2017 Reading Goals Wrap-Up + 2018 Bookish Goals

Hello everyone,
So, it's that time of the year when we bloggers wrap-up our reading and we pick our faves and not-so-faves from all the books we've read this year. I'm going to be posting my favorites and worst books I've read in 2017 in early January because I'm still trying to squeeze in a few more books before the year ends. And you never know, they might make it to my lists.

For today's post, I'm going to look at the reading goals I gave myself at the beginning of 2017 and see if I was able to accomplish them.

Unlike previous years, I only gave myself a few low-stress goals for 2017. I didn't want to put too much on my plate because at the end of 2016 I was falling out of love with blogging and was seriously thinking of just quitting altogether. Add in the fact that Trump just won the US presidency equaled to my having a very dismal outlook for 2017.

Here's how I did in 2017...

Goal #1: Read at least 50 books.
Currently, I'm at 66 books and I might able to squeeze in a couple more books so this was a WIN. I didn't officially make it a goal, but I also wanted to read at least 5 books each month, and I was able to do that most months (and the months I didn't, I made up in the next month).

Goal #2: Buy less physical books [than the previous year].
I almost made this goal because I was at 62 physical books (I wasn't allowed to buy more than 70 in 2017), but then the Bookoutlet Boxing Day sale happened, and I couldn't pass up on getting some titles that I've been wanting as well as some historical romances that I can share with my mom. Alas, my total number came up to 73 in the end. 😞

Goal #3: Make blogging fun again.
Like I said, I seriously thought about quitting book blogging altogether this time last year. Blogging felt more like my second job rather than the fun hobby it was supposed to be. So, for 2017 I wanted to recapture my enthusiasm for blogging again and I felt I was able to do that. I'm in a better headspace now, starting the new year, than I did last year.

Now, for my 2018 goals.

I like the whole stress-free thing I had going in 2017, and I think that helped a lot with keeping up my blogging mojo. So, I'm keeping the number of goals low, but each will be important in helping me keep my focus for 2018.

Goal #1: Read the same number of purchased bought and books for review.
I want to be sure that I give the books I bought the same amount of time and energy as my review books. In the last few years review books have taken precedence because they have a due date, but I have all of these books that I buy and don't get read because all my time and energy go to review books. I keep buying books--it's time I actually start reading them.

Goal #2: Read to enjoy.
I'm not going to give myself a specific number of books to read in 2018. I'm going to set my Goodreads goal at "1" (mostly because I want get the cool stats page at the end of the year) and just go with the flow. I want to really fall in love with reading again. I want read because I want to and not to read so I can add another book to my tally.

Goal #3: Spend less money on bookish merch.
My spending in the last few months of 2017 was... not good. Since I paid off my grad school loans earlier in the year, I felt I could spend a little bit more. But a little bit became a lot more--I kinda lost most of my self-control and bought, on hindsight, some really stupid [bookish] stuff. "Stupid stuff" because most are now sitting somewhere in my room taking up space and gathering dust, including book and bookish candle subscription boxes, a shit ton of book sleeves, way too many wood-burned wooden bookmarks, all the bookish candles, bookish jewelry that I don't wear often enough, etc.

I'm going to give myself $20 every month strictly for bookish merch (baby steps 😅) and the amount can either roll back or roll forward, but I'd have to kinda work it out if I want something more expensive, like book subscription box or a monthly bookish candle box (which usually cost about $40 with shipping). Basically, the point of this goal is to NOT buy any and everything bookish that catches my eye, which I got into the habit of doing in 2017.

Goal #4: Buy less physical books than the previous year.
Yeah. I'm going to give myself this goal again. I cannot buy more than 73 physical books--ideally, I can't purchase more than 50 physical books.

In a nutshell, my goals for 2018 is to curb my spending and to fall in love with reading again. I'll be keeping track of these goals in my handy-dandy 2018 bullet journal planner. Wish me luck!

Happy reading,
Michelle