I love all things books and reading but I haven’t been all that intentional about my reading life in the past few years. In the spirit of living well and staying focused, I decided I needed to set some reading goals for 2023. They’re not fancy but they’re pretty big (for me). I’m really excited to read better this year and I plan to blog about it all year long!
If you’re a reader and need some ideas for bookish goals, I hope these spark just the right-for-you reading goals for 2023!
1. Read 100 Books
I really have no business setting this goal because I didn’t meet my goal of reading 40 books last year. But I don’t know, I’m feeling bold this year. And isn’t there that quote about shooting for the moon and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars? Yeah, I’m going with that :). As of right now, I’m on track to meeting that goal. It’s still early but it’s a good start!
2. Write a review for each book I read
I started blogging journey writing book reviews and I have fallen out of the habit in the past several years. This year, I’m committing to using my Reading Life Planner to write simple reviews for every book I finish. It’s a simple worksheet that’s easy to fill in with essential information about the book. If I want to write more extensive notes about the book, I can use the notes section of my planner to write more!
3. Read 30 Books from my own BooksHelves
I own over 430 (according to my current count in my catalog) and I have only read a fraction of what I own. I don’t mind that because book collecting is a separate hobby from reading (imho) but I do want to read more from my own shelves. Thirty books would be fantastic considering my overall goal of 100, but even if I only hit 20ish, I’ll be satisfied. I’m a mood reader so I’m not going to limit myself too much to what I own.
4. Read 20 Theology Books
Of the 400+ books I own, I have several on theology and spiritual growth topics. I reeeeeeally need to read more theology as I continue to write and lead in Bible study. I have so much to learn and dig into and there are so many great looking books out there! January isn’t even over and I’ve already added several titles to my TBR from recommendations I’ve seen on bookstagram. I’d love to knock out at least 20 theology books this year! #somanybookssolittletime
5. Complete My Personal Library Catalog in Notion
I’m currently working on cataloging my personal library in a database in Notion and I need to be done with it so I can have all my book information at my fingertips. I’ve already purchased duplicates a couple times last year while thrifting books and I don’t want to do that this year! I’m more than halfway done and I just need to buckle down and finish!
6. Read 10 AutoBiographies, Biographies, or Memoirs
I really enjoy well written true stories and I want to be intentional about reading good autobios, bios, and memoir!
7. Try 3 new-to-me authors
Like every reader, I’m always coming across new-to-me authors I want to check out. I’m going to try at least 3 this year. We’ll see how it goes!
8. Start Annotating
I looooooooove seeing other people’s annotated books online. I have no qualms with writing and highlighting in my books and I use book tabs and darts every so often but I want to do more this year. Annotating forces you to slow down and engage with a book on a deeper, more intentional level and I want more of that in my reading life! I recently bought these tabs to get me started on my 2023 annotating!
9. Get a Personalized Book Stamp
This is purely for fun! I’ve seen some really cute stamps on Etsy and I want one to use in my books!
10. Read more outside my comfort zone
I don’t want to force myself to read what I don’t want to read BUT I do want to challenge myself to read more than just what I know I’m comfortable with. I want to try new subjects, hard subjects, more challenging works, etc. In short, I want to broaden my horizons and sharpen my reading brain.
11. READ the Bible in a Year
This is one of my LIVE WELL FAITHFULLY goals but I thought it was appropriate to include here. As much as my goal to read 100 books is important to me, the Bible is of most importance and I really want to read the whole thing this year. I’ve multiple times and have never accomplished it. May 2023 be the year I finish reading God’s word!
Do you have any reading goals for 2023? I’d love to read about them in the comments below!
Happy reading!
I really enjoyed watching your videos on You Tube. I’m new to this approach to Bible study, and journaling.