Do you have any bookish goals for 2024?
As we barrel towards the new year, I’d love to hear about the bookish goals you have for 2024. Surely you’ve been thinking about it; let’s get them in writing! Whether it’s a number (books read, page count, etc.), a personal challenge to read outside your comfort zone, a specific reading project/list, a posture you’d like to take, or something else entirely—there is no wrong answer here.
For my part, here’s a few random thoughts as I sit on the couch:
I have the Pulitzer Project going, which took a backseat for the last two months as I immersed myself in Steinbeck for the Big Read. In 2024, I’m probably going to prioritize the fiction winners over the other categories. Because. . .
More than anything these days, I crave wisdom and emotion over raw information or hot-take reactions. Our modern world has an overabundance of content and information and a dearth of wisdom. We know more than ever before, but as a society, we’re also more miserable. More facts do not equal more wisdom. Plus, at least in my current phase of life, I have a preference for emotionally evocative stories over recitations of history. . .
Which is to say that in 2024 I’m going to lean into classic fiction and likely more philosophy than I’ve read before. In the second half of ‘23, I read a lot of classics and quite enjoyed it. I had a classics phase in my mid-twenties and I seem to be having another one here in my mid-thirties. The books that last have done so for a reason (for the most part) and I’m generally more disappointed than not when it comes to new-release fiction (for a number of economic reasons that I explored back in April).
I know that those broad ideas don’t exactly correlate to measurable goals, but I’m okay with that. If I had to put a number to it, I’d say that I hope to read ~50 books found in the top 1,000 at thegreatestbooks.org (a website that has compiled a master list of books based on hundreds of “Best Books” lists from around the world). That would roughly double what I did this year on the classics front.
Okay, your turn! What’s on tap for 2024?
I feel like I’ve spent a decade or more quantifying, planning and joining (and failing) challenges. My goal for the last few years has been to just read without plans or numbers in mind.
I have taken on an online reading challenge to read 24in24. I specifically want each book to be taken place in a different country. 24 books 24 countries.
I want to read one nonfiction/memoir a month. One short story a day. I will stop right here.