2022: Goals & Plans for the Year Ahead

When it comes to pretty much anything, I’m a planner. Plans are comforting, and goals are a fun challenge. So it’s no surprise that books and reading find themselves subject to a game plan as the start of a new year gets my wheels turning about all I’d like to accomplish over the coming 12 months.

Though it may not appear on the whole like I read a ton in 2021, I’m still pleased with how I’m finishing up the year. The bulk of my reading happened in these final three months, and I feel great about my current momentum and enthusiasm. It shows on my bookshelves, too, as I currently have over 35 physical books waiting patiently to be read. That’s a lot of TBRs for me, as I typically only have around 10-15 unread books at any given time. Needless to say, I’m excited for the new year, and I’m hopeful that my reading goals keep me turning pages month after month.

Here’s what I’m planning:

22 in 2022

I always set a total number of books to aim for each year, and “22 in 2022” has a nice ring to it. I read 25 books in 2021, so this number is pretty modest, and I don’t think I’ll have too much trouble reaching it. At the same time, I tend to go through months-long reading slumps, and I have a new baby who naturally has to come before books. So 22 feels challenging but doable, and it gives me space to allow life to happen.

10,000 Pages

This is my first year setting a goal for total number of pages, and it’s another reason why I’m keeping my total number of books on the smaller side. In years past, I’ve tended to shy away from big books because I don’t want their time commitment to slow me down or keep me from reaching my book goal. But here’s the thing: there are a lot of good, big books out there, and I’m tired of putting them off for “later.” So 2022 is going to be the Year of the Big Book, and the large handful of 500+ pagers already sitting on my shelves are exhaling a sigh of gratitude.

The 2021 Booker Long List

The Bookstagram community has shown me that the book world is even bigger than I realized, and one way that has happened is by my new exposure to book awards. Of course, I knew there were book awards like the Pulitzer and whatnot, but it never really registered with me that there are tons of award lists out there celebrating all kinds of books. And these aren’t “old, boring books” either as I used to think. They’re new books across all genres being praised by all kinds of people, literary scholars and the everyday reader alike. The Booker Prize was the first list to really grab my attention at the end of the summer, and being inspired by other award list readers, I’ve felt pulled to read all 13 books on this year’s long list. I already listened to Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead on audiobook back in the fall, and I’d like to read the remaining 12 before the 2022 list is announced.

Add more non-fiction to the mix

This is my most vague goal as I don’t have a set number or other quantifiable measure for adding more non-fiction to my reading. What I do know is that I enjoy non-fiction, but I don’t read it nearly enough, and I want to change that by making a conscious effort to more consistently choose non-fiction titles. For this year, I just want to expose myself to different kinds of non-fiction to figure out what I enjoy the most; once I determine that I should be able to set more concrete goals concerning my fiction-to-non-fiction ratio.

So there they are - my goals for 2022! I’m feeling optimistic about this coming year and the reading I have ahead of me. Fingers crossed that I reach my goals and discover loads of new favorite titles because there’s nothing like getting lost in the world of a beloved book.

What are your book goals for 2022?