Most people at this time of year start making resolutions for the new year. I don’t. Wanna know why? Simple, I know I can’t keep them.

Do I need to lose weight? Yes.

Do I need to get better organized? Yes.

Do I need to save money? Yes.

But at the moment, my brain isn’t ready to accept those truths. It’s like quitting a bad habit. You can be told you need to quit doing something, but it won’t happen until YOU are ready to quit.

Thanks to the interesting year (insert your favorite words for this year here) that 2020 turned out to be, I turned more to books to zone out of the real world.

How about you?

I’ve read several blogs where others have not been able to do the same and feel frustrated and disappointed in themselves and reading in general. While I avoided this, I will not tell you that my reading list was filled with new titles and new authors because that would be a lie. Instead, my reading choices consisted of visiting familiar characters and landscapes. Why? Because I know them. It was like visiting friends and family without social distance, and there wasn’t a mask in sight. It was NORMAL!

So, while I don’t normally set resolutions, I am for 2021, and it involves reading more. Do you want to set one for yourself this year, too?

I want to set a reading goal. But where do I start?

Anywhere! That’s what’s great about setting a reading goal for yourself, YOU get to decide what works best for you, and if you change it, that’s up to you. For 2020, I was going to try to clean up my pile of unread Kindle titles and decide if I wanted to keep them or get rid of them. I was going to start alphabetically and work my way through each title. If I couldn’t get into the book, then it was a goner. Also, at this time, I set a goal of reading 100 titles this year on my Kindle. While I didn’t manage to dwindle the number of titles on my e-reader, I met my second goal. See, your goal doesn’t need to be complex or so in-depth that you lose momentum to finish it.

Ideas For Setting Reading Goals

• Read one book a month.
• Listen to an audiobook.
• Increase the number of books read last year by (any number)
• Read the book, then watch the movie.
• Read a new genre
• Join a book club
• Participate in a book challenge

Okay, So I Have A Goal In Mind; Now How Do I Complete It?

You may want to check out these options to help you complete your reading goal.

HOOPLA DIGITAL

Explore their selection of ebooks, audiobooks, and graphic novels.

OVERDRIVE/LIBBY FROM MOLIBRARIES2GO

Peruse their fiction, non-fiction, biographies, audiobook, and magazine collections.

EBSCO EBOOKS

Search for books on health and fitness, games, crafts and hobbies, cooking, recreation and leisure, folklore, fiction, and more.

MISSOURI EVERGREEN

Wander through our online card catalog to place holds on materials, create lists, keep track of your reading history, and more.

Other Sources (Reading lists, challenges, etc.)

Want more ideas of how to keep your reading goals? We have searched and scoured the Internet looking for lists, challenges, open book clubs, and even created one of our own.

CAMDEN COUNTY LIBRARY DISTRICT BINGO

Check out our bingo board and challenge yourself to complete the whole board for a small prize.

 JOIN THE PROFESSIONAL BOOK NERDS 2021 READING CHALLENGE

The creators of this challenge encourage others to take their reading to the next level or even comfort zone. Be sure to look at their other challenge, including bingo boards and a 30-Day Book Challenge.

 TOGETHER WE READ FROM OVERDRIVE

This is an opportunity for everyone in the United States to read the same title and join in the discussion without a waitlist or holds. Be sure to mark your calendar for February 10-24, 2021, when everyone will have a chance to read Love Letters by Kate Clayborn.

 CHECK OUT HOOPLA’S #READINGGOALS

Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and graphic novels to help fulfill your goal.

THE 52 BOOK CLUB

Maybe you are looking for something a little more challenging. If you are, be sure to check out The 52 Book Club’s challenge and guide.

 EVERYDAY READING PRINTABLE

Or, maybe you want to keep it a little simpler if so, be sure to check out this reading log that is also a coloring page!

These don’t even touch the tip of what is available out there to help you on your path to read more in 2021. If you want a more comprehensive list, we suggest that you look at Girl XOXO’s Master List of Reading Challenges for 2021.

We hope that this helps you set a goal and complete it this year. Let us know what goals you set for yourself and your progress on Facebook and Twitter using #ccldReadingGoals.