Yes friends, I know it’s February, and I should have probably posted this in January, but I wanted to take some little time to mull over my goals for 2021 and think about what I actually wanted to achieve this year.
In previous years, I’ve set reading goals and then haven’t stuck to them. At all. The prime example of this is that in 2019 and 2020 I kept saying I’d finish Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist (and a few other manga series) and then NOT FINISHING THEM. I also said I was going to start Lore Olympus last year and did I do that?
No. No I did not.
This year, I took some time to reflect. I reviewed last year’s goals and decided to ditch the ones I kept telling myself I’d do (and then didn’t). I dropped the ones that weren’t a priority. I added some new goals that I’m more focused on this year and think I’ll actually achieve.
So *dramatic sigh* after a lot of reflection and dramatically looking out of windows while I contemplated 2021, this the list of reading and blogging goals I’ve come up with.
Read 100 books
This is always my first goal for the year: decide how many books I want to read. I quite like having a number in mind, as it keeps me motivated to read. And I just like a challenge.
Last year was the first year I’d ever set my reading goal at 100 books. And I did it. I read 120 books, which is the most I’ve ever read in a single year. This was due to a few different reasons (which I’m going to talk about in an upcoming blog post), but one of the main reasons was lockdown and my lack of commute.
I found that I had a lot more time to read because I wasn’t commuting to (and from) work, and I wasn’t going out to as many events or seeing as many friends (due to lockdown) so I found more time to read.
Since this year is looking like it’s going to turn out similarly (we’re back in lockdown in the UK and I have no idea when I’m going to be back in the office (2030?)), I’m going to set my goal at 100 books again.
I was tempted to set it at 120, but I don’t want to set it too high and end up forcing myself to race through books to meet it. 100 feels like a comfortable, achievable goal for this year, so that’s what I’m going for.
Read more webtoons and Chinese web novels
I read a lot of webtoons in 2019, but I didn’t read many in 2020, so this year I want to get back into them. This means getting up-to-date with the series I’m reading (Midnight Poppy Land, Purple Hyacinth, SubZero, UnOrdinary) and starting a few new ones like Lore Olympus and Castle Swimmer.
I’ve also started watching a few Chinese dramas and I want to read the corresponding novels that they’re adapted from. I’ve watched S.C.I. Mysteries last year and I’m now reading the novel, so I’ll hopefully get to a few others too (although most of them are 1000+ pages long, so we’ll see).
Finish a few different series
In 2020 I started the Ember in the Ashes quartet, the Brown sisters trilogy, and the Tensorate series and I’d like to finish those three this year. Although I love them so much that I also don’t want them to be over.
This year I’ve started Bridgerton and in 2019 I read the Gilded Wolves, so if possible I’d also like to complete those series. Look at me trying to be a responsible adult and finish my series.
Cross-post more reviews from Goodreads to my blog
This is something that I meant to start doing more in 2020 and then I just…didn’t. Oops.
The issue is that I review every book I read on Goodreads (even if it’s just a short review) and then I don’t make the time to cross-post those reviews to my blog.
I think it’s mainly because I want to elaborate on what I’ve written and expand the review if it’s short, but I always seem to be working on other posts and not doing this. Bad bad bad.
So this year, I’m aiming to work on this and post more reviews on my blog. That’s one of the big parts of being a book blogger after all.
Only request ARCs that I genuinely think I’m going to read
I set this as one of my goals for last year and I actually stuck to it pretty well. (Wild, I know.) So I’m aiming to do the same thing this year.
I absolutely love receiving ARCs, but I sometimes end up with quite a few that I don’t manage to pick up in time for their release.
And if it’s a book I’ve lost interest in, I feel guilty that it could have gone to someone else who was interested in it.
Plus, shelf space is AT A PREMIUM in my room (I know I keep saying this, just call me a broken record), so I don’t have much space for ARCs and I want to only request the ones I think I’ll love.
Try out The StoryGraph
I tried to sign up to this in 2020, but my data never transferred across from Goodreads for some reason, so I want to give it another go in 2021.
I don’t really mind GR, but I’ve only stuck with it so far because it has a monopoly on book reviewing/tracking as the biggest platform. It needs a lot of (long-overdue) upgrades and, as it’s owned by Amazon, I don’t really feel like it has its users’ best interests at heart anymore.
So, I want to try a smaller platform that was set up with readers’ best interests in mind and in doing so, support the people that created The Story Graph.
What are some of your goals for 2021? How many books are you hoping to read this year?
Important links to check out
Black Lives Matter card
Reclaim the Block
Minnesota Freedom Fund
Lebanon card
Donation drives for typhoon Ulysses in PH
Junk Terror bill
Yemen crisis card
Navajo Nation Covid-19 Relief Fund
coffeeinonehandbookintheother.wordpress.com 
I haven’t set many goals; read 80 books and finish some of the book series I’ve started before
I hope you manage to meet your goals by the end of the year.
And don’t worry about being late, only this week did I post about the books I wanted to read this year.
I feel like time doesn’t matter in a pandemic.
Love your goals. You can do this!
Good luck these, Kate! And I’m glad you got a chance to read a lot last year. I was on the opposite side of the quarantine reading spectrum and read about half the amount I normally do 😅 So I’m definitely gonna be cutting down on the ARC requests, too. Also heck, I wish those were my shelves too??
Oh God, I too need to get better about using the Storygraph. I really like it as an interface, but I just keep forgetting to actually update it as I’m reading. My sister made a resolution to write, I think, one short review on the Storygraph per week, and I really need to make the same resolution for myself, to start building the habit of using it regularly.
Silvered serpents is really good! Good luck with your reading goals this year 🙂
YES YES JOIN THE WEBTOON TRAIN!
Also omg finish the Ember Quarter, it will leave you in tears 💀
Omg same, for some reason my data didn’t transfer to Storygraph and I’ve been thinking of trying again ever since. Someone hold me to it 🙈
Wow, and I was impressed with myself for reading 50 books! I haven’t set any goals this year because I figured this year would be ridiculous. Even though schools are ‘closed’ (they’re really not!) I’ve been in every day teaching (and I’m a teaching assistant not a teacher!) so I’ve been exhausted and not doing anything when I get home. Thank goodness for half term! I’ve managed to read 2 books and 4 graphic novels!
look at that cute pic of you ilysm!!! I need to read The Silvered Serpents too omg
I’ve seen so many people talk about StoryGraph recently and it really does make me curious to try it. I only really use Goodreads to track the books I read these days, but if StoryGraph can be an alternative, I’d be foolish not to try it haha.
I was meant to start Lore Olympus last year too and of course, didn’t get round to it haha. I am curious about the Chinese dramas you’ve been watching. Got any recommendations?
Yeah, I think StoryGraph is still in beta mode, but apparently it’s really good. I definitely need to give it a go soon! I’ve only really watched S.C.I Mysteries and I’ve started History3: Trapped, but I enjoyed/am enjoying both. (History3 is openly queer, too.) I’ve actually been watching a lot more Thai dramas than Chinese dramas recently!