I have covered this subject time and again but it always seems necessary to remind others as well as myself what it is OK to do.

The first step to setting your reading challenge is to ignore what everyone else is doing. We all have different lifestyles and reading abilities which will either lead to them to being able to read a lot or hardly at all. So don't go comparing.

You then need to look at your own life and reading interests. How many books are there that you want to read? How long are they? Realistically, looking at your life, how many books do you think you can achieve? One a week, or every two weeks? Two books per week?

For example, in 2019 I set my target to 50 because I knew I'd be moving house that year and so my reading time would be restricted. I exceeded the target, mainly because it was the year I discovered audio books so I was listening to books when travelling to work and packing up the old house.

The following year I set it higher at 80. I doubted myself as it seemed a lot of books, but I reckoned audio books would give me a good chance and they did. I didn't anticipate the lockdown which meant my reading time was extended massively and I reached a nice 100 books.

For 2021, I was right to set my reading challenge at 55. I had a strong feeling that I would have other things to focus on and I wasn't wrong. I exceeded my target, mainly because the last few were quite short audio books. And I put the speed up. Some of the others were very short ebooks as well.

So basically you never know exactly what the year will bring, what you will be able to achieve.

My best recommendation, is to set your target at a number that seems reasonable, not ambitious, and remember that you can always change it later to go either higher or lower according to how things go in the year. 52 for example, means one book per week which is fairly average. But if it often take you a long time to read one book, it's OK to set your target at 5. That gives you more than two months to read a book. If you read books which don't take you as long to get through, then increase your target as you go. Or bring your target down if you realised you were too ambitious.

And yes, audio books count. So do short reads and kids books, as well as re-reads. One of the most bookish people I know once counted Mr Men books. I've included many short books before. An Agatha Christie short story that was 21 pages. Kids books I read in a few hours, or listened to on audio that weren't long. To be fair it balances out because I listened to two books on audio, then read the paper version later but only counted the book once. I also didn't include a Quick Reads book I hated with a passion, the history books I read, or the book I started but didn't finish. I generally counted according only to single stories I started and finished in the year.

The purpose of the reading challenge is to explore new worlds and characters and it shouldn't really be taken so seriously. But it's often a resolution for people to read more and having some sort of official target motivates people. Goodreads helps by telling you how you can reach that target and by offering ideas on books to read if you're a bit stuck and generally keeps you on track.

Although one year, before I knew about Goodreads, I decided I wanted to read all the books I owned (at the time) and worked out myself how to do that and simply made a note of what I'd read and when. I essentially set my own challenge and kept track without the help of an app, so if you don't like the idea of having something so official, then there's no harm in having your own little challenge.

There are many tips on helping you reach the target as well. In short, I'd recommend joining the library as it makes it easier to access reading material, including e-books and audiobooks for free. And don't choose big chunky books if you have an ambitious target, or waste time on books you don't enjoy because you will probably read slower. Keep a book on you at all times so you can take advantage of things like train delays and long ques. And set yourself a specific reading time. A twenty minute slot perhaps, in which you know you've earned this time and don't have to rush anywhere or do anything.

Happy reading!

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