge has been the one goal I like set for myself at the start of each year (or, at least since 2016 when I joined the site). It’s a great way to not only track what you’re reading but keep an archive of what you’ve read over time. It also helps you to push yourself to read a little more than you might do normally. Highly recommend joining!

My 2021 reading goals:

• Read 60 books. In 2016, I set a goal of 20 books. Since then, the most I read in a year was 70. Last year I read 50. I’m disappointed I didn’t get to read more in lockdown; part of that was due to a demanding writing job that left me drained at the end of the day, to the point where I didn’t want more words in my face. So now I’m trying to get back to where I was. It’s surprising how easily you can get competitive with yourself every time you meet a reading goal. Even if you don’t use Goodreads, I recommend making a goal for yourself! No matter the number.

• Finish A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin!!! I’ve been reading this off and on since 2019, and it’s past time I finish it. I don’t know why it’s taking me so long when I actually like it more than the previous book in the Song of Ice and Fire series (A Feast for Crows) that took me less time. It’s all the extra details, they’re a bit much. I just want to see what happens but instead I get descriptions of food and ships and food again. I’m kind of just in it for Dany and Tyrion at this point, but I like them enough to push through. And I’m still hoping for a new book from Martin, sometime.

• Read more Flannery O’Connor. Besides a few of her short stories in college, I haven’t read much of O’Connor. A friend and mentor of mine says O’Connor is her favorite author, and since I super-trust her taste I’ve been meaning to give this classic American writer more attention.

• Read more Stephen King. As big a King fan as I am, there is still SO. MUCH. of his work I haven’t read. Mainly, because he has SO. MUCH. work. If ten of the books I read this year are King’s, I’d be happy with that.

• Start reading War and Peace. I say start on the chance I run into a Dance with Dragons situation with this brick of a book, but I’m going to try to stay on track and read a little every day. I mostly want to read it because the musical based on it piqued my interest. I’ve always been intimidated by Russian literature, but I think I’m underestimating myself. Here goes nothing.

The first new book I’ve started this year is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, her 2020 prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy that I bought immediately and then let sit on my shelf for six months. Looking forward to revisiting Panem!

Here’s to books and better days! Thanks for reading.