What Will You Read?
Gail Hedstrom – Library Director
What Will You Read?
During January, I heard many readers talking about their annual reading goals, both what they had hoped to accomplish in 2025, and whether they reached those goals, and what they are aiming for in 2026. Often, when we set reading goals, we frame them around the number of books we hope to read in a year. For example, having a goal of reading 52 books during the next year.
But what if we thought about personal reading challenges differently?
Instead of counting books, what if your goal was to read a certain number of pages over the course of the year? A page-based goal might encourage readers to tackle longer, more demanding works, books like Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” or Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind,” hefty tomes we often postpone simply because of their length.
Another alternative might be to focus less on quantity and more on discovery. You could challenge yourself to read twelve books by twelve different authors you’ve never read before, one new author each month. This kind of goal invites curiosity and exploration, pushing you beyond familiar favorites and into new literary territory.
You may want to challenge yourself to read a book you’ve been intending to read for most of your life but have never quite gotten around to. Several years ago, I decided to do just that. For me, the book was “Doctor Zhivago” by Boris Pasternak, and it did not disappoint. I read it in the midst of winter and savored every word. It was not a fast read, but it transported me to a completely different time and place.
Some people read fiction primarily, while others read strictly nonfiction; many of us read both. I tend to read more than one book at a time, usually one work of fiction, one of nonfiction, and something entirely different, such as poetry, short stories, devotionals, or essays, enjoyed with my morning coffee. And that’s just my print reading. I am almost always listening to an audiobook. If I’m not listening to an audiobook, I’m likely listening to a podcast about books.
Might I suggest a reading challenge? Read both fiction and nonfiction. In fact, this year, why not lean a little more heavily into nonfiction? What if, each month, you read a book from a different Dewey Decimal classification, starting in the 000s and moving straight through to the 900s by year’s end? Just one book from each section. I might even consider that for my challenge. If you start in the 000s you could end up with a book about books, such as “Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread” by Michiko Kakutanisuch, call number 028 Kak. You couldn’t get a much better start. I sure hope someone will accept this challenge and keep me updated on your reading adventure.
My reading goal this year is to finally finish Karl Ove Knausgaard’s six-volume series “My Struggle.” I actually have only about half of the last volume left. I stopped reading it roughly two years ago for no apparent reason; perhaps something is at work in my subconscious. Last year, I read Knausgaard’s novel “The Morning Star “(he is a very good writer), yet somehow, I still can’t quite bring myself to finish “My Struggle.”
Alongside that goal is another: to read 400 picture books to my granddaughter this year. We are well on our way, averaging about one book a day.
I look forward to learning about your reading goals the next time you are in the library.