Our 2015 Reading Goals (And 2014 Reading Goal Recap!)

We're more than halfway through January, so it's about time we posted our reading/bookish goals for 2015! This year I surprised myself by coming up with eight reading goals, and Jenny is going more for quality than quantity with four. So first, let's check in to see how we did on our goals from last year, and then scroll a little further to check out our new goals for 2015!

2014 Reading Goal Recap

Lesley Anne

1. Read at least 40 books. I was just seven books shy of meeting this goal last year! Even though I didn't make it to 40 books, I don't count this goal as a complete failure. I learned that I aimed a little too high with this number, and now I've set a more realistic goal for 2015.

2. Read a book of the Bible every month. Like I said during our Mid-Year Check-In post, this goal needed some revision since the husband and I moved through our Bible studies a lot slower than anticipated last year. Which is totally ok, but that means I didn't read 12 books of the Bible throughout the year, since our studies were more focused and sporadic (if that makes sense).

3. Read all of Jane Austen's novels. This goal is 50% complete. As you'll see in my 2015 goals below, I'm extending the deadline for this through the end of the year this year. In 2014 I read Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and stalled out after reading Mansfield Park. In 2015 I'll tackle Emma, Northanger Abbey, and re-read Persuasion. I'm looking forward to finally completing this goal!

4. Read more of my ebooks. FAIL. I think I read maybe 5 ebooks last year? Even though it's no excuse, I think "out of sight, out of mind" plays a huge role in me not reading more of the things on my Nook.

5. Keep a quote journal. I did really well on this one! I found a system that works for me using Evernote, so it's more of an electronic journal than a physical one--but a journal nonetheless!

Jenny

1. Read more non-fiction. I did really well with this one- because I am writing my thesis. I did consciously try to read more non-fiction that was not thesis related and I did okay.

2. Stop finishing books I hate. This one was a hard one for me but I did fairly well, I have started a "Could Not Finish" list on Goodreads so that, strangely, helped me to put books down I did not like.

3. To have more self-control regarding reading (i.e.- stop putting off tasks that need to be done just so I can finish a book). Pretty much failed at this one. I am putting it on my list for this year as well. I will prevail!

4. Trust others' book recommendations. I did okay with this one. I am now addicted to Sarah Addison Allen, thanks to Lesley Anne. I also picked up a new fantasy series - The Mercy Thompson series - thanks to another friend.

5. Check out more books from the library. Fail.

2015 Reading Goals

Lesley Anne

1. Read 35 books. Like I mentioned above, something I learned about myself last year is that my reading pace is not fast enough to read 40 books in a year, so 35 is a much more reasonable number for me in 2015. I'm excited to see if I can meet this goal this year! 

2. Read through the Bible cover to cover. Something Kyle and I want to accomplish this year is to read through the entire Bible together, so we're following the Bible In A Year plan on the She Reads Truth app. This app is great because you can check off each day's reading as you go, track your overall progress, and go right to the reading inside the app (though I prefer to use my ESV Study Bible). The She Reads Truth app is free for both iOS and Android if you want to join in! 

3. Complete The Austen Project. Using the wise words of Emily Ley, I'm holding myself to a standard of grace and not perfection when it comes to this goal from last year. I'm extending the deadline for this personal reading challenge to December 2015, which gives me plenty of time to read Emma, Northanger Abbey, and re-read Persuasion.   

4. Read more of the books I already own. I bought so many books last year, but have I read them all? Definitely not. I'm making a point to "shop" my own shelves this year when it comes to picking out my next read, though it probably doesn't help that Jenny and I are talking about our most anticipated 2015 releases tomorrow. MUST. STAY. AWAY. FROM ALL THE NEW PRETTIES.  

5. Limit myself to reading two books at a time. At any given moment, you can find me juggling four or five reads at one time. Which kind of drives me crazy about myself. That's too many stories and too much information to try and keep straight in my head at once. This year, I want to be more focused. Give the books I'm reading the attention they deserve. So I'm going to try and limit myself to two books at one time - (1) audiobook for my commute, and (2) physical/ebook to read at home.

6. Re-read at least 5 books. One of my very favorite things to do is re-read, to revisit my favorite stories and see how my experience changes (or stays the same) with each reading. Last year I only re-read two books. NOT OK LA. This year, I want to make more time for this thing that I love, and I'm going to try and re-read at least one book every other month--with a little grace period built in--for a total of 5 re-reads in 2015.

7. Read at least one chunky classic. When Jenny and I did this Top Ten Tuesday topic last year, I noticed that chunky classics took up a lot of room on my list (pun not intended). This year I want to make progress on my classics TBR and tackle either Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, or re-read The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

8. Attend at least one bookish event or author signing. While filling out the 2014 End of Year Book Survey, I realized I didn't attend a single bookish event or author signing last year. Sad times! I want to be more proactive in seeking out author events in my area and try to make at least one happen this year.

Jenny

1. To have more self-control in my reading habits. I cannot tell y'all how terrible I am at this. My poor husband hates reading because of my lack of self-control. I am trying to cultivate diligence in my life this year and reading is one huge area I need this desperately. 

2. Check out more books from the library. I am still not a member of the public library system. I am so ashamed of myself. Especially since I live, literally, a quarter of a mile from one. 

3. Be more selective in the books I read. The name of our blog is in no way a misnomer for me. I will read almost anything. While this is not a bad thing, it is also not a good thing all the time. Some of the stuff I read is a waste of my time. I want to be more intentional in the books I read. 

4. Read more of the books I already own. I buy a lot of books. I like to collect them, to possess them (I am sure that says something... interesting about me but I don't care to look into that too deeply). I have about 20 books that I bought last year that are still unread. This should not be.

What are some of your reading goals for 2015? We'd love to hear from you!