You probably add reading resolutions to your list of New Year's Resolutions too. And I don't know about you, but when it comes to resolutions of any kind, I need an accountability partner! That's where you come in. 

Since We're about 2/3 of the way through the year, I wanted to evaluate how I've done. Of course, it's not the end of the world if we don't reach our reading goals--one of the beautiful things about being a reader is how quickly reading moods and whims change. Why plan your reading in advance when there are so many options to choose from?

Nonetheless, I try to give myself some general goals. Mine were

• Read 45 books in total
• 10 of those books should be 375+ pages
• 7 of those books should be by Hispanic/Latin American authors
• 5 of those books should be ARCs, or Advanced Readers Copies I got from publishers for the purposes of review

The goals were all set for different reasons. Last year, it was all about quantity--I wanted to read more books than I ever had before. And, at 60, I did. However, I noticed that a quantity goal discouraged me from reading longer books. Do you know how long Anna Karenina has been on my TBR (To Be Read) list? I don't either. That's how long it's been. So this year, I have myself a lesser quantity goal and added a book length goal. 

I'm not doing too hot with this goal thus far. I've read 25 this year and only 3 of them have been over 375 pages. The Kite Runner came super close at 371 pages, but I'm a stickler and refuse to count it. 

Because I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez and want to make a commitment to reading more diversely, I added that 7 of the books needed to be by Hispanic/Latin American authors. Not going to lie, I have completely failed at this goal. I haven't read a single Hispanic/Latin American author this year! That's definitely something I want to make up for in the remainder of the year.

I have, however, read a book by an African American woman, a book by a Pakistani woman, and a book by an Afghani man. Yet, 3 out of 25 books doesn't make for much diversity. In a world where books by white authors are primarily what's published, we have to make a concerted effort to read diversely and I'm clearly not working hard enough at it. 

The only goal I seem to be doing exceptionally well in is the last. I had hoped to get 5 ARCs for the year and I had that many by February. Then I kept getting them. I got so many that I had to schedule my reading according to their publication dates and when publishers asked for reviews, and in the end I realized maybe I'm not cut out for regularly scheduled book reviewing. My backlist was crying out for attention and I felt like the ARCs were cutting in line. 

Don't get me wrong--I got several that I absolutely loved and are now ranked among my favorite books. I can think of 4 that fall into this category. I wouldn't trade reading them for anything! Though I realized if I'm not already thrilled to read a book, I probably don't need to review it. 

I thought my reading life would look a little different at this point. I thought I'd be further along in my goals, though these things don't always work out the way we want them to. I have to remind myself that it's the journey, not the destination. 

Did you set reading resolutions? If so, how are you doing with them? If not, why not? Tell me in the comments below!