By Colleen Temple
Somehow, y’all, we’re still in January. In fact, there’s still another week in this godforsaken month.
But, alas, we can do hard things.
And one of them, for me, is setting reading goals for myself. As an author, it’s so important to be a good literary citizen and I want to continue to improve upon that. Life always seems to be chaotic with writing, house stuff, three kids, etc.—but reading goals are still possible. (Or so I tell myself…)
For me, this means small and realistic goals. So, my goal is to read one book a month. If I can manage two, then amazing! But right now my goal is one+. Now, you may be someone who can read five books a month—or more even!—and that’s amazing. I am cheering you on! Me, on the other hand? I’m a slower reader and a slower writer, and actually just kind of a slower-paced person in general, so this fits me and my life right now and I’m gonna embrace it.
I’m almost done with my friend and fellow Eleventh Chapter buddy Jenn Bouchard’s new book Considering Us (you can preorder now!), and it is soooo good. I’m absolutely loving main character Devon and all she’s been cooking up—in the kitchen and out. 😉 It’s the perfect escape for my January winter doldrums.
Here are some of the Eleventh Chapter members goals for 2025:
Jen says: “I’m going to try to be better at DNF books that I’m not enjoying. I always feel like I need to finish, especially if everyone else is loving the book. But life’s too short to read a book you’re not into!” I agree, Jen!
Maggie says: “I’m going to try to read at least 25 of the 200+ books on my kindle LOL.” #Relatable
Tanya says: “Last year I had a goal of reading at least one book a month from my existing TBR to try to whittle down the stack. It worked as I was able to move the dusty towering pile from my bedroom window seat to a nice little stack on an actual bookshelf.” #GOALS!
Do you set reading goals for the New Year? Feel free to share yours, we’d love to hear!